Inside the building - Layout

We wanted to let people to understand the inside layout better so we had drawn it in 2D. But, thanks to 3D digital technique, we have also made a 3D model, which is commonly seen in modern documentation for buildings and architecture.  

Figure 1.  Drawn previously to illustrate the layout in the building

Figure 2.   The layout in 3D model made by Blender

Modeling of interior - Rib Vault

Rib vault is one of the most distinct feature of Gothic Architecture, intersection of numbers of barrel vaults form rib vault illustrated by 3D models

Latin-cross Plan of St Giles Cathedral

Storyboarding (4)

35.       People light the candle and request for prayer;

Narrator: Behind is the Holy Blood Aisle, the place people can light a candle and also request for prayer.

36.       Walking in The Preston Aisle;

Narrator: Now we are walking in The Preston Aisle, the way leading to The Thistle Chapel.

37.       A low-vaulted vestibule; the chapel with a polygonal apse and the complex vault; heraldic;

Narrator: Through a low-vaulted vestibule, the chapel is a small room with a polygonal apse and the complex vault. It is famous for the display of heraldic, which symbolizes for the chivalry and considered to be one of the highest hornours of Scotland.

38.       People entering the cathedral;

Narrator: St Giles Cathedral has a great influence on the locals as well as the visitors from all over the world.

39.       Holding an activity;

Narrator: As the mother church of world Presbyterianism, it holds fourteen acts of worship every week on average.

40.  Holding the Holy Communion;

Narrator: And Holy Communion, which will be celebrated several times each week, is the central act of worship in St Giles.

41.       People are reading and praying;

Narrator: The Daily Service is the readings and prayers every quarter-hour on each weekday at noon.

42.       Organ( with sounds);

Narrator: Furthermore, the worship is also enriched by the music that comes from the organ and the Cathedral Choir. The organ, built in 1992, is widely recognised as one of the finest in Europe. 

43.       Singers; (singing a song)

           Narrator: While the Cathedral Choir, consisting of thirty singers, plays a significant role in St Giles’ worship   service.

Storyboarding (3)

15.       Gothic style buildings.

Narrator: The architectures of Gothic style flourished during the period of high and late medieval with the characteristic features

16.       The models of the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the colourful stained glasses.

Narrator: including the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the colourful stained glasses.

17.       The photos of Westminster Abby, Cahtedrale Notre Dame de Paris, the Cathedral of Cologne;

Narrator: There are a number of distinguished Gothic architectures all over the world like Westminster Abby, Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris, the Cathedral of Cologne and so forth. A Gothic architecture always expresses its powerful, splendid and elegant emotion.

18.       Focus on the pointed arch on the roof;

Narrator: In Gothic Architecture, the pointed arch, as a defining characteristic,

19.       Focus on the doorway, arcade;

Narrator: might be designed in every opening such as doorway, arcade and gallery for both structural and decorative.

20.       The view of whole St Giles;

Narrator: The pointed arch lends itself to a suggestion of height. So does St Giles Cathedral.

21.       Focus on the Crown Spire;

Narrator: It also has a most notable Crown Spire on the tower to emphasize the height, verticality as well as the majesty.

22.       Zoom the lens to the panoramic view of the Royal Mile;

Narrator: The tower is regarded as a prominent landmark on Royal Mile.

23.       Models of the ribbed vaults and the flying buttresses;

Narrator: Usually, Gothic Architecture is quite famous for its ribbed vaults and the flying buttresses. While, St Giles is an excepetion that has no flying buttresses outside.

24.   Some Gothic buildings (loftiness and huge dimension); God;

Narrator: There is a saying that the Gothic cathedral represented the universe in microcosm and each architectural concept, including the loftiness and huge dimensions of the structure, were intended to convey a theological message: the great glory of God.

25.   Whole view; geometry; symbols or religious implication;

Narrator: We can easily find the evidence in a Gothic cathedral through the architectural design both mathematically and geometrically, as well as the symbolic which underlies the religious implication.

26.   Different statues and sculptural decorations;

Narrator: Look at these statues, sculptural decoration of St Giles Cathedral; they are the essence of creation originated from the Old and New Testaments or other sacred history, and used for ecclesiastical symbols.

27.   Focus on the stained windows;

Narrator: Besides, most churches are richly decorated with the stained windows as well. St Giles Cathedral also has a collection of significant stained windows. Most of them dated from the Chambers Restoration (1872-83) onwards.

28.   The window at the west end of the church;

Narrator: This window, at the west end of the church, according to the official introduction, shows the crossing of the Jordan in the upper section, and portrays the figures of three great heroines of the Old Testament in the lower lights. The window has been designed to enhance the western light that it catches, and shows a masterful use of colour.

29.   Whole view of inside at the west entrance;

Narrator: The exterior is fairly impressed and it is also fantastic inside.

30.   The picture of Latin-cross plan;

Narrator: Most Gothic churches got a Latin-cross plan with a long nave and a transverse arm called transept.

31.   Columns and the lower-level vaults;

Narrator: In St Giles, though the large scale would suggest a great sense of space, the many columns and the lower-level vaults break up the interior, limiting the vistas and giving the sense of a series of separate but interconnected areas.

32.   Standing on the west entrance, lens to the choir place in the east end;

Narrator: Entering from the west entrance of St Giles Cathedral, the choir place can be seen in the east end just standing on the nave.

33.   The Albany Aisle;

Narrator: On the northwest side, there is a peaceful corner called The Albany Aisle that reserved for prayer and meditation. It is now dedicated to those who fell in the two World Wars.

34.   To clarify this is the centre place in St Giles; holy table; pulpit; pillars(gradually lens up to the ceiling);

Narrator: At the heart of the cathedral is the sanctuary, where the holy table and pulpit are surrounded by four massive central pillars that support the tower and crown steeple. These date from 1120 and become the oldest part of St Giles.

modeling of external St Giles——latest progress

                                                                        

Scenario part——its meanings for locals

St Giles Cathedral has a great influence on the locals as well as the visitors from all over the world. As the mother church of world Presbyterianism, it holds fourteen acts of worship every week on average. And Holy Communion, which will be celebrated several times each week, is the central act of worship in St Giles. The Daily Service is the readings and prayers every quarter-hour on each weekday at noon. Furthermore, the worship is also enriched by the music that comes from the organ and the Cathedral Choir. The organ, built in 1992, is widely recognised as one of the finest in Europe. While the Cathedral Choir, consisting of thirty singers, plays a significant role in St Giles’ worship service.

Scenario part——interior

The exterior is fairly impressed and it is also fantastic inside. Most Gothic churches got a Latin-cross plan with a long nave and a transverse arm called transept. In St Giles, though the large scale would suggest a great sense of space, the many columns and the lower-level vaults break up the interior, limiting the vistas and giving the sense of a series of separate but interconnected areas. Entering from the west entrance of St Giles Cathedral, the choir place can be seen in the east end just standing on the nave. On the northwest side, there is a peaceful corner called The Albany Aisle that reserved for prayer and meditation. It is now dedicated to those who fell in the two World Wars. At the heart of the cathedral is the sanctuary, where the holy table and pulpit are surrounded by four massive central pillars that support the tower and crown steeple. These date from 1120 and become the oldest part of St Giles. Behind is the Holy Blood Aisle, the place people can light a candle and also request for prayer. Now we are walking in The Preston Aisle, the way leading to The Thistle Chapel. Through a low-vaulted vestibule, the chapel is a small room with a polygonal apse and the complex vault. It is famous for the display of heraldic, which symbolizes for the chivalry and considered to be one of the highest hornours of Scotland.

Exterior modeling - St Giles

First stage

Further progress

 
                                        

                                       

Sagrada Família & St Giles

We had visited the Sagrada Familia before the decision of the used of St Giles as our primary building in the project. Sagrada Familia is a Roman Catholic church situated in Barcelona, Spain. The history of the building is maybe not as old as St Giles, but it was interesting for us to look at, not because of the scale of the building but certainly one of the greatest master pieces when Gaudi made it into a combination of Gothic (we have introduced it in detail previously) and curvillinear.

To be precious, the style of Sagrada Familia is most resembled to Spanish Late Gothic style together with Art Nouveau style which could be seen intensively in the surface for decoration. Just like what architecture critic, Paul Goldberger, said "the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle ages". We can not agree with him more after seeing the real actual building, and the complexity of the structure and decoration of the building have given us more thought on 3D modeling.

It is not hard to find some similarities between Sagrada Familia and St Giles as they both consist of Gothic architecture. Some photos of Sagrada Familia are attached below:

A sense of rib vault look in the last photo which is often a characteristic of Gothic style buildings.

 

 

Storyboarding (2)

7.   Show the Cathedral we modeled

8.   Then focus the sign of Bishop of St Andrews;

Narrator: The history of St Giles could be traced back to 1120s; a Romanesque style church was firstly built on the current situated site, which was used for several centuries before dedicated by the bishop of St Andrews in 1243, but then dedicated to St Giles after.

9.   Show the modeled external Gothic features;

10. Change lens into interior; follow The Albany Aisle and The Preston Aisle;

Narrator: The majority part of the building was refined in Gothic style between 1320 and 1380. The church was repaired and expanded during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Albany Aisle and The Preston Aisle are also dated around this period.

11. The sculpture of John Knox in the square;

12. The image of Scottish Reformation; the image of Presbyterianism;

Narrator: One of the most significant figures to the church, John Knox, who was the Minister at St Giles (1559-1572) when the church went through great changes because of the Scottish Reformation. The church was also considered to be the spiritual home of Presbyterianism due to his Ministry.

13. Modeled cathedral;
      Narrator: Tensions were raised when King Charles intended to reintroduce Episcopacy in Scotland, and became as in the 17th Century as opposition signed National Covenant, although the Presbyterian Church of Scotland became the Established church at the end of the century that the name of St Giles Cathedral was remained.

14. Two tombs;
        Narrator: The two tombs in the church were involved in these tension periods: James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, who resisted the National Convenant, and executed in 1650. His opponent, Archibald Campbell, Marquess or Argyll was also executed in 1661. After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 both Montrose and Argyll were interred in the church.   

Scenario part——Gothic Style

The architectures of Gothic style flourished during the period of high and late medieval with the characteristic features including the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the colorful stained glasses. There are a number of distinguished Gothic architectures all over the world like Westminster Abby, Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris, the Cathedral of Cologne and so forth. A Gothic architecture always expresses its powerful, splendid and elegant emotion.

In Gothic Architecture, the pointed arch, as a defining characteristic, might be designed in every opening such as doorway, arcade and gallery for both structural and decorative. The pointed arch lends itself to a suggestion of height. So does St Giles Cathedral. It also has a most notable Crown Spire on the tower to emphasize the height, verticality as well as the majesty.

Usually, Gothic Architecture is quite famous for its ribbed vaults and the flying buttresses.

There is a saying that the Gothic cathedral represented the universe in microcosm and each architectural concept, including the loftiness and huge dimensions of the structure, were intended to convey a theological message: the great glory of God. We can easily find the evidence in a Gothic cathedral through the architectural design both mathematically and geometrically, as well as the symbolic which underlies the religious implication.

Look at these statues, sculptural decoration of St Giles Cathedral; they are the essence of creation originated from the Old and New Testaments or other sacred history. Besides, most churches are richly decorated with the stained windows as well. St Giles Cathedral also has a collection of significant stained windows. Most of them dated from the Chambers Restoration (1872-83) onwards. This window, at the west end of the church, shows the crossing of the Jordan in the upper section, and portrays the figures of three great heroines of the Old Testament in the lower lights. The window has been designed to enhance the western light that it catches, and shows a masterful use of color.

History

St Giles 

                                               

The history of St Giles can perhaps be traced back to 854AD with record of a parish church in Edinburgh, and evidently the site has at least been used for worship for around 900 years. A Romanesque style church was first built in the 1120s, which was used for several centuries before dedicated by the bishop of St Andrews in 1243, but then dedicated to St Giles after.

The majority part of the building was refined in Gothic style between 1320 and 1380, which was partially burnt in 1385, but repaired and expanded again during the 15^th and 16^th centuries. The Albany Aisle and The Preston Aisle are dated around this period. The insertion of private chapels was from the later period, and there were more than 100 of them in the interior by the 16^th century.

John Knox was the Minister at St Giles (1559-1572) when the church went through significant changes because of the Scottish Reformation. Many chapels and stained glass were removed In order to achieve the Reformed style of worship. The church was also considered to be the spiritual home of Presbyterianism due to his Ministry. To make use of the space effectively that the building was further partitioned to allow places for coal store, fire station, school, and police station.

The church went through Episcopal control periods when King Charles intended to reintroduce Episcopacy in Scotland, and became as Cathedral in 1635-38 and in 1661-89 in the 17^th Century. However, tensions were raised as opposition signed National Covenant, although the Presbyterian Church of Scotland became the Established church at the end of the century that the name of St Giles Cathedral was remained, but not in Cathedral status.

The two tombs in the church were involved in these tension periods: James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, who resisted the National Convenant, and executed in 1650. His opponent, Archibald Campbell, Marquess or Argyll was also executed in 1661. After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 both Montrose and Argyll were interred in the church.

New stained glass windows were inserted and with opened interior, and partitions were removed since 1872. The great restoration of the exterior part of the building was carried out earlier in 1829. Thistle Chapel was relatively newly built in 1911 designed by Sir Rober Lorimer in Gothic style for the knights of the Thistle, Scotland’s order of chivalry.  

Scenes (1)

The first scene



The third scene

Storyboarding (1)

We finished the first two parts of the storyboarding today.

1.   Standing on the cross of Royal Mile and Nicolson Street to see the prosperity here;

Narrator: The Royal Mile is the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh, which starts at the Castle entrance to the gates of Holyrood Palace.

2.   Walk west towards and arrive at the sign of St. Giles Street;

Narrator: Walk west towards, you will see a sign of St. Giles Street.

3.   Change the lens to the opposite, stop and focus on the St. Giles Cathedral;

Narrator: And the St. Giles Cathedral, with its famed crown spire, stands on the heart of Edinburgh’s old town.

4.   Zoom in the lens and show the entry door;

Narrator: St Giles' Cathedral is the historic City Church of Edinburgh, which has been at the center of the city's religious life for at least one thousand years.

5.  The real entry door fade out and the virtual door we modeled fade in;

Narrator: It is host to some 400,000 visitors every year, who come to experience its unique atmosphere of continuing worship and history;

6.  The modeled door opened and the cathedral’s history introduction begins.

Timetable

Schedule of tasks

	DATE	DESCRIPTION
1	May.	Submit the agreement form
2	May. 17th	Meeting with supervisor Dr. John Lee
3	May.19th to Jun.6th	Buildings research, documentary, Gather photos and videos of related buildings
4	Jun.7th	1)Make the decision to choose St. Giles Cathedral 2)Create a blog for record
5	Jun.13th	Start drawing the storyboarding and modeling
6	Jun.23rd	Finish modeling and begin animation
7	Jul.4th	Editing and add some after effect
8	Jul.11th	Presentation day
9	Jul.12th to Aug.19th	Write up