Architectural development of the eastern end of cathedrals in England and France
When people wanted to build really big and fancy churches a long, long time ago they started designing them in a special way called Gothic architecture. This meant they could make the walls and windows of the church super high and fill them with colorful stained glass.
In England and France, some of the biggest and fanciest churches were called cathedrals. They were so big that they couldn't just be built all at once - it had to happen in little pieces over many years.
One part of the cathedral that was especially important was the eastern end. This was where the altar was and where the priest would stand during mass. They wanted it to be extra special so they made it tall and pointed, almost like a triangle.
In France, they called this part of the cathedral the "chevet". It was usually round, with chapels (little rooms for prayer) all around it. They made these chapels very colorful and added lots of fancy details like carved statues.
In England, they called this part of the cathedral the "east end". It was also tall and pointed, but instead of being round it was often square or rectangular. The windows in the east end were really big and had lots of small pieces of glass held together with metal, like a puzzle.
Over time, architects kept making changes to the eastern end of cathedrals to make them even more special. They added more chapels, even more colorful stained glass, and lots of pretty carvings. It took a long time to finish all the parts of the cathedral, but when it was finally done, it was a beautiful place to worship and pray.
In England and France, some of the biggest and fanciest churches were called cathedrals. They were so big that they couldn't just be built all at once - it had to happen in little pieces over many years.
One part of the cathedral that was especially important was the eastern end. This was where the altar was and where the priest would stand during mass. They wanted it to be extra special so they made it tall and pointed, almost like a triangle.
In France, they called this part of the cathedral the "chevet". It was usually round, with chapels (little rooms for prayer) all around it. They made these chapels very colorful and added lots of fancy details like carved statues.
In England, they called this part of the cathedral the "east end". It was also tall and pointed, but instead of being round it was often square or rectangular. The windows in the east end were really big and had lots of small pieces of glass held together with metal, like a puzzle.
Over time, architects kept making changes to the eastern end of cathedrals to make them even more special. They added more chapels, even more colorful stained glass, and lots of pretty carvings. It took a long time to finish all the parts of the cathedral, but when it was finally done, it was a beautiful place to worship and pray.
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