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ACTIVITY 1

TASK 1

DURHAM CATHEDRAL

DURHAM Cathedral is in the main a superb example of the usual plan, it has some peculiarities. Instead of a Lady chapel beyond the choir, is a building parallel with the transept, and from north to south nearly as long; and the Lady chapel is at the west end,-this is accounted for in the description of this Cathedral. The transept has an aisle to the east. The west front, built at the verge of a precipice overhanging a river, is quite unique.

With one exception, all the Cathedrals of England and Wales are built in the form of a Latin cross. This form, however, is not of very ancient date. The first Christian temples were oblong buildings, the space within was divided into a nave and aisles by two rows of columns in the larger, and formed one simple room in the smaller sort. This was certainly the form of the Saxon churches in this island, and probably of the British also before them, if, indeed, any buildings were erected in those early times for the express purpose of Christian worship.

A little before the Norman conquest, the form of the cross had been adopted in France, and soon after that event it was introduced into this country. The old Cathedrals were then taken down and rebuilt, not only in the form of the Latin cross, but also on a much larger scale. The early Norman churches had very. short transepts and choirs: all the length of the building was given to the nave, on account of religious processions, which then formed no inconsiderable part of public worship. Later Norman churches had their transepts and choirs extended to a greater length; and, in the next period, still more length was given to these portions of the fabric, though the former rarely extended beyond three compartments on each side of the main body of the church.

The Greek cross has four equal arms, but there are no churches of this form in Great Britain, nor perhaps in any part of western Christendom. The usual plan of a Cathedral, both in Norman and in later times, was a nave, choir, and transept, all with side aisles; a Lady chapel, of less elevation than the choir, and, joined to it at the east end; a square tower on each side of the west end of the nave, giving great breadth and dignity to the west front, which contained three portals; the larger one, in the centre, gave entrance to the nave, and the two smaller, into the side aisles: and a square tower, of much larger dimensions, was placed at the intersection of the cross. Every Cathedral had also a cloister and chapter-house adjoining, usually on the south side.

Every deviation from the ordinary, and, it may be added, perfect plan of a Cathedral church, is to be considered a peculiarity, for the adoption of which tradition has in some cases handed down the reason; and in others it may be surmised with some degree of probability. The object of these observations is, to point out to the reader every departure from, and every addition to the perfect plan, to be found in the Cathedrals of this country.

Task 2

Answer the question based the text above!

1.    What is the text about?

2.    What is the shape of Cathedral in the first building?

3.    Is the building adopted in France?

4.    How many equal arms in the Greek cross?

5.    Every Cathedral had also a cloister and chapter-house adjoining, where is the exact placement based on the text?

Task 3

State True or False (T/F)

1.    The north front of Cathedral, built at the verge of a precipice overhanging a river (……)

2.    All the Cathedrals of England and Wales are built in the form of a Latin cross (……)

3.    The first Christian temples were oblong buildings (……)

4.    The form of the cross had been adopted in Germany (……)

5.    Every Cathedral had also a cloister and chapter-house adjoining, usually on the south side (……)