ST. AUGUSTINE x GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

St. Augustine was considered the most influential philosopher of Christianity. He had a huge impact on Christian visions of God and our souls. He always wanted to find a spiritual life but always battled over the enjoyment of sin. St. Augustine found answers by turning to the Christian faith. After converting, Augustine began speaking out against any kind of faith that was heretic or against the bible. He also noted that one must look inward through introspection and then upward with the grace of God to achieve happiness and salvation.

St. Augustine was influenced by the ideas of Greek Philosopher Plotinus, creating a new Late Middle Ages Neoplatonism. There was the idea that "the body is both the agent and the preison of the soul." It was still important, then, to strive for that perfect soul. However, it also included the idea that the world wasn't so bad like they made it out to be. Neoplatonism shows that anything that reflects God can't be that bad, but it wouldn't be as good as the world in Heaven.

Neoplatonism of St. Augustine showed in Gothic architecture. There was that common realization that the physical world wasn't so bad that they thought it was, especially since 1033 passed. Also, since the world is a reflection of God, people began realizing that they should take advantage of its beauty. Everything seemed to be all about light during this time. The more light will allow the presence of God to be felt in the cathedral. Designs became more elaborate and more stained glass windows were put into churches.