Spire 198730 224595484 2008-07-09T16:03:53Z Anthony Appleyard 119438 /* See also */ del irrelevant NN {{otheruses}} [[Image:Cathedrale-clermont-vue-de-jaude.jpg|thumb|Gothic spires. The 108 meter tall spires of [[Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral]] tower above the city]] [[Image:Lancaster University chaplaincy centre spire.jpg|thumb|A modern spire on the [[Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre]]]] [[Image:Cathedrale.XIIIe.siecle.png|thumb|Gothic cathedral with 7 spires and dozens of [[pinnacle]]s, by [[Viollet Le Duc]]]] [[Image:Salisbury Cathedral.jpg|thumb|The spire of [[Salisbury cathedral]], 123 meters tall]] [[Image:Spikehenry.jpg|thumb|The [[Spire of Dublin]] is an example of the use of spires in a modern context]] A '''spire''' is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church [[tower]]. Etymologically, the word is derived from [[Anglo-Saxon language|Anglo-Saxon]], so it is related to "spear," rather than the [[Romance languages]] and "spirit." Symbolically, spires have two functions. The first is to proclaim a martial power. A spire, with its reminiscence of the spear point, gives the impression of strength. The second is to reach up toward the skies. The celestial and hopeful gesture of the spire is one reason for its association with religious buildings. A spire on a church or [[cathedral]] is not just a symbol of piety, but is often seen as a symbol of the wealth and prestige of the order, or [[patron]] who commissioned the building. As an architectural ornament, spires are most consistently found on [[Christian]] churches, where they replace the [[Steeple (architecture)|steeple]]. Although any denomination may choose to use a spire instead of a steeple, the lack of a cross on the structure is more common in [[Roman Catholic]] and other pre-[[Reformation]] churches. (Note, in the photo at right of [[Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre]], that the spire was originally intended to serve as a platform for three bare crosses in imitation of [[Calvary]]. The centre is ecumenical, with Anglican/Methodist and Roman Catholic chapels. A decision to include a kosher kitchen and rooms used by Muslims and other religious groups led to the third cross being converted to a spike before completion of the building.) The battlements of [[cathedral]]s featured multiple spires in the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] style (in imitation of the secular military fortress). Currently, the largest spire to be part of the architecture of another building is the spire mounted on the recently completed [[Q1 tower|Q1]] residential tower on the [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]] in [[Australia]]. Spires are also common and notable as solo structures. After contact with [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] [[architecture]] and the mania for Egyptian artifacts in the west in the 19th century, towers in the shape of [[obelisk]]s enjoyed a vogue. When original obelisks could be imported, such as [[Cleopatra's needle]]s in [[London]] and [[New York City]], they were, but spires as memorial structures were popular in funerary architecture and public monuments (e.g. the [[Washington monument]] in [[Washington, DC]]) into the 20th century. In the [[Modernism|Modernist]] movements of the 20th century, office towers in the form of free-standing spires also began to be built. Some famous buildings, such as the [[Space Needle]] in [[Seattle, Washington]], use the spire as a testimony of civic power and hope; in the case of this example, it is also a reference to Seattle's participation in [[aerospace]]. A 1,776-foot (541-m) "[[Freedom Tower]]" is a projected feature of the [[9/11]] Memorial in New York City, and is to be topped by a spire. ==Gothic spires== A spire declared the presence of the [[Gothic architecture|gothic]] church at a distance and advertised its connection to heaven. The tall, slender pyramidal twelfth-century spire on the south tower [[Cathedral of Chartres|Chartres Catedral]] is one of the earliest spires. Openwork spires were an astounding architectural innovation, beginning with the early fourteenth-century spire at [[Freiburg|Freiburg cathedral]], in which the pierced stonework was held together by iron cramps. The openwork spire, according to Robert Bork,<ref>Robert Bork, "Into Thin Air: France, Germany, and the Invention of the Openwork Spire" ''The Art Bulletin'' '''85'''.1 (March 2003, pp. 25-53), p 25.</ref> represents a "radical but logical extension of the Gothic tendency towards skeletal structure." The organic skeleton of [[Antoni Gaudi|Antoni Gaudi's]] phenomenal spires at the [[Sagrada Família]] in [[Barcelona]] represent an outgrowth of this Gothic tendency. Designed and begun by Gaudi in 1884, they were not completed until the 20th century. In [[England]], "spire" immediately brings to mind [[Salisbury Cathedral]]. Its 403-foot (123-m) spire, built between 1320 and 1380, is the tallest of the period anywhere in the world, and in its way is as remarkable as the [[Coliseum]] in [[Rome]] or the [[parthenon]] in [[Athens]]. A similar but slightly smaller spire was built at [[Leighton Buzzard]] in [[Bedfordshire]], [[England]], which indicates the popularity of the spire spreading across the country during this period. We will never know the true popularity of the medieval spire, as many more collapsed within a few years of building than ever survived to be recorded. In the United Kingdom spires generally tend to be reserved for ecclesiastical building, with the exception to this rule being the spire at [[Burghley House]], built for [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]]'s [[Lord Chancellor]] in 1585. In the early [[Renaissance]] the spire was not restricted to the [[United Kingdom]]: the fashion spread across Europe. In [[Antwerp]] the 123 m spire was the tallest structure in the [[low countries]] for over five centuries. Between 1221 and 1457 richly decorated open spires were built for the Cathedral of [[Burgos]] in [[Spain]], while at [[Ulm]] Cathedral in [[Germany]] the 529-foot (161-m) spire was built in the imported French Gothic style between 1377 and 1417. Interestingly, the [[Italians]] never really embraced the spire as an architectural feature, preferring the classical styles. The gothic style was a feature of Germanic northern Europe and was never to the Italian taste, and the few gothic buildings in Italy always seem incongruous. The blend of the classical styles with a spire occurred much later. In 1822, in [[London]], [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]] built All Souls' Church, Langham Place, a circular classical temple, with [[Ionic order|Ionic]] columns surmounted by a spire supported by [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] columns. Whether this is a happy marriage of styles or a rough admixture is a question of individual taste. During the 19th century the Gothic revival knew no bounds.<!--!!--> With advances in technology, steel production, and building techniques the spire enjoyed an unprecedented surge through architecture, [[Cologne]] Cathedral's famous spires, designed centuries earlier, were finally completed in this era. Spires have never really fallen out of fashion. In the twentieth century reinforced concrete offered new possibilities for openwork spires. ==Image Gallery== <gallery> Image:Wrigley building with walkway-Chicago.jpg| The [[Wrigley Building]] is a [[skyscraper]] in [[Chicago]]'s Loop topped with a [[Renaissance]] inspired spire Image:Burgos Cathedral Needles.jpg|The [[Flamboyant]] spires of [[Burgos Cathedral]] Image:Gateway Theatre (Chicago).jpg| The ''[[Solidarity]] Tower'' of [[Chicago]]'s [[Gateway Theatre (Chicago)|Gateway Theatre]]'s is an exact replica of the [[Baroque]] spire of [[Warsaw]]'s [[Warsaw Royal Castle|Royal Castle]]. Image:Palac Nauki.jpg|The spire of the [[Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw|Palace of Culture and Science]] is [[Warsaw]]'s most recognizable landmark </gallery> ==See also== *[[Flèche]] *[[:fr:Clocher tors]] : a full list of crooked sprires in Europe (in French) ==Notes== {{reflist}} [[Category:Architectural elements]] [[Category:Church architecture]] [[de:Helm (Architektur)]] [[es:Chapitel]] [[eo:Spajro]] [[fr:Flèche (architecture)]] [[gl:Chapitel]] [[it:Guglia]] [[he:צריח (מבנה)]] [[pl:Dach hełmowy]] [[sv:Spira]]