Abstract
The sexpartite vault is important as the nave vaulting of the early Gothic. However, there cannot be found any comprehensive studies on the problems of its origin, genesis, and of its employment at the early Gothic. The luck of such studies obstructs to make clear the process of formation of the Gothic style. In this paper 1 study the theories of origins and original forms of the sexpatite vault presented after Viollet-le Duc, and set forth my views on these problems. Viollet-le-Duc, Choisy and Lasteyrie supposed that the sexpartite vaults had originated in Ile-de-France, while R.-Robert, Moore, Porter, Aubert, Enlart, Lavedan, Conant, Frankl and many others asserted the Norman origin. The points in dispute on this subject lay in the chronology of sexpartite vaults in Normandy and Ile-de-France, and in the interpretation of the pseudo-sexpartite vault. I examine these points and finally justify the Norman origin. Viollet-le-Duc also supposed the dome as the original form of the sexpartite vault. However, I make it clear that his hypothesis did not based on the historical facts, and that so it found no general acceptance. Generally the square fourpartite vault is supposed as the original form of the sexpartite vault. But its definite source is not yet decided.
