Jean d'Orbais (; ca. 1175–1231) was a French architect from Orbais-l'Abbaye, active in the

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

area. He was an architect of the

High Gothic High Gothic was a period of Gothic architecture in the 13th century, from about 1200 to 1280, which saw the construction of a series of refined and richly decorated cathedrals of exceptional height and size. It appeared most prominently in France ...

style and the first of the four architects of the

Cathedral of Reims Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral in the Reims, French city of the same name, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Archdiocese of R ...

, where he is depicted in the labyrinth mosaic in the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. He was responsible for the design of and initial work on the cathedral of Notre Dame de Reims.

Early life

He was born c. 1175 in the village of Orbais in the and before working at Reims he made his debut with the construction of the Abbey Church of Orbais.

Abbey

Abbey church Orbais-l'Abbaye.The St. Pierre-St. Paul Church was built at the end of the 12th and early 13th centuries by Jean of Orbais, one of the architects of the

. The Abbey Church had a length of 8 m with eight bays of

, Two of which remain today. The architecture is superb and particularly the

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

, with its two towers similar to those of the Basilica Saint-Rémi de Reims and the choir with ambulatory with five radiating chapels. There is also

stained glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

s of the 12th century, funerary slabs from the 14th and 15th centuries, a

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

from the 16th century and the glazed tiles from the 15th century.

Cathedral of Reims

He saw the design and beginning of construction of the

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Reims Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...

, on which he worked from 1211 AD to 1231 AD and 1235. The design was carried out in ca. 1210; among its new features were three-tier elevation, and quadripartite vaults. The overall plan of the cathedral was his and he oversaw the first stone was laid on May 6, 1211 AD, and at the time he was unaware of the cathedrals of Laon,

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

Chartres Chartres () is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 1 ...

, which his successors would go on to emulate. Jean of Orbais began the construction of the cathedral from the side by the apse, the southern pan of the transept and the choir, followed by much of the nave, until the fourth span and high walls of the aisles were completed with their windows.Le Labyrinth.
/ref> He was replaced as architect in 1228 by Jean-Le-Loup. It is not known why he ceased to work towards 1228 AD, although it is thought he was dismissed due to conflict with the newly appointed Archbishop Henri de Braisne. He died in 1231 in

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jean Dorbais 13th-century French architects Gothic architects Architects from Reims Year of birth uncertain 1231 deaths