Voûtes à nervures manuélines. Le caractère innovant de João de Castilho (Manuelijnse ribgewelven. De innovatie van Joao de Castilho)

This thesis examines Portuguese ribbed vaults from the Manueline period(end of the fifteenth and beginning of the sixteenth century), with particular reference to those of architect João de Castilho. His vaults of the nave and transept of the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon are the best examples from historical, architectural and structural perspectives. The multidisciplinary content of this subject follows the research, the issues it addresses, the methodological approach employed and the results obtained. Historical issues include the originality of the Jeronimos Monastery and Manueline architecture in the European context on the one hand, and its authorship in a Portuguese context on the other. Structural issues relate to the behaviour of these large span vaults and the barrel form, abandoned in Gothic architecture because of the important stresses distributed through walls, and the polemic surroundingthe ribs function. The chief issue concerns architecture, and the geometry used in elevation and in the creation of these forms, as well as on a broader scale, the methods of design and construction of ribbed vaults. The structure of the thesis reflects the research method used: Chapter 1 analyses the historical sources of João de Castilho s vaults and verifies the attributions, based on bibliography and information furnished by original documents. His origin and training are important to understand his culture. Chapter 2 enlarges the object of study to understand the Gothic ribbed vaults. The methods of planningand construction of the vault that are applied in subsequent chapters are studied. It explores the influences on and originality of Castilho s architecture. Analysis focusses on Spain (the origin of Castilho and type of curvilinear ribbed vaults), Germany and Central Europe (known for its Hallenkirche) and England (similarity in form and structure to the fan vaults). To understand the Manueline and the particularity of Castilho, a database of vaults was made, and a typology of ribbed vaults created. The analysis of 918 vaults in Europe is detailed in volume 2. This typology is based on the types of ribs, and not only, as is customary, on their form, with the specific objective of understanding the different roles of the rib. This led to the creation of a new term, namely, the compound rib. Chapter 3 presents an analysis of details and structure of two barrel vaults by Castilho; the nave of the Jeronimos Monasteryand a cloister of the Convent of Christ in Tomar in order to arrive at a deeper understanding of the behaviour of the structures and the function of the ribs based on surveys, finite elements analysis, and contemporary structural rules. The last chapter analyses the vault s design and construction in 44 mapped case studies, drawing primarily on works by João de Castilho. Efforts to understand more precisely the principles in use at the time contribute substantially to answering the question posed at the outset: How can we identify João de Castilho s vaults? The final chapter introduces new ideas on the methods for planning and construction of ribbed vaults.status: publishe