Passion for Compasses: Medieval Master Builders and their Cathedral Building Plans

The architectural history of the Middle Ages is full of surprises

It is hard to imagine today that relatively few construction plans have been found for the impressive churches and cathedrals of the Romanesque and Gothic periods. Where did most of the drawings go? Were the plans destroyed in Europe or lost over time? Or were they never made at all?
Although there are very few architectural drawings, there were numerous compasses. What were they used for and how? Was it possible to design comp...