Skip to main content
Log in

The economic legacy of gothic cathedral building: France and England compared

  • Articles
  • Published:
Journal of Cultural Economics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Conclusion

The accomplishments of the Gothic cathedral builders are immense. They are usually examined in terms of technical and artistic achievement, however, This seems shortsighted in view of their economic ramifications. The legacy of these works can be seen in technology, specialization and mobility of labor, and procedures in accounting. They thus served as a vehicle for the transformation of feudal society to the early capitalism which generated our modern world.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bishop, Morris, Middle Ages. New York: American Heritage Publishing Company, Inc., 1968, p. 37.

    Google Scholar 

  • deRoover, R., “The Organization of Trade,” M.M. Poston, E.E. Rich, and Edward Miller, eds., Cambridge Economic History Cambridge: The University Press, 1963, p. 74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durant, Will, The Age of Faith. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1950, pp. 296, 556.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halphen, Louis, “France in the Eleventh Century,” Cambridge Medieval History; III, H.M. Gwatkin, J.P. Whitney, J.B. Tan, and C.W. Previte-Orion, editors Cambridge: The University Press, 1964,p.133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howgrave-Graham, P., The Cathedrals of France. New York, 1959, p. 76.

  • Hurliman, Martin and Boney, Jean, French Cathedrals New York, 1967.

  • Johnson, H. Thomas, “Cathedral Building and the Medieval Economy,” Explorations in Entrepreneurial History Second Series, Vol. 5, No. 1(1967), pp. 191–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, H. Thomas, “Note: Relation of Building Volume and Construction Inputs,” Explorations in Entrepreneurial History Second Series, 5, 1 (1967), pp. 108–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, Gwilym Peredur, “Building in Stone in Medieval Western Europe,” Cambridge Economic History of Europe, Vol. 11, M. Postan and E.E. Rich, editors Cambridge: The University Press, 1952, p. 505.

    Google Scholar 

  • Judd, Denis, A History of Civilization. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1963, p.199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, Robert S., “Economie et architecture medievales cela aurrait il tie ceci?” Annales; Economies, Societes, Civilisations, 7 (1952), pp. 433–438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, Steven F., History of the Sciences (New York: Collier Books), 1962, pp. 103–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moyers, Bill, Listening to America (New York, 1971), p. 192.

  • Oldenburg, Zoe, “With Stone and Faith,” Great Cathedrals. New York: American Heritage Publishing Company, Inc., 1968, p. 19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborne, Harold, ed., The Oxford Companion to Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 1970, p. 492.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owen, Virginia Lee, “Gothic Cathedral Building as Public Works,” inEssays in Economic and Business History edited by James H. Soltow East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1979, pp. 283–292.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, J.C., “Late Ancient and Medieval Population,” Transactions of the American Philosophical Society (Philadelphia, June 1958).

  • Sowards, Jesse Kelley, Westem Civilization to 1660. New York, 1964, p. 452.

  • Temko, Allan, Notre-Dame of Paris (New York, 1963), p. 114.

  • Thompson, James Westfall, Economic and Social History of Europe in the Later Middle Ages 1300–1500 New York: The Century Co., 1931, pp. 5–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, James Westfall, The Middle Ages 300–1500. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1931, pp. 734–5.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Owen, V.L. The economic legacy of gothic cathedral building: France and England compared. J Cult Econ 13, 89–100 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00219716

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00219716

Keywords

Navigation