The ground plan of Medieval European cathedrals is usually laid out in the shape of a cross, with rose windows often incorporated into the facades and transepts of the building. Notre Dame has several rose windows facing north, south, and west, with the south window being the most famous and measuring 13m in diameter. The windows are all illuminated by natural light throughout the day, casting colorful light onto the walls and floor of the cathedral.
Despite their association with Gothic churches and Catholicism, historians believe that rose windows were inspired by early architectural styles from the Roman Empire and various Islamic empires that came afterward. Indeed, intricate window designs similar to rose windows appeared in the Middle East some 500 years before the construction of Notre Dame began. At the time, Islamic and Christian empires often fought each other. Nonetheless, the popularity of the rose window demonstrates that artistic expression can transcend time, culture and religion.
Photo: AdobeStock 照片： AdobeStock
中世紀歐洲大教堂的平面配置圖通常是十字形的，而玫瑰窗經常被納入建築的正面和耳堂。巴黎聖母院有好幾個玫瑰窗，分別面向北、南和西邊，其中南面那扇窗最為著名，其直徑達十三公尺。這些窗戶在白天都被自然光照亮，將彩色的光線投射到該座堂的牆壁和地板上。
儘管玫瑰窗與哥德式教堂和天主教密切相關，但歷史學家認為玫瑰窗的靈感來自羅馬帝國和隨後的各種伊斯蘭帝國的早期建築風格。在巴黎聖母院開始建造的約五百年前，中東地區的確就已經出現了類似玫瑰窗的精美窗戶設計。當時，伊斯蘭和基督教帝國之間經常發生戰爭。然而，玫瑰窗的流行表明，藝術表現可以超越時間、文化和宗教。
Word in Use
4. architecture n. 建築 architectural a. 建築的
► Venice is celebrated for its canals and beautiful architecture.
威尼斯以其運河及漂亮的建築聞名。
► We will build the bridge according to the architectural plan you gave us.
我們將根據你交給我們的建築計畫建造那座橋。
5. artistic a. 富有藝術性的
► Renoir’s paintings have great artistic value.
雷諾瓦的畫作具有很高的藝術價值。
Even as he grows older, Microsoft founder Bill Gates still fondly remembers the catalytic computer code he wrote 50 years ago that opened up a new frontier in technology. Although the code that Gates printed out on a teletype machine may look crude compared to what’s powering today’s artificial intelligence platforms, it played a critical role in creating Microsoft in April 1975 — a golden anniversary that the Redmond, Washington, company celebrated on April 4. Gates, 69, set the stage for that jubilee with a blog post reminiscing on how he and his old high school friend — the late Paul Allen
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