I'm a nerd

I read this today in my history text and thought it was pretty cool. It is about ancient and medieval architecture:

"Classical architecture reflected the belief that the world centered on the human being. A Greek temple, like Athens' Parthenon, was meant to assure people that the world was an intelligible place that affirmed human nature. The principles of its construction were not intended to be mysterious or awe-inspiring, but immediately obvious and comfortable. Vertical pillars supported horizontal lintels. Stone did what stone was expected to do.

"A Gothic church creates the opposite impression. To convey Christianity's faith in a transcendent reality quite different from our own, it offers an experience of a supernatural world. A Gothic church encloses a divine space where nature's laws appear to be transcended. The Gothic architect conceals the principles of his building's construction so that the logic of its design is hidden from those who enter it. Vertical lines dominate the interior and pull the eye upward. The ribs of the vault seem to converge at infinity, and far overhead tons of rock apparently float on walls of light. There are windows on every side. However, their tinted glass prevents the worshiper from connecting the interior with the ordinary world outside and fills the sanctuary with unnatural light. From the engineering point of view, a Gothic church is a supremely rational structure, but one that uses reason to create the experience of irrational space. It is a place where nature, by seeming to behave supernaturally, fulfills Suger's mandate and turns the intellect from the seen to the unseen. A Gothic church is not just a place to hear about God's transcendence; it is a place to experience it."