La datation du choeur de l’église de Vaucelles reproduit en plan par Villard de Honnecourt

The ruined Cistercian church of Vaucelles is known only by a few preserved fragments and a plan of the choir reproduced by Villard of Honnecourt. Historical sources provide three key dates: 1190 (start of construction), 1215 (entry into the new church), 1235 (date of the dedication). From the nineteenth century until now, it was considered that the foundations were laid in 1190 and that the construction started on the west side of the church. In 1216, the nave would have been completed, and the choir would have been built between 1216 and 1235. Consultation of the historical sources and examination of the historiographic record changes this established chronology of the site. In fact, the construction proceeded from east to west. The choir reproduced in 1216 or shortly before by Villard de Honnecourt presents the building as it then appeared, with the eastern part of the building totally completed.

Golden Ratio and Fibonacci Sequence in Pentagonal Constructions of Medieval Architecture

The construction of the regular pentagon has always meant a difficult geometrical exercise for architects during the Middle Ages. As the correct drafting was forgotten after the Antiquity, several methods for its approximation had been invented in medieval times. As Golden Ratio appears between several parts of the regular pentagon, the role of the Fibonacci sequence in these approximate constructions is to be examined. The pentagonal drawing in the sketchbook of Villard de Honnecourt calls our attention to a possible way how medieval architects could have applied simple numerical ratios for getting angles they needed. The approximation of 72°, for instance, is likely to have been crucial for this pentagonal construction, as well as the approximation of Golden Ratio that could have been achieved by neighbouring pairs from Fibonacci’s sequence.

Did French Architects, Builders, Stonemasons, and Sculptors Operate in the Hungarian Kingdom in the Second Half of the 12th Century and in the 13th Century?

Thanks to the wide use of the fruits of interdisciplinary research (history, archaeology, and art history) and a thorough analysis of written and architectural sources, it can be clearly demonstrated that, from at least as early as the end of the 12th century, architects, builders, stonemasons and probably also sculptors from what is now northern and eastern France were operating in the Kingdom of Hungary (though it is not known to what extent). It is impossible not to see a correlation between their activity and the very early appearance of the Gothic style in the territory of what was then Hungary. The architect–builder–designer–sketcher Villard de Honnecourt of Picardy, northern France, and his stay on the shores of the Danube are of particular interest. He was there most probably in the 1220s, but it is unfortunately difficult to say for certain which of the edifices he worked on considering those that were erected at the time in the Kingdom of Hungary.

Ordnen und Verstehen – Die Zeichnungen des Villard de Honnecourt in einem diagrammatischen Denkmodell

The article shows the impact of diagrammatic thought and pattern in the transformation of ‘what has been seen’ into more or less systematic sketches, using the example of Villard’s de Honnecourt ‘Portfolio’ (Paris, BnF, Ms. fr. 19093, c. 1240). Rather than discussing the later use of the ‘Portfolio’, the focus is on Villard’s initial use of basic geometrical operations to understand, construct and amend his environment through the process of drawing. Analyzing his approach can thus contribute to the understanding of knowledge organization not only concerning the architecture of the 13th century but also to an understanding of knowledge organization in general.