- why did the builders of Gothic Chartres bother to expend such a huge amount of energy and skill not just on rebuilding but on changing it from the Romanesgue to the Gothic style?
- Was it in response to changing fashion?
- Was it a result of competition with other cities?
- Was it an expression of the new urban independence from feudalism and the affluence it brought?
- Was it the need for a larger sanctuary to cope with the new epoch of spiritual zeal?
- Given that the answer was probably a combination of each of these, the question still remains, where did the Gothic style itself come from, and why was it so important?
- Did it emerge from the Romanesque world through the trial and error of inspired Norman and Burgundian masons?
- Was it the result of indigenous genius or did it come from somewhere else?
- Was it imported and, if so, from where?
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