Architectural planning in the early medieval era

In the early middle ages the cathedral was the height of human achievement; it embodied the whole of Christian knowledge and attempted to mimic the divine. It was the ritual, spiritual, economic and physical centre of the city. These vast edifices welcomed pilgrims and strangers; they arose from the ground and seemed to reach the heavens. As the cathedrals grew larger and larger because of the demand of the pilgrims, there was a need for better building planning to cater for this demand. Yet little is known about the planning of these massive buildings. Vitruvius, who is considered the father of architecture, was discussed at the court of Charlemagne, and copies of his ten books on architecture survived throughout the libraries of Europe in the middle ages. However, although Vitruvius outlined a theory of planning and explained how the architect was to convey his plans to his masters and labourers, he was vague on the details regarding how this was to be carried out. This paper considers architectural planning of the early medieval era by looking at surviving plans and considering whether there was a consistent theory of planning, and, if so, whether it differed from Vitruvian theory.