The pseudo-polygonal rib vaults, St. James' church in Torun and the question of illusionism in Gothic architecture

• Autores: Jakub Adamski
• Localización: Artibus et historiae: an art anthology, ISSN 0391-9064, Nº. 65, 2012, págs. 276-305
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The present paper is devoted to the problem of the so-called pseudo-polygonal vaults in the Gothic architecture, which might be regarded as one of the most striking examples of the medieval architectural illusionism. As a pseudo-polygonal vault such a rib construction is understood, that evokes an impression of a polygonal wall termination in a rectangular interior, usually a choir. The most important distinctive feature of the pseudo-polygonal vault is a tripartite composition of at least one internal elevation; besides, there are two basic types of such coverings. The older one, which originated in the early 12th century in Normandy (church of Saint-Étienne, Caen), is characterized with a radial arrangement of the ribs, which are supported in all the four points of the eastern wall. The second one emerged for the first time in the West-French region of Anjou in the last decades of the 12th century (entrance porch of the former Benedictine abbey at Saint-Florent-lès-Saumur), and is characteristic for the triangle corner fields, usually filled with bisectional ribs. St. James� parish church in the New Town of Torun in North Poland is described and analyzed here as the most perfect example of the pseudo-polygonal choir arrangement, in which all the architectural details are planned in a way to emphasize the seeming multi-sided termination of the chancel. The church is presented here in the broader background of the North-European brick Gothic architecture, and the Hamburg, Rostock and Lochstedt influences are traced and explained. The paper�s main goal is to introduce the pseudo-polygonal vaults to a broader range of art historians, thanks to the splendid example of St. James� in Torun.