Chartres Cathedral

  • The first model I would like to build in 2007 is Chartres Cathedral. It will complete the collection of three French cathedrals in the L'Instant Durable line. As Chartres progresses, comparisons can be made to her sister models, Notre-Dame de Paris and Reims Cathedral.


    Model: Cathédrale de Chartres
    Publisher: L'Instant Durable
    Scale: 1:250
    Size: 35 x 61 cm x 44cm high
    Collection Number: 24
    Parts: 400
    Sheets: 35
    Architect: Thierry Hatot
    Colour: Anne-Marie Piaulet
    Copyright Date: 1990


    We are fifteen hours into the build. Parts are being cut. (I have a box of 100 X-Acto knives in the drawer.) I'll post the first photo when Chartres is ready to be assembled.


    Cheers...John

  • Hi Martin,
    This is a wonderful and kind offer! Yes, feel free to pop in any photos as we go along with the build. It could work out very nicely, as I am not going to do as detailed a construction report as Reims.


    Here, I would like to photograph the cathedral in blocks - West Facade, North Transept, Apse, etc. So, with these larger sections being featured, you might have just the shot to compare with the model.


    This is exciting. Thank you again! Feel free to step in at any time.


    Enjoy New Year's Day with family and friends, Martin.


    Cheers...John

  • Thirty hours into the build and not one part errected on the base yet!
    This first shot represents some of the many parts required to build this magnificant cathedral. I really like the weight of the French paper here. The surface finish on the printing is also very forgiving to water based glue. It doesn't leave a residue if you remove it immediately. There seems to be a nice glaze on the surface that lets you clean up without letting moisture penetrate the paper.

  • This seems to be one of the first prefab cathedrals, John


    groetjes,
    Gert

  • Hi Oliver,
    No, it will be buried deep within the nave. The labyrinth in Reims is actually much larger and more intricate and interesting in its shape. There is a shot of it in the Reims completed construction build section.


    Cheers...John

  • Here is a side view comparative shot of the two completed cathedrals. Note the differences in the west tower top details. Chartres will have the dramatic contrast of Romanesque and Gothic spires. Also, note the lack of a spire at the crossing on Reims. (The crossing is where the north and south transepts intersect with the nave and choir roofs.) There won't be one at all on Chartres at the crossing.

  • John, did you already notice that there is a buttress missing in the back of the cathedral. In its place there is a white area with the publisher's identification and so on. I over painted it on my model...

  • Hi Ricardo,
    Yes, I noticed the publisher's credits in that white strip, but I was not aware that it would not be covered by a buttress pier. Thanks for the heads up.
    John

  • Hallo John,


    this si gonna be beautiful modell!!!! I have planned my summer vacation in Paris. Did you buy it there? If so, where?


    Thanks
    Dalibor


    P.S. Do you guys plan to build whole Paris from paper??? @)

    Danke und Gruss
    Dalibor

  • Hi Dalibor,
    A summer vacation in Paris? Sound wonderful!
    Yes, I bought the model directly from L'Instat Durable in Clermont-Ferrand, France via the Internet. You will find all the information needed to order great models at:


    http://www.instantdurable.com/index.htm


    I would add that when you open this French website, you will see three cathedrals. These outlstanding models were built by Ricardo, one of the finest card modellers in this Forum.


    Cheers...John

  • The first nine sheets of the model build the core of the cathedral. I am surprised that the printed footprint of the north transept is crooked. Unusual in a model of this quality. We'll see how that plays out down the road.


    Here are the façades of the north and south transepts. The soft pastel watercolours are characteristic of L'Instant Durable models. Very nice.

  • The transept roof is intended to span the gap of the crossing. It is easy to span such a gap and later find that the roof has not aligned the walls on either side of gap properly. The roof can conform to four different wall planes. To prevent this I reinforce the roof heavily so that it will draw the four transept walls into proper alignment.


    Here is transept roof, its internal reinforcment and its applicatiion to the model.

  • I've come upon a technique that might be useful. Whenever I've made patterns for templates, I've used tracing paper or transparent vellum. However, you're never quite sure that you are dead on the line as you look through the paper and copy with a ruler what you see below.


    To be very accurate, build up a pattern with strips of paper over the part. You are looking directly at the part with no distortion at all. If the part will be an internal one, a bit smaller that the outer one you are copying, you can cover the line thickness as you build up the pattern - that will compensate for the thickness of the paper! In this example the former for the inside of an octagonal tower is drawn on the part that fits over the outside of the tower.


    What you end up with is a negative pattern that you place over your card stock and tape down.


    The octagon in the roof of the tower seen here is copied in the pattern lying near it.

  • Sheets 10, 11 and 12 build the south spire. This tower, known as clocher Vieux, was built in the Norman Romanesque style. Four high gabled dormers alternate with four small corner pinnacles to make the transition from square tower to octagonal spire.


    The spire is simply sitting on the tower in this photograph. I will not glue it in place at this time.

  • The upper octagonal base of the spire is supported with eight pinnacles and sixteen buttresses; the lower base with four larger pinnacles at the corners and eight buttresses. This provided a lot of interesting modelling and about five and a half hours of work.


    I could leave this out, but to be honest, I assembled the sixteen upper buttresses incorrectly. I had to remove them all and start again. They are meant to converge together at the wall of the spire, not straddle each side of the pinnacles with a gap in the middle. Fortunately I was able to cut away the glue to pry them off after I discovered the mistake.

  • There are interesting differences among the three notre-dame cathedrals at their western ends. Here at Chartres, the roof extends right past the two towers and closes at the werstern facade. A simple Gallery of Kings runs across the facade above the rose window. It is accessed by a door at each end of the gallery.


    But at Reims and on Notre-Dame de Paris, the roofs stop at the back edge of the towers and are closed with gable ends, creating interesting upper porches. The Gallery of Kings in front on the facade of Reims is very elaborate.

  • I think the building of this porch will be very interesting, so I am going to slow down and set up the camera on a little tripod near the model.
    There are round pillars supporting decorated rectangular stone headers mounted on square corner columns. There is a coffered ceiling in each bay as well.

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  • Continuing on with the installation of the ceiling...

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    Edited once, last by John ().

  • Hi John,


    Great pictures :super:


    Another beautyfull architecture card modell done by you.


    Looks good. I would be interesting to me to see all you works in one row.


    Do you have a kind of museum in you house or do you just storrige your finished modells in the cellar or somewhere else?


    Greetings from Vienna, Herbert

  • Hi Herbert. Thanks and thanks for asking about the collection and where it is stored.


    The collection resides in a storeroom in my basement. I have included here, two shots of the room. In this wall are stored: Neuschwanstein, Postorna, St. Paulus, Malbork, Krak, Meersburg, Caernarvon,Blois, Konradsheim, Haut-Kroenigsbourg and Paray-le Monieal.

  • On these shelves are:
    Cathedral de Santiagto, Götzmburg, Chateau de Chaumont, Maulbraun Monastery (yet to be built), Lichtenstein, Hohenzollern, Pfalz, Berlin Cathedral, Pierrefonds, Burg Eltz, St. Michaelis Cathedral, Reims, Rozmberk, Frauenkirche Dresden, St. Vita Cathedral, Hohensaltzburg, Ulm Munster (yet to be built), Marksburg, and out of the picture - Chennonceau, Wartburg and Notre-Dame de Paris.