The Gate of Honour, Gonville and Caius College_ Illustration from 'The British isles - Cassell Petter & Galpin Part 6 Picturesque Europe. Picturesque Europe was an illustrated set of Magazines published by Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co. of London, Paris and New York in 1877. The publications depicted tourist haunts in Europe, with text descriptions and steel and wood engravings by eminent artists of the time, such as Harry Fenn, William H J Boot, Thomas C. L. Rowbotham, Henry T. Green , Myles B. Foster, John Mogford , David H. McKewan, William L. Leitch, Edmund M. Wimperis and Joseph B. Smith.
This unusual structure, resembling a ‘miniature triumphal arch’, was built around 1575 and represents one of the earliest examples of the Italian Renaissance style in England. Above the arched entrance, 4 classical columns support a pediment topped by a stone hexagon, with a sundial on each face. The Gate of Honour is one of three gates built at the same time whose positioning within Gonville and Caius College was intended to symbolise the students’ intellectual journey. The first – The Gate of Humility – is now in the Master’s Garden, but was originally entered from the street. The second – The Gate of Virtue – is between Tree and Caius Court. Students still pass through the Gate of Honour, in Caius Court, on their way to graduation in the Senate House; marking the final stage of their education. The gates were all designed by Dr John Caius, (formerly Keys) Master and co–founder of the College, and a celebrated physician. He had travelled widely in Europe and studied in Padua, the leading centre for medical education in the 16th century. Caius returned with an Italianate taste in architecture and a set of humanist ideals. He designed a new court for his College which broke with medieval tradition by having only 3 sides. ‘Lest’, he said, ‘the air, being prevented from free movement, should be corrupted, and so do harm to us’. It’s a reminder that 16th century Cambridge was a far from salubrious place. And the Colleges – with their dark, enclosed courtyards – were often deserted, due to outbreaks of plague and fever.
Size: 2104px × 3489px
Location: Cambridge, UK
Photo credit: © MediaWorldImages / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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