00:00:09the church was extremely powerful it was
00:00:12powerful in regard to belief it was
00:00:14powerful in regard to political control
00:00:17dr. Amy Livingston of Wittenberg
00:00:20University Ohio believes that politics
00:00:23was at the heart of chartreuse creation
00:00:24the bishops we’re very much a part of
00:00:27the political structure of medieval
00:00:29Europe with such high stakes bishop Brno
00:00:36knows the choice of architect or master
00:00:38builder is crucial the search for the
00:00:42right person could take years
00:00:45[Music]
00:00:49yet within weeks of the fire before the
00:00:52search even gets underway an architect
00:00:54who claims he can build the new
00:00:56cathedral steps forward today his name
00:00:59is shrouded in mystery there’s no record
00:01:03of who this person was so we don’t know
00:01:06how he was found where he came from we
00:01:09don’t really know anything about him
00:01:11journalists and Arthur dr. Philip ball
00:01:14is intrigued by this enigmatic architect
00:01:17it seems clear that he must have been
00:01:20someone who had a lot of experience but
00:01:22beyond that we know nothing
00:01:27but he must have impressed Renault as he
00:01:30is appointed master builder of the new
00:01:32shot Raqqah Theed rule it’s a daunting
00:01:36challenge the old cathedral was long and
00:01:43narrow
00:01:45but a common shape is not enough for
00:01:47Bishop or know he wants his new
00:01:51cathedral to be the cutting edge of its
00:01:53day
00:01:53[Music]
00:01:56he transforms the rectangle
00:01:59[Music]
00:02:03– a cross across large enough to be seen
00:02:07by God in heaven
00:02:09[Music]
00:02:14it’s an ambitious vision but at its
00:02:18heart are three simple shapes the
00:02:23Builder would use simple geometric
00:02:26shapes for the cathedrals design for
00:02:29professor Michael Davis of Mount Holyoke
00:02:31College such shapes were crucial to
00:02:34medieval architecture these would be the
00:02:38circle the square and the equilateral
00:02:42triangle these shapes were included in
00:02:47every aspect of the cathedrals design to
00:02:53the medieval mind the circle square and
00:02:56triangle were uniquely harmonious
00:03:00reflecting man’s desire to be at one
00:03:03with a divine spirit
00:03:05the circle is a sacred symbol of purity
00:03:08[Music]
00:03:11outside a circle can be drawn a perfect
00:03:14square by diagonally bisecting the
00:03:17perfect square we arrived at four
00:03:19triangles
00:03:23every single element of the design uses
00:03:26derivatives of these three shapes
00:03:29[Music]
”