The psychedelic kaleidoscope patterns of Gothic Cathedrals

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Click topic for LINK

At first glance, the amazing symmetry of these images makes them look like the hypnotic, psychedelic patterns seen through a kaleidoscope.

But they are in fact amazing examples of European cathedral ceilings, designed and crafted with the utmost precision as places where the earthly can meet the divine.

The Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages are among the world's greatest architectural achievements, symbols of the intense religious devotion of the era.

With many taking decades, or even centuries, to build and decorate, they represent some of the finest tangible achievements of the Christian faith and are major landmarks in the geography and history of the cities in which they stand.

Many are featured among the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, in which they sit aside wonders like the pyramids of Egypt and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

For centuries, the remarkable geometry of the sites have amazed tourists and religious devotees alike, with the architects and who built them codifying their sense of spiritual wonder in stone.

York Minster, the seat of the Archbishop of York and the second largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe, took more than 200 years to complete.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142553/The-amazing-kaleidoscopic-world-Gothic-cathedral-ceilings.html#ixzz1uVkwvLOc