(ORDO NEWS) — The fire that engulfed the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris revealed a long-hidden secret of the historical monument.
In fact, this is the first Gothic cathedral, in the construction of which iron staples were widely used.
Notre Dame Cathedral is a business card not only of Paris, but also of all of France. The construction of the famous cathedral in the heart of the capital began in 1160 and was completed almost a century later.
Unfortunately, four years ago this architectural monument was damaged by a large-scale fire. However, this tragic event revealed to archaeologists an ancient secret of the temple – it is connected by giant iron staples.
The publication notes that Notre Dame is the first known Gothic cathedral where iron was so widely used as a building material.
“At present, Notre-Dame Cathedral is undoubtedly the first known Gothic cathedral in which iron was massively used to fasten stones as the main building material,” the study concludes.
The article notes that the cathedral may be riddled with more than a thousand iron staples of various sizes, ranging from 10 to 20 inches in length, some of them weighing up to several kilograms.
Before the fire, staples supported the load-bearing parts of the cathedral, indicating that iron significantly improved the structural integrity of the cathedral.
The researchers analyzed 12 historical staples of the cathedral. Using radiocarbon dating, they learned that they were made in the early stages of construction, around 1160. They also hope to find out where the iron came from.
Maxime L’Heritier, a historian from the University of Paris 8 and the lead author of the study, claims that the discovered feature of the construction of Notre-Dame de Paris is “the first truly massive use of iron in a Gothic cathedral in very specific places.”
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.