An Architecture of Perfection

Research on Bourges Cathedral reveals that Gothic architects actively pursued and achieved rectilinear perfection, contrary to the long-held belief that vault thrusts led to intentional irregularities. Andrew Tallon's study, using laser technology to analyze Bourges and Chartres cathedrals, demonstrates that moral and architectural perfection were explicitly linked in medieval exegesis, with wall plumb being a theological imperative for Gothic masters. This challenges art historian William H. Goodyear's theory of 'widening refinement' and underscores the precision and intentionality in Gothic architecture.

Tallon, A. (2013). An Architecture of Perfection. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 72(4), 530–554. https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2013.72.4.530