Gothic architecture
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Gothic architecture is an
architectural style An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...
that was prevalent in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and
Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from
Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
and was succeeded by
Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...
. It originated in the
テ四e-de-France The テ四e-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
and
Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...
regions of northern
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. The style at the time was sometimes known as ''opus Francigenum'' (); the term ''Gothic'' was first applied contemptuously during the later
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
, by those ambitious to revive the architecture of classical antiquity. The defining design element of Gothic architecture is the pointed arch. The use of the pointed arch in turn led to the development of the pointed
rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...
and
flying buttress The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of a ramping arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, to convey to the ground the lateral forces that push a wall ou ...
es, combined with elaborate
tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support th ...
and
stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
windows. At the Abbey of Saint-Denis, near Paris, the choir was reconstructed between 1140 and 1144, drawing together for the first time the developing Gothic architectural features. In doing so, a new architectural style emerged that emphasized verticality and the effect created by the transmission of light through
stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
windows. Common examples are found in
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
ecclesiastical architecture Church architecture refers to the architecture of Christian buildings, such as Church (building), churches, chapels, convents, and seminaries. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly ...
, and
Gothic cathedrals and churches Gothic cathedrals and churches are religious buildings constructed in Europe in Gothic style between the mid-12th century and the beginning of the 16th century. The cathedrals are notable particularly for their great height and their extensive u ...
, as well as
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
s, and
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
es. It is also the architecture of many
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
s,
palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palト》ium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...
s,
town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
s,
guildhall A guildhall, also known as a guild hall or guild house, is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Europe, with many surviving today in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commo ...
s, universities and, less prominently today, private dwellings. Many of the finest examples of medieval Gothic architecture are listed by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
as
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
s. With the development of Renaissance architecture in Italy during the mid-15th century, the Gothic style was supplanted by the new style, but in some regions, notably England and Belgium, Gothic continued to flourish and develop into the 16th century. A series of Gothic revivals began in mid-18th century
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, spread through 19th-century Europe and continued, largely for churches and university buildings, into the 20th century.


Name

Medieval contemporaries characterised the style in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
as ("French work" or " Frankish work"), as ("modern work"), or as ("new work"). Italian-speakers could call it ("German style"). The term "Gothic architecture" originated as a
pejorative A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hosti ...
description.
Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 窶 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...
used the term "barbarous German style" in his ''
Lives of the Artists ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'' () is a series of artist biographies written by 16th-century Italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari, which is considered "perhaps the most famous, and even today the ...
'' (1550) to describe what is now considered the Gothic style, Vasari, G. ''The Lives of the Artists''. Translated with an introduction and notes by J.C. and P. Bondanella. Oxford:
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
(Oxford World's Classics), 1991, pp. 117 & 527.
and in the introduction to the ''Lives'' he attributes various architectural features to the
Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
, whom he held responsible for destroying the ancient buildings after they conquered Rome, and for erecting new ones in this style. When Vasari wrote, Italy had experienced a century of building in the Vitruvian architectural vocabulary of
classical order An order in architecture is a certain assemblage of parts subject to uniform established proportions, regulated by the office that each part has to perform. Coming down to the present from Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman civiliz ...
s revived in the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
and seen as evidence of a new
Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
of learning and refinement. Thus the Gothic style, being in opposition to classical architecture, from that point of view was associated with the destruction of progress and of sophistication. The assumption that classical architecture was better than Gothic architecture was widespread and proved difficult to counter. Vasari was echoed in the 16th century by
Franテァois Rabelais Franテァois Rabelais ( , ; ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French writer who has been called the first great French prose author. A Renaissance humanism, humanist of the French Renaissance and Greek scholars in the Renaissance, Gr ...
, who referred to
Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
and
Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...
(''Gotz'' and ''Ostrogotz''). The polymath architect
Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; 窶 ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...
(1632窶1723) disapproved of the label "Gothic" for pointed architecture. He compared it to
Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...
, which he called the '
Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...
style', pointing out that the pointed arch's sophistication was not owed to the Goths but to the
Islamic Golden Age The Islamic Golden Age was a period of scientific, economic, and cultural flourishing in the history of Islam, traditionally dated from the 8th century to the 13th century. This period is traditionally understood to have begun during the reign o ...
. He wrote: Wren was the first to popularize the belief that it was not the Europeans, but the "
Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
" who had originated the Gothic style. (The term 'Saracen', still in use in the 18th century, typically referred to all Muslims, including Arabs and Berbers.) Wren mentions Europe's architectural debt to the Saracens no fewer than twelve times in his writings. He also decidedly broke with tradition in his assumption that Gothic architecture did not merely represent a violent and bothersome mistake (as Vasari had suggested). Rather, Wren saw that the Gothic style had developed over time along the lines of a changing society, and that it was thus a legitimate architectural style in its own right. It was no secret that Wren strongly disliked the building practices of the Gothic style. When he was appointed Surveyor of the Fabric at Westminster Abbey in the year 1698, he expressed his distaste for the Gothic style in a letter to the Bishop of Rochester: The chaos of the Gothic left much to be desired in Wren's eyes. His aversion to the style was so strong that he refused to put a Gothic roof on the new St. Paul's, despite pressure to do so. Wren much preferred symmetry and straight lines in architecture, which is why he constantly praised the classic architecture of 'the Ancients' in his writings. Even though he openly expressed his distaste for the Gothic style, Wren did not blame the Saracens for any apparent lack of ingenuity. Quite the opposite: he praised the Saracens for their 'superior' vaulting techniques and their widespread use of the pointed arch. Wren claimed the inventors of the Gothic had seen the Saracen architecture during the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
, also called the
Religious war A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent t ...
or Holy War, originated in the Kingdom of France in the year 1095: Several chronological issues arise from this statement, which is one of the reasons why Wren's theory is rejected by many. The earliest examples of the pointed arch in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
date from before the
First Crusade The First Crusade (1096窶1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...
of 1096窶1099; this is widely regarded as proof that the Gothic style could not have possibly been derived from Saracen architecture. Several authors have nevertheless claimed that the Gothic style had most likely filtered into Europe in other ways, for example through Spain or Sicily. Spanish architecture influenced by the Moors could have favoured the emergence of the Gothic style long before the Crusades took place. This could have happened gradually through merchants, travelers and pilgrims. According to a 19th-century correspondent in the London journal '' Notes and Queries'', "Gothic" was a derisive misnomer; the pointed arcs and architecture of the later Middle Ages differed radically from the rounded arches prevalent in
late antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...
and in the period of the
Ostrogothic Kingdom The Ostrogothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of Italy (), was a barbarian kingdom established by the Germanic Ostrogoths that controlled Italian peninsula, Italy and neighbouring areas between 493 and 553. Led by Theodoric the Great, the Ost ...
(493 to 553) in Italy:
There can be no doubt that the term 'Gothic' as applied to pointed styles of ecclesiastical architecture was used at first contemptuously, and in derision, by those who were ambitious to imitate and revive the Grecian orders of architecture, after the revival of classical literature. But, without citing many authorities, such as
Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; 窶 ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...
, and others, who lent their aid in depreciating the old mediaeval style, which they termed Gothic, as synonymous with every thing that was barbarous and rude, it may be sufficient to refer to the celebrated Treatise of Sir
Henry Wotton Sir Henry Wotton (; 30 March 1568 窶 December 1639) was an English author, diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons in 1614 and 1625. When on a mission to Augsburg in 1604, he famously said "An amba ...
, entitled ''The Elements of Architecture'', ... printed in London so early as 1624. ... But it was a strange misapplication of the term to use it for the pointed style, in contradistinction to the circular, formerly called Saxon, now Norman, Romanesque, &c. These latter styles, like Lombardic, Italian, and the
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
, of course belong more to the Gothic period than the light and elegant structures of the pointed order which succeeded them.'' Notes and Queries'', No. 9. 29 December 1849


Influences

The Gothic style of architecture was strongly influenced by the
Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
which preceded it; by the growing population and wealth of European cities, and by the desire to express local grandeur. It was influenced by theological doctrines which called for more light and by technical improvements in vaults and buttresses that allowed much greater height and larger windows. It was also influenced by the necessity of many churches, such as
Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
and
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
, to accommodate growing numbers of pilgrims. It adapted features from earlier styles. According to Charles Texier (French historian, architect, and archaeologist) and Josef Strzygowski (Polish-Austrian art historian), after lengthy research and study of cathedrals in the medieval city of Ani, the capital of the medieval kingdom of Armenia concluded to have discovered the oldest Gothic arch. According to these historians, the architecture of the Saint Hripsime Church near the Armenian religious seat Etchmiadzin was built in the fourth century A.D. and was repaired in 618. The cathedral of Ani was built in 980窶1012 A.D. However many of the elements of Islamic and Armenian architecture that have been cited as influences on Gothic architecture also appeared in Late Roman and Byzantine architecture, the most noticeable example being the pointed arch and flying buttress. The most notable example is the capitals, which are forerunners of the Gothic style and deviated from the Classical standards of ancient Greece and Rome with serpentine lines and naturalistic forms.


Periods

Architecture "became a leading form of artistic expression during the late Middle Ages". Gothic architecture began in the earlier 12th century in northwest France and England and spread throughout Latin Europe in the 13th century; by 1300, a first "international style" of Gothic had developed, with common design features and formal language. A second "international style" emerged by 1400, alongside innovations in England and central Europe that produced both the perpendicular and flamboyant varieties. Typically, these typologies are identified as: * ''c''.1130窶''c''.1240 ''Early'' to ''High Gothic'' and ''Early English'' * ''c''.1240窶''c''.1350 ''Rayonnant'' and ''Decorated Style'' * ''c''.1350窶''c''.1500 ''Late Gothic'': ''flamboyant'' and ''perpendicular'' * ''c''.16th窶18th century ''Post-Gothic'' File:Saint-Denis - Faテァade.jpg, Early Gothic:
Basilica of Saint-Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and archite ...
, west faテァade (1135窶1340) File:Interior of Cathテゥdrale Saint-テ液ienne de Sens-6974.jpg, Early Gothic: nave of Sens Cathedral (1135窶1176) File:Canterbury Cathedral Choir (40805457492).jpg, Early English; choir of
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
(1174窶1180) File:NOTRE DAME DE PARIS May 2012.jpg, Early Gothic; nave of
Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the テ四e de la Citテゥ (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
(1185窶1200) File:Chartres - Cathテゥdrale 16.JPG,
High Gothic High Gothic was a period of Gothic architecture in the 13th century, from about 1200 to 1280, which saw the construction of a series of refined and richly decorated cathedrals of exceptional height and size. It appeared most prominently in France ...
;
Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
choir (1210窶1250) File:Strasbourg Cathedral Exterior - Diliff.jpg,
Rayonnant Rayonnant was a very refined style of Gothic Architecture which appeared in France in the 13th century. It was the defining style of the High Gothic period, and is often described as the high point of French Gothic architecture."Encylclopaedia B ...
: west front of
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...
(1277窶1490) File:Sainte Chapelle - Upper level 1.jpg,
Rayonnant Rayonnant was a very refined style of Gothic Architecture which appeared in France in the 13th century. It was the defining style of the High Gothic period, and is often described as the high point of French Gothic architecture."Encylclopaedia B ...
:
Sainte-Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; ) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Citテゥ, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the テ四e de la Citテゥ in the River Seine in Paris, France. Construction b ...
upper level (1238窶1248) File:Lincoln Cathedral Choirs.jpg,
Rayonnant Rayonnant was a very refined style of Gothic Architecture which appeared in France in the 13th century. It was the defining style of the High Gothic period, and is often described as the high point of French Gothic architecture."Encylclopaedia B ...
窶 angel's choir of
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
(14th century) File:York Minster, York (13451378175).jpg,
Perpendicular Gothic Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-ce ...
; choir of York Minister (1361窶1405) File:Kテカlner_Dom_-_Westfassade_2022_ohne_Gerテシst-0968.jpg,
Cologne cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...
(1248窶1880) File:La tour du Beurre.JPG,
Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
; "Butter Tower" of
Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral () is a Catholic church architecture, church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the Episcopal see, see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, b ...
(1488窶1506) File:Orlテゥans Cathedral, West view 20170609 1.jpg, Post-Gothic; Orlテゥans Cathedral (1601窶1829)


History


Early Gothic

Norman architecture on either side of the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
developed in parallel towards ''Early Gothic''. Gothic features, such as the
rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...
, had appeared in England, Sicily and Normandy in the 11th century. Rib-vaults were employed in some parts of the cathedral at Durham (1093窶) and in Lessay Abbey in Normandy (1098). However, the first buildings to be considered fully Gothic are the royal funerary abbey of the French kings, the
Abbey of Saint-Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and archite ...
(1135窶1144), and the archiepiscopal cathedral at
Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comtテゥ in north-central France, 120 km southeast from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second la ...
(1135窶1164). They were the first buildings to systematically combine rib vaulting, buttresses, and pointed arches. Most of the characteristics of later ''Early English'' were already present in the lower ''
chevet In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. In Byzan ...
'' of Saint-Denis. The
Duchy of Normandy The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple, King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans. From 1066 until 1204, as a r ...
, part of the
Angevin Empire The Angevin Empire (; ) was the collection of territories held by the House of Plantagenet during the 12th and 13th centuries, when they ruled over an area covering roughly all of present-day England, half of France, and parts of Ireland and Wal ...
until the 13th century, developed its own version of Gothic. One of these was the Norman
chevet In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. In Byzan ...
, a small apse or chapel attached to the choir at the east end of the church, which typically had a half-dome. The lantern tower was another common feature in Norman Gothic. One example of early Norman Gothic is
Bayeux Cathedral Bayeux Cathedral, also known as Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux (French language, French: ''Cathテゥdrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux''), is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in the town of Bayeux in Normandy, France. A Monument histori ...
(1060窶1070) where the Romanesque cathedral nave and choir were rebuilt into the Gothic style. Lisieux Cathedral was begun in 1170.
Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral () is a Catholic church architecture, church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the Episcopal see, see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, b ...
(begun 1185) was rebuilt from Romanesque to Gothic with distinct Norman features, including a lantern tower, deeply moulded decoration, and high pointed arcades.
Coutances Cathedral Coutances Cathedral () is a Gothic architecture, Gothic Catholic cathedral constructed from 1210 to 1274 in the town of Coutances, Normandy, France. It incorporated the remains of an earlier Norman cathedral. It is the seat of the Bishop of C ...
was remade into Gothic beginning about 1220. Its most distinctive feature is the octagonal lantern on the crossing of the transept, decorated with ornamental ribs, and surrounded by sixteen bays and sixteen lancet windows. Saint-Denis was the work of the Abbot Suger, a close adviser of Kings Louis VI and Louis VII. Suger reconstructed portions of the old Romanesque church with the
rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...
in order to remove walls and to make more space for windows. He described the new ambulatory as "a circular ring of chapels, by virtue of which the whole church would shine with the wonderful and uninterrupted light of most luminous windows, pervading the interior beauty." To support the vaults he also introduced columns with capitals of carved vegetal designs, modelled upon the classical columns he had seen in Rome. In addition, he installed a circular rose window over the portal on the faテァade. These also became a common feature of Gothic cathedrals. Some elements of Gothic style appeared very early in England.
Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...
was the first cathedral to employ a rib vault, built between 1093 and 1104. The first cathedral built entirely in the new style was Sens Cathedral, begun between 1135 and 1140 and consecrated in 1160. Sens Cathedral features a Gothic choir, and six-part rib vaults over the nave and collateral aisles, alternating pillars and doubled columns to support the vaults, and buttresses to offset the outward thrust from the vaults. One of the builders who is believed to have worked on Sens Cathedral, William of Sens, later travelled to England and became the architect who, between 1175 and 1180, reconstructed the choir of
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
in the new Gothic style. Sens Cathedral was influential in its strongly vertical appearance and in its three-part elevation, typical of subsequent Gothic buildings, with a clerestory at the top supported by a
triforium A triforium is an interior Gallery (theatre), gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, o ...
, all carried on high arcades of pointed arches. In the following decades flying buttresses began to be used, allowing the construction of lighter, higher walls. French Gothic churches were heavily influenced both by the ambulatory and side-chapels around the choir at Saint-Denis, and by the paired towers and triple doors on the western faテァade. Sens was quickly followed by Senlis Cathedral (begun 1160), and
Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the テ四e de la Citテゥ (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
(begun 1160). Their builders abandoned the traditional plans and introduced the new Gothic elements from Saint-Denis. The builders of Notre-Dame went further by introducing the flying buttress, heavy columns of support outside the walls connected by arches to the upper walls. The buttresses counterbalanced the outward thrust from the rib vaults. This allowed the builders to construct higher, thinner walls and larger windows.


''Early English'' and ''High Gothic''

Following the destruction by fire of the choir of
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
in 1174, a group of master builders was invited to propose plans for the reconstruction. The master-builder William of Sens, who had worked on Sens Cathedral, won the competition. Work began that same year, but in 1178 William was badly injured by falling from the scaffolding, and returned to France, where he died. His work was continued by William the Englishman who replaced his French namesake in 1178. The resulting structure of the choir of
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
is considered the first work of ''Early English Gothic''. The cathedral churches of Worcester (1175窶), Wells (''c''.1180窶), Lincoln (1192窶), and
Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
(1220窶) are all, with Canterbury, major examples. ''Tiercerons'' 窶 decorative vaulting ribs 窶 seem first to have been used in vaulting at Lincoln Cathedral, installed ''c''.1200. Instead of a triforium, ''Early English'' churches usually retained a gallery.
High Gothic High Gothic was a period of Gothic architecture in the 13th century, from about 1200 to 1280, which saw the construction of a series of refined and richly decorated cathedrals of exceptional height and size. It appeared most prominently in France ...
(窶1250) was a brief but very productive period, which produced some of the great landmarks of Gothic art. The first building in the High Gothic () was
Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
, an important pilgrimage church south of Paris. The Romanesque cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1194, but was swiftly rebuilt in the new style, with contributions from King
Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 窶 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...
, Pope Celestine III, local gentry, merchants, craftsmen, and
Richard the Lionheart Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rトォk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
, king of England. The builders simplified the elevation used at Notre Dame, eliminated the tribune galleries, and used flying buttresses to support the upper walls. The walls were filled with stained glass, mainly depicting the story of the
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
but also, in a small corner of each window, illustrating the crafts of the guilds who donated those windows. The model of Chartres was followed by a series of new cathedrals of unprecedented height and size. These were
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
(begun 1211), where coronations of the kings of France took place;
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
(1220窶1226); Bourges Cathedral (1195窶1230) (which, unlike the others, continued to use six-part rib vaults); and Beauvais Cathedral (1225窶). In central Europe, the High Gothic style appeared in the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, first at
Toul Toul () is a Communes of France, commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, Fra ...
(1220窶), whose Romanesque cathedral was rebuilt in the style of Reims Cathedral; then
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trティves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
's Liebfrauenkirche parish church (1228窶), and then throughout the ''Reich'', beginning with the Elisabethkirche at
Marburg Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...
(1235窶) and the cathedral at
Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
(''c''.1235窶). In High Gothic, the whole surface of the clerestory was given over to windows. At Chartres Cathedral,
plate tracery Tracery is an architecture, architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of Molding (decorative), moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the s ...
was used for the rose window, but at Reims the bar-tracery was free-standing. Lancet windows were supplanted by multiple lights separated by ''geometrical'' bar-tracery. Tracery of this kind distinguishes ''Middle Pointed'' style from the simpler ''First Pointed''. Inside, the nave was divided into by regular bays, each covered by a quadripartite rib vaults. Other characteristics of the High Gothic were the development of rose windows of greater size, using bar-tracery, higher and longer flying buttresses, which could reach up to the highest windows, and walls of sculpture illustrating biblical stories filling the faテァade and the fronts of the transept. Reims Cathedral had two thousand three hundred statues on the front and back side of the faテァade. The new High Gothic churches competed to be the tallest, with increasingly ambitious structures lifting the vault yet higher. Chartres Cathedral's height of was exceeded by Beauvais Cathedral's , but on account of the latter's collapse in 1248, no further attempt was made to build higher. Attention turned from achieving greater height to creating more awe-inspiring decoration.


''Rayonnant Gothic'' and ''Decorated Style''

''
Rayonnant Rayonnant was a very refined style of Gothic Architecture which appeared in France in the 13th century. It was the defining style of the High Gothic period, and is often described as the high point of French Gothic architecture."Encylclopaedia B ...
Gothic'' maximized the coverage of stained glass windows such that the walls are effectively entirely glazed; examples are the nave of Saint-Denis (1231窶) and the royal chapel of
Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 窶 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...
on the
テ四e de la Citテゥ The テ四e de la Citテゥ (; English: City Island, "Island of the City") is one of the two natural islands on the Seine River (alongside, テ四e Saint-Louis) in central Paris. It spans of land. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of ...
in the
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
窶 the
Sainte-Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; ) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Citテゥ, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the テ四e de la Citテゥ in the River Seine in Paris, France. Construction b ...
(''c''.1241窶1248). The high and thin walls of French ''Rayonnant Gothic'' allowed by the flying buttresses enabled increasingly ambitious expanses of glass and decorated tracery, reinforced with ironwork. Shortly after Saint-Denis, in the 1250s, Louis IX commissioned the rebuilt transepts and enormous rose windows of
Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the テ四e de la Citテゥ (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
(1250s for the north transept, 1258 for the beginning of south transept). This first 'international style' was also used in the clerestory of
Metz Cathedral Metz Cathedral is the cathedral of the Catholic Roman Catholic Diocese of Metz, Diocese of Metz, the seat of the Bishop of Metz, bishops of Metz. It is dedicated to Saint Stephen. The diocese dates back at least to the 4th century and the presen ...
(''c''. 1245窶), then in the choir of
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
's cathedral (''c''. 1250窶), and again in the nave of the cathedral at
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
(''c''. 1250窶). Masons elaborated a series of tracery patterns for windows 窶 from the basic ''geometrical'' to the ''reticulated'' and the ''curvilinear 窶'' which had superseded the lancet window. Bar-tracery of the ''curvilinear, flowing'', and ''reticulated'' types distinguish ''Second Pointed'' style. ''Decorated Gothic'' similarly sought to emphasize the windows, but excelled in the ornamentation of their tracery. Churches with features of this style include Westminster Abbey (1245窶), the cathedrals at
Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...
(after 1257窶) and
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
(1275窶),
Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...
(1298窶), and the retro choir at Wells Cathedral (''c''.1320窶). The ''Rayonnant'' developed its second 'international style' with increasingly autonomous and sharp-edged tracery mouldings apparent in the cathedral at
Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhテエne-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...
(1248窶), the papal collegiate church at
Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...
, Saint-Urbain (1262窶), and the west faテァade of
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...
(1276窶1439)). By 1300, there were examples influenced by Strasbourg in the cathedrals of
Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...
(1273窶),
Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
(''c''. 1275窶), and in the cathedral nave at
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
(1292窶).


''Late Gothic'': ''flamboyant'' and ''perpendicular''

Central Europe began to lead the emergence of a new, international ''flamboyant'' style with the construction of a new cathedral at
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
(1344窶) under the direction of Peter Parler. This model of rich and variegated tracery and intricate reticulated rib-vaulting was definitive in the ''Late Gothic'' of continental Europe, emulated not only by the collegiate churches and cathedrals, but by urban parish churches which rivalled them in size and magnificence. The minster at Ulm and other parish churches like the Heilig-Kreuz-Mテシnster at
Schwテ、bisch Gmテシnd Schwテ、bisch Gmテシnd (, until 1934: Gmテシnd; Swabian: ''Gm蘯ス蘯スd'' or ''Gmend'') is a city in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Wテシrttemberg. With a population of around 60,000, the city is the second largest in the Ostalb district ...
(''c''.1320窶), St Barbara's Church at Kutnテ。 Hora (1389窶), and the Heilig-Geist-Kirche (1407窶) and St Martin's Church (''c''.1385窶) in
Landshut Landshut (; ) is a town in Bavaria, Germany, on the banks of the Isar, River Isar. Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free state (government), Free State of Bavaria, and the seat of the surrou ...
are typical. Use of
ogee An ogee ( ) is an object, element, or curve窶俳ften seen in architecture and building trades窶杯hat has a serpentine- or extended S-shape (Sigmoid curve, sigmoid). Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combination of two semicircle, semicircula ...
s was especially common. The ''flamboyant'' style was characterised by the multiplication of the ribs of the vaults, with new purely decorative ribs, called tiercons and liernes, and additional diagonal ribs. One common ornament of ''flamboyant'' in France is the ''arc-en-accolade'', an arch over a window topped by a pinnacle, which was itself topped with fleuron, and flanked by other pinnacles. Examples of French ''flamboyant'' building include the west faテァade of
Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral () is a Catholic church architecture, church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the Episcopal see, see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, b ...
, and especially the faテァades of Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes (1370s) and choir Mont-Saint-Michel's abbey church (1448). In England, ornamental rib-vaulting and tracery of ''Decorated Gothic'' co-existed with, and then gave way to, the ''perpendicular'' style from the 1320s, with straightened, orthogonal tracery topped with fan-vaulting. ''Perpendicular'' ''Gothic'' was unknown in continental Europe and unlike earlier styles had no equivalent in Scotland or Ireland. It first appeared in the cloisters and chapter-house () of
Old St Paul's Cathedral Old St Paul's Cathedral was the cathedral of the City of London that, until the Great Fire of London, Great Fire of 1666, stood on the site of the present St Paul's Cathedral. Built from 1087 to 1314 and dedicated to Paul of Tarsus, Saint Paul ...
in London by William de Ramsey. The chancel of
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...
(1357) and its latter 14th century cloisters are early examples. Four-centred arches were often used, and lierne vaults seen in early buildings were developed into fan vaults, first at the latter 14th century chapter-house of Hereford Cathedral (demolished 1769) and cloisters at Gloucester, and then at Reginald Ely's
King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...
(14461461) and the brothers
William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
and Robert Vertue's
Henry VII Chapel The Henry VII Lady Chapel, now more often known just as the Henry VII Chapel, is a large Lady chapel at the far eastern end of Westminster Abbey, England, paid for by the will of King Henry VII. It is separated from the rest of the abbey by br ...
(1512) at
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
. ''Perpendicular'' is sometimes called ''Third Pointed'' and was employed over three centuries; the fan-vaulted staircase at
Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, テヲdes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
built around 1640. Lacey patterns of tracery continued to characterize continental Gothic building, with very elaborate and articulated vaulting, as at Saint Barbara's, Kutnテ。 Hora (1512). In certain areas, Gothic architecture continued to be employed until the 17th and 18th centuries, especially in provincial and ecclesiastical contexts, notably at
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
.


Decline and transition

Beginning in the mid-15th century, the Gothic style gradually lost its dominance in Europe. It had never been popular in Italy, and in the mid-15th century the Italians, drawing upon ancient Roman ruins, returned to classical models. The dome of
Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral (), formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower ( ), is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence in Florence, Italy. Commenced in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed b ...
(1420窶1436) by Filippo Brunelleschi, inspired by the Pantheon, Rome, was one of the first Renaissance landmarks, but it also employed Gothic technology; the outer skin of the dome was supported by a framework of twenty-four ribs. In the 16th century, as
Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...
from Italy began to appear in France and other countries in Europe. The Gothic style began to be described as outdated, ugly and even barbaric. The term "Gothic" was first used as a
pejorative A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hosti ...
description.
Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 窶 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...
used the term "barbarous German style" in his 1550 ''
Lives of the Artists ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'' () is a series of artist biographies written by 16th-century Italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari, which is considered "perhaps the most famous, and even today the ...
'' to describe what is now considered the Gothic style. In the introduction to the ''Lives'' he attributed various architectural features to the
Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...
whom he held responsible for destroying the ancient buildings after they conquered
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, and erecting new ones in this style. In the 17th century,
Moliティre Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Moliティre (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
also mocked the Gothic style in the 1669 poem ''La Gloire'': "...the insipid taste of Gothic ornamentation, these odious monstrosities of an ignorant age, produced by the torrents of barbarism..." The dominant styles in Europe became in turn
Italian Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought ...
,
Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...
, and the grand classicism of the '' style Louis XIV''. The Kings of France had first-hand knowledge of the new Italian style, because of the military campaign of Charles VIII to Naples and Milan (1494), and especially the campaigns of
Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orlテゥans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orlテゥans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...
and Francis I (1500窶1505) to restore French control over Milan and Genoa. They brought back Italian paintings, sculpture and building plans, and, more importantly, Italian craftsmen and artists. The Cardinal Georges d'Amboise, chief minister of Louis XII, built the Chateau of Gaillon near Rouen (1502窶1510) with the assistance of Italian craftsmen. The Chテ「teau de Blois (1515窶1524) introduced the Renaissance loggia and open stairway. King Francois I installed
Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...
at his Chateau of Chambord in 1516, and introduced a Renaissance long gallery at the
Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal chテ「teaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the List of French monarchs ...
in 1528窶1540. In 1546 Francois I began building the first example of French classicism, the square courtyard of the
Louvre Palace The Louvre Palace (, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxe ...
designed by Pierre Lescot. Nonetheless, new Gothic buildings, particularly churches, continued to be built. New Gothic churches built in Paris in this period included Saint-Merri (1520窶1552) and Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois. The first signs of classicism in Paris churches did not appear until 1540, at
Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais () is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, 4th arrondissement of Paris, on Place Saint-Gervais in the Le Marais (Paris), Marais district, east of Hテエtel de Ville, Paris, City Hall ( ...
. The largest new church, Saint-Eustache (1532窶1560), rivalled Notre-Dame in size, long, wide, and high. As construction of this church continued, elements of Renaissance decoration, including the system of classical orders of columns, were added to the design, making it a Gothic-Renaissance hybrid. In Germany, some Italian elements were introduced at the Fugger Chapel of St. Anne's Church, Augsburg, (1510窶1512) combined with Gothic vaults; and others appeared in the Church of St. Michael in Munich, but in Germany Renaissance elements were used primarily for decoration. Some Renaissance elements also appeared in Spain, in the new palace begun by Emperor Charles V in Granada, within the
Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...
(1485窶1550), inspired by Bramante and Raphael, but it was never completed. The first major Renaissance work in Spain was
El Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (), or (), is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up the valley ( road distance) from the town of El Escorial, Madrid, El ...
, the monastery-palace built by
Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...
. Under
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
and
Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
, England was largely isolated from architectural developments on the continent. The first classical building in England was the Old Somerset House in London (1547窶1552) (since demolished), built by
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp (150022 January 1552) was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King E ...
, who was regent as
Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') is a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometime ...
for
Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 窶 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
until the young king came of age in 1547. Somerset's successor, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, sent the architectural scholar John Shute to Italy to study the style. Shute published the first book in English on classical architecture in 1570. The first English houses in the new style were Burghley House (1550s窶1580s) and Longleat, built by associates of Somerset. With those buildings, a new age of architecture began in England. Gothic architecture, usually churches or university buildings, continued to be built. Ireland was an island of Gothic architecture in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the construction of Derry Cathedral (completed 1633), Sligo Cathedral (), and
Down Cathedral Down Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of Ireland cathedral located in the town of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. It stands on Cathedral Hill overlooking the town. It is one of two cathedrals in the ...
(1790窶1818) are other examples. In the 17th and 18th century several important Gothic buildings were constructed at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
and
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, including Tom Tower (1681窶82) at
Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, テヲdes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
, by
Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; 窶 ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...
. It also appeared, in a whimsical fashion, in
Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (; 24 September 1717 窶 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. He had Strawberry Hill House built in Twickenham, southwest London ...
's
Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...
villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...
, Strawberry Hill (1749窶1776). The two western towers of
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
were constructed between 1722 and 1745 by
Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor ( 窶 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principal architects ...
, opening a new period of
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
. Gothic architecture survived the
early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...
and flourished again in a revival from the late 18th century and throughout the 19th. ''Perpendicular'' was the first Gothic style revived in the 18th century.


Survival, rediscovery and revival

In England, partly in response to a philosophy propounded by the
Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a theological movement of high-church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the Un ...
and others associated with the emerging revival of 'high church' or Anglo-Catholic ideas during the second quarter of the 19th century, neo-Gothic began to become promoted by influential establishment figures as the preferred style for ecclesiastical, civic and institutional architecture. The appeal of this
Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
(which after 1837, in Britain, is sometimes termed
Victorian Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
), gradually widened to encompass "low church" as well as "high church" clients. This period of more universal appeal, spanning 1855窶1885, is known in Britain as High Victorian Gothic. The
Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
in London by Sir
Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 窶 12 May 1860) was an English architect best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsi ...
with interiors by a major exponent of the early Gothic Revival, Augustus Welby Pugin, is an example of the Gothic revival style from its earlier period in the second quarter of the 19th century. Examples from the ''High Victorian Gothic'' period include George Gilbert Scott's design for the Albert Memorial in London, and William Butterfield's chapel at
Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University Museum a ...
. From the second half of the 19th century onwards, it became more common in Britain for neo-Gothic to be used in the design of non-ecclesiastical and non-governmental buildings types. Gothic details even began to appear in working-class housing schemes subsidised by philanthropy, though given the expense, less frequently than in the design of upper and middle-class housing. The middle of the 19th century was a period marked by the restoration, and in some cases modification, of ancient monuments and the construction of neo-Gothic edifices such as the nave of
Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...
and the Sainte-Clotilde of
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
as speculation of mediaeval architecture turned to technical consideration. London's Palace of Westminster, St Pancras railway station, New York's Trinity Church and St Patrick's Cathedral are also famous examples of Gothic Revival buildings. The style also reached the
Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
in the period, for instance the
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
St John's Cathedral located at the centre of Victoria City in
Central, Hong Kong Central (Chinese: 荳ュ迺ー), also known as Central District, is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in the northeastern corner of the Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Har ...
. File:Strawberry Hill House from garden in 2012 after restoration.jpg, Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham (begun 1749, completed in 1776), designed for Horace Walpole File:Berlin-Mitte Friedrichswerdersche Kirche asv2023-09 img1.jpg, Friedrichswerder Church, Berlin (1824窶1831) by
Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 窶 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, urban planning, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed b ...
File:Big Ben 1 2012-07-03.jpg, Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) (completed in 1859) and the
Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
in London (1840窶1876) File:P1020476 Paris VII Basilique Saint-Clotilde rwk.JPG, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris (1846窶1857) File:Wien - Votivkirche (a).JPG, Votivkirche, Vienna (1856窶1879) File:Ohel David Synagogue.jpg, Ohel David Synagogue,
Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
(completed 1867) File:Frere-Hall-Karachi-Shamail.jpg, Frere Hall,
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
, (completed 1865) File:Saks Fifth Avenue and St Patrick's aerial (cropped).jpg, St. Patrick's Cathedral,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, (completed 1878) File:Parliament of Hungary November 2017.jpg,
Hungarian Parliament Building The Hungarian Parliament Building ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Budapest after its location, is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, a notable landmark of Hungary, and a popular tourist destination in Budapest. It is situated o ...
, Budapest (1885窶1904) File:Offices of the Prefecture of the Dodecanese 02.jpg, ''Palazzo del Governatore'', Rhodes (1927) designed by Florestano Di Fausto


Structural elements


Pointed arches

The defining characteristic of the Gothic style is the pointed arch, which was widely used in both structure and decoration. The pointed arch did not originate in Gothic architecture; they had been employed for centuries in the
Near East The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...
in pre-Islamic as well as
Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...
for arches, arcades, and ribbed vaults. In Gothic architecture, particularly in the later Gothic styles, they became the most visible and characteristic element, giving a sensation of verticality and pointing upward, like the spires. Gothic
rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...
s covered the nave, and pointed arches were commonly used for the arcades, windows, doorways, in the
tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support th ...
, and especially in the later Gothic styles decorating the faテァades. They were also sometimes used for more practical purposes, such as to bring transverse vaults to the same height as diagonal vaults, as in the nave and aisles of
Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...
, built in 1093. The earliest Gothic pointed arches were lancet lights or
lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...
s, which are narrow windows terminating in a lancet arch. A lancet arch has a radius longer than their breadth (width) and resembles the blade of a lancet. In the 12th-century ''First Pointed'' phase of Gothic architecture (also called the ''Lancet style'') and before the introduction of tracery in the windows in later styles, lancet windows predominated Gothic building. The
Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
style of Gothic architecture is particularly known for lavish pointed details such as the ''arc-en-accolade'', where a pointed arch over a doorway was topped by a pointed sculptural ornament called a fleuron and by pointed pinnacles on either side. The arches of the doorway were further decorated with small cabbage-shaped sculptures called ''chou-frisテゥs''. File:Wells-Cathedral 9762.jpg, Eastern end of Wells Cathedral (begun 1175) File:Reims Cathedral, exterior (4).jpg, West front of
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
, pointed arches within arches (1211窶1275) File:Catedral de Salisbury, Salisbury, Inglaterra, 2014-08-12, DD 35-37 HDR.JPG, Lancet windows of
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
of
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
(1220窶1258) File:Lincoln, Cathedral 20060726 015.jpg, Pointed arches in the arcades,
triforium A triforium is an interior Gallery (theatre), gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, o ...
, and
clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
of
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
(1185窶1311) File:Cathedrale-de-Strasbourg-IMG 4235.jpg, A detail of the windows and galleries of the west front of
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...
(1215窶1439)


Rib vaults

The Gothic
rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...
was one of the essential elements that made the great height and large windows of Gothic architecture possible. Unlike the semi-circular
barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
of Roman and Romanesque buildings, where the weight pressed directly downward, and required thick walls and small windows, the Gothic rib vault was made of diagonal crossing arched ribs. These ribs directed the
thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that ...
outwards to the corners of the vault, and downwards via slender colonnettes and bundled columns, to the pillars and columns below. The space between the ribs was filled with thin panels of small pieces of stone, which were much lighter than earlier groin vaults. The outward thrust against the walls was countered by the weight of
buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
es and later
flying buttress The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of a ramping arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, to convey to the ground the lateral forces that push a wall ou ...
es. As a result, the massive, thick walls of Romanesque buildings were no longer needed, as since the vaults were supported by columns and piers, the walls could be made thinner and higher, and filled with windows. The earlier Gothic rib vaults, used at Sens Cathedral (begun between 1135 and 1140) and
Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the テ四e de la Citテゥ (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
(begun 1163), were divided by the ribs into six compartments. They were very difficult to build and could only cross a limited space. Since each vault covered two bays, they needed support on the ground floor from alternating columns and piers. In later construction, the design was simplified, and the rib vaults were divided into only four compartments. The alternating rows of alternating columns and piers receiving the vaults' weight were replaced by simple pillars, each receiving the same weight. A single vault could cross the nave. This method was used at
Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
(1194窶1220),
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
(begun 1220), and
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
. The four-part vaults made it possible for taller buildings to be constructed. Notre-Dame, which had begun with six-part vaults, reached a height of . Amiens Cathedral, which had begun with the newer four-part ribs, reached a height of at the transept. File:Sens - Cathテゥdrale 09.jpg, Early six-part rib vaults in Sens Cathedral (1135窶1164) File:Canterbury Cathedral Choir 1, Kent, UK - Diliff crop.jpg, Rib vaults of choir of
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
(1174窶77) File:Reims Cathedral, interior (4).jpg, Stronger four-part rib vaults in nave of
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
(1211窶1275) File:Salisbury Cathedral Interior 01.jpg, A rectangular four-part vault over a single bay in
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
(1220窶1258)


Later vaults (13th窶15th century)

In France, the four-part rib vault, with two diagonals crossing at the center of the traverse, was the type used almost exclusively until the end of the Gothic period. However, in England, several imaginative new vaults were invented which had more elaborate decorative features. They became a signature of the later English Gothic styles. The first of these new vaults had an additional rib, called a tierceron, which ran down the median of the vault. It first appeared in the vaults of the choir of
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
at the end of the 12th century, then at Worcester Cathedral in 1224, and then the south transept of Lichfield Cathedral. The 14th century brought the invention of several new types of vaults which were more and more decorative. These vaults often copied the forms form of the elaborate tracery of the Late Gothic styles. These included the stellar vault, where a group of additional ribs between the principal ribs forms a star design. The oldest vaults of this kind were found in the crypt of Saint Stephen at
Westminster Palace The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the ...
, built about 1320. A second type was called a reticulated vault, which had a network of additional decorative ribs, in triangles and other geometric forms, placed between or over the traverse ribs. These were first used in the choir of
Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bristol. The cathedral was originally an abbey dedicated to St ...
in about 1311. Another late Gothic form, the fan vault, with ribs spreading upwards and outwards, appeared later in the 14th century. An example is the cloister of
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...
(). Another new form was the skeleton vault, which appeared in the English
Decorated style English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...
. It has an additional network of ribs, like the ribs of an umbrella, which criss-cross the vault but are only directly attached to it at certain points. It appeared in a chapel of
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
in 1300. and then several other English churches. This style of vault was adopted in the 14th century in particular by German architects, particularly Peter Parler, and in other parts of central Europe. Another exists in the south porch of the Prague Cathedral Elaborate vaults also appeared in civic architecture. An example is the ceiling of the Vladislav Hall in
Prague Castle Prague Castle (; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for List of rulers ...
in
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
designed by Benedikt Ried in 1493. The ribs twist and intertwine in fantasy patterns, which later critics called "Rococo Gothic". File:Perpendicular Vaulting.JPG, Lierne vaults of
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...
(Perpendicular Gothic) File:Aisle.bristol.cathedral.arp.jpg, Skeleton-vault in aisle of
Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bristol. The cathedral was originally an abbey dedicated to St ...
(窶1340) File:Lincoln cathedral 13 Nave vault.jpg, Lincoln Cathedral 窶 quadripartite form, with tierceron ribs and ridge rib with carved bosses File:Bremer Dom Juli 2009 PD 060.JPG, Bremen Cathedral, Germany 窶 north aisle, a reticular (net) vault with intersecting ribs File:Wolfsberg Sankt Marein Pfarrkirche Mariae Himmelfahrt Netzrippengewoelbe 03092014 742.jpg, Church of the Assumption, St Marein, Austria 窶 star vault with intersecting lierne ribs File:Bテウvedas catedral Salamanca 40.jpg, Salamanca Cathedral, Spain Flamboyant S-shaped and circular lierne ribs. (16th窶18th century) File:Jacobins-11(1).jpg,
Church of the Jacobins The Church of the Jacobins is a deconsecrated Roman Catholic church located in Toulouse, France. It is a large brick building whose construction started in 1230, and whose architecture influenced the development of the ''Gothique mテゥridional'' (S ...
, Toulouse 窶 palm tree vault (1275窶1292) File:Peterborough Retrochoir fan vaulting.JPG, Peterborough Cathedral, retrochoir 窶 intersecting fan vaults File:Prag Vladislav-Saal.jpg, "Rococo Gothic" vaults of Vladislav Hall of
Prague Castle Prague Castle (; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for List of rulers ...
(1493)


Columns and piers

In early French Gothic architecture, the capitals of the columns were modeled after Roman columns of the
Corinthian order The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakテウs rythmテウs''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric or ...
, with finely-sculpted leaves. They were used in the ambulatory of the Abbey church of Saint-Denis. According to its builder, the Abbot Suger, they were inspired by the columns he had seen in the ancient baths in Rome. They were used later at Sens, at Notre-Dame de Paris and at Canterbury in England. In early Gothic churches with six-part rib vaults, the columns in the nave alternated with more massive piers to provide support for the vaults. With the introduction of the four-part rib vault, all of the piers or columns in the nave could have the same design. In the High Gothic period, a new form was introduced, composed of a central core surrounded several attached slender columns, or colonettes, going up to the vaults. These clustered columns were used at Chartres, Amiens, Reims and Bourges, Westminster Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral. Another variation was a quadrilobe column, shaped like a clover, formed of four attached columns. In England, the clustered columns were often ornamented with stone rings, as well as columns with carved leaves. Later styles added further variations. Sometimes the piers were rectangular and fluted, as at Seville Cathedral, In England, parts of columns sometimes had contrasting colours, using combining white stone with dark Purbeck marble. In place of the Corinthian capital, some columns used a stiff-leaf design. In later Gothic, the piers became much taller, reaching up more than half of the nave. Another variation, particularly popular in eastern France, was a column without a capital, which continued upward without capitals or other interruption, all the way to the vaults, giving a dramatic display of verticality. File:Intテゥrieur cath de Sens.jpg, Early Gothic 窶 Alternating columns and piers, Sens Cathedral (12th century) File:ReimsCattedraleInternoPareteNavataCentrale.jpg, High Gothic 窶 Clustered columns of
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
(13th century) File:Salisbury Cathedral Nave, Wiltshire, UK - Diliff.jpg, Early English Gothic 窶 Clustered columns in
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
(13th century) File:Canterbury Cathedral Nave 1, Kent, UK - Diliff.jpg, Perpendicular Gothic 窶 Columns without interruption from floor to the vaults.
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
nave (late 14th century). File:Navata certosa pavia.jpg, Late Gothic - Clustered columns in Certosa di Pavia (15th century). File:Bueckeburg Stadtkirche n O1.JPG, Post-Gothic - Columns with Renaissance capitals in the city church in Bテシckeburg (17th century)


Flying buttresses

An important feature of Gothic architecture was the
flying buttress The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of a ramping arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, to convey to the ground the lateral forces that push a wall ou ...
, a half-arch outside the building which carried the thrust of weight of the roof or vaults inside over a roof or an aisle to a heavy stone column. The buttresses were placed in rows on either side of the building, and were often topped by heavy stone pinnacles, both to give extra weight and for additional decoration. Buttresses had existed since Roman times, usually set directly against the building, but the Gothic vaults were more sophisticated. In later structures, the buttresses often had several arches, each reaching in to a different level of the structure. The buttresses permitted the buildings to be both taller, and to have thinner walls, with greater space for windows. Over time, the buttresses and pinnacles became more elaborate supporting statues and other decoration, as at Beauvais Cathedral and
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
. The arches had an additional practical purpose; they contained lead channels which carried rainwater off the roof; it was expelled from the mouths of stone gargoyles placed in rows on the buttresses. Flying buttresses were used less frequently in England, where the emphasis was more on length than height. One example of English buttresses was
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
, whose choir and buttresses were rebuilt in Gothic style by William of Sens and William the Englishman. However, they were very popular in Germany: in
Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...
the buttresses were lavishly decorated with statuary and other ornament, and were a prominent feature of the exterior. File:Canterbury Cathedral 04.JPG,
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
with simple wall buttresses and flying buttresses (rebuilt into Gothic 1174窶1177) File:Lincoln, UK - panoramio (30).jpg, East end of
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
, with wall buttress, and chapter house with flying buttresses. (1185窶1311) File:Notre Dame buttress.jpg, Flying buttresses of Notre Dame de Paris () File:Amiens Cathテゥdrale Notre-dame arc-boutant sud-est 4.jpg, Buttresses of
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
with pinnacles to give them added weight (1220窶1266) File:Strebewerk-2.jpg, Section of
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
showing the three levels of each buttress (1211窶1275) File:Koelner dom blick nach osten.jpg, Decorated buttresses of
Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...
(1248窶1573)


Towers and spires

Towers, spires and Flティche (architecture), flティches were an important feature of Gothic churches. They presented a dramatic spectacle of great height, helped make their churches the tallest and most visible buildings in their city, and symbolised the aspirations of their builders toward heaven. They also had a practical purpose; they often served as bell towers supporting Belfry (architecture), belfries, whose bells told the time by announcing religious services, warned of fire or enemy attack, and celebrated special occasions like military victories and coronations. Sometimes the bell tower is built separate from a church; the best-known example of this is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The towers of cathedrals were usually the last part of the structure to be built. Since cathedral construction usually took many years, and was extremely expensive, by the time the tower were to be built public enthusiasm waned, and tastes changed. Many projected towers were never built, or were built in different styles than other parts of the cathedral, or with different styles on each level of the tower. At Chartres Cathedral, the south tower was built in the 12th century, in the simpler Early Gothic, while the north tower is the more highly decorated
Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
style. Chartres would have been even more exuberant if the second plan had been followed; it called for seven towers around the transept and sanctuary. In the テ四e-de-France, cathedral towers followed the Romanesque tradition of two identical towers, one on either side of the portals. The west front of the Saint-Denis, became the model for the early Gothic cathedrals and High Gothic cathedrals in northern France, including Notre-Dame de Paris, Reims Cathedral, and Amiens Cathedral. The early and High Gothic Laon Cathedral has a square lantern tower over the crossing of the transept; two towers on the western front; and two towers on the ends of the transepts. Laon's towers, with the exception of the central tower, are built with two stacked vaulted chambers pierced by lancet openings. The two western towers contain life-size stone statues of sixteen oxen in their upper arcades, said to honour the animals who hauled the stone during the cathedral's construction. In Normandy, cathedrals and major churches often had multiple towers, built over the centuries; the Abbaye aux Hommes (begun 1066), Caen has nine towers and spires, placed on the faテァade, the transepts, and the centre. A lantern tower was often placed the centre of the nave, at the meeting point with the transept, to give light to the church below. In later periods of Gothic, pointed needle-like spires were often added to the towers, giving them much greater height. A variation of the spire was the flティche, a slender, spear-like spire, which was usually placed on the transept where it crossed the nave. They were often made of wood covered with lead or other metal. They sometimes had open frames, and were decorated with sculpture. Amiens Cathedral has a flティche. The most famous example was that of Notre-Dame de Paris. The original flティche of Notre-Dame was built on the crossing of the transept in the middle of the 13th century, and housed five bells. It was removed in 1786 during a program to modernize the cathedral, but was put back in a new form designed by Eugティne Viollet-le-Duc. The new flティche, of wood covered with lead, was decorated with statues of the Apostles; the figure of St Thomas resembled Viollet-le-Duc. The flティche was destroyed in the Notre-Dame de Paris fire, 2019 fire, but is now restored in the same design. File:Abbaye aux Hommes 02.jpg, Abbaye aux Hommes, Caen (tall west towers added in the 13th century) File:Facade cathedral.jpg, Towers of Chartres Cathedral;
Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
Gothic on left, Early Gothic on the right File:Spire of Notre-Dame de Paris, September 2013.jpg, The 13th century flティche of Notre Dame, recreated in the 19th century, destroyed by fire in 2019, now restored
In English Gothic, the major tower was often placed at the crossing of the transept and nave, and was much higher than the other. The most famous example is the tower of
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
, completed in 1320 by William of Farleigh. It was a remarkable feat of construction, since it was built upon the pillars of the much earlier church. A crossing tower was constructed at
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
in 1493窶1501 by John Wastell, who had previously worked on King's College at Cambridge. It was finished by Henry Yevele, who also built the present nave of Canterbury. The new central tower at Wells Cathedral caused a problem; it was too heavy for the original structure. An unusual double arch had to be constructed in the centre of the crossing to give the tower the extra support it needed. England's Gothic parish churches and collegiate churches generally have a single western tower. A number of the finest churches have masonry spires, with those of St James' Church, Louth, St James Church, Louth; St Wulfram's Church, Grantham; St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol; and Coventry Cathedral. These spires all exceed in height. Westminster Abbey's crossing tower has for centuries remained unbuilt, and numerous architects have proposed various ways of completing it since the 1250s, when work began on the tower under Henry III of England, Henry III. A century and half later, an octagonal roof lantern resembling that of Ely Cathedral was installed instead, which was then demolished in the 16th century. Construction began again in 1724 to the design of
Nicholas Hawksmoor Nicholas Hawksmoor ( 窶 25 March 1736) was an English architect. He was a leading figure of the English Baroque style of architecture in the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth centuries. Hawksmoor worked alongside the principal architects ...
, after first Christopher Wren had proposed a design in 1710, but stopped again in 1727. The crossing remains covered by the stub of the lantern and a 'temporary' roof. File:Catedral de Salisbury, Salisbury, Inglaterra, 2014-08-12, DD 52.JPG,
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
tower and spire over the crossing (1320) File:York, UK - panoramio (28).jpg, West towers of York Minster, in the Perpendicular Gothic style. File:Beverley Minster, East Riding of Yorkshire.jpg, The perpendicular west towers of Beverley Minster () File:Canterbury Cathedral JC 17.JPG, Crossing tower of
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
(1493窶1505)
Later Gothic towers in Central Europe often followed the French model, but added even denser decorative tracery.
Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...
had been started in the 13th century, following the plan of
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
, but only the apse and the base of one tower were finished in the Gothic period. The original plans were conserved and rediscovered in 1817, and the building was completed in the 19th century following the origin design. It has two spectacularly ornamented towers, covered with arches, gables, pinnacles and openwork spires pointing upwards. The tower of Ulm Minster has a similar history, begun in 1377, stopped in 1543, and not completed until the 19th century. File:Kテカlner Dom von Osten.jpg,
Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...
towers (begun 13th century, completed 20th century File:Ulmer Mテシnster-Westfassade.jpg, Tower of Ulm Minster (begun 1377, completed 19th century) File:00 0743 Freiburg Minster - Hahnenturm.jpg, Tower of Freiburg Minster (begun 1340) noted for its lacelike openwork spire File:Prag Dom St. Veit 01.jpg, Prague Cathedral (begun 1344)
Regional variants of Gothic towers appeared in Spain and Italy. Burgos Cathedral was inspired by Northern Europe. It has an exceptional cluster of openwork spires, towers, and pinnacles, drenched with ornament. It was begun in 1444 by a German architect, Juan de Colonia (John of Cologne) and eventually completed by a central tower (1540) built by his grandson. In Italy the towers were sometimes separate from the cathedral; and the architects usually kept their distance from the Northern European style. the leaning tower of Pisa Cathedral, built between 1173 and 1372, is the best-known example. Giotto's Campanile, The Campanile of Florence Cathedral was built by Giotto in the Florentine Gothic style, decorated with encrustations of polychrome marble. It was originally designed to have a spire. File:WLM14ES - 11072009 172016 CDB 0530 - .jpg, West towers of Burgos Cathedral (1444窶1540) File:CampanileGiotto-01.jpg, Giotto's Campanile of
Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral (), formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower ( ), is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence in Florence, Italy. Commenced in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed b ...
(1334窶1359)


Tracery

Tracery is an architectural solution by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Pointed arch windows of Gothic buildings were initially (late 12th窶斗ate 13th centuries)
lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...
s, a solution typical of the ''Early Gothic'' or ''First Pointed'' style and of the ''Early English'' Gothic. Plate tracery was the first type of tracery to be developed, emerging in the later phase of ''Early Gothic'' or ''First Pointed''. ''Second Pointed'' is distinguished from ''First'' by the appearance of ''bar窶鍍racery'', allowing the construction of much larger window openings, and the development of ''Curvilinear'', ''Flowing'', and ''Reticulated'' tracery, ultimately contributing to the ''Flamboyant'' style. ''Late Gothic'' in most of Europe saw tracery patterns resembling lace develop, while in England ''Perpendicular Gothic'' or ''Third Pointed'' preferred plainer vertical mullions and transoms. Tracery is practical as well as decorative, because the increasingly large windows of Gothic buildings needed maximum support against the wind. Plate tracery, in which lights were pierced in a thin wall of ashlar, allowed a window arch to have more than one light 窶 typically two side by side and separated by flat stone spandrels. The spandrels were then sculpted into figures like a Roundel (heraldry), roundel or a quatrefoil. Plate tracery reached the height of its sophistication with the 12th century windows of Chartres Cathedral and in the "Dean's Eye" rose window at Lincoln Cathedral. At the beginning of the 13th century, plate tracery was superseded by bar-tracery. Bar-tracery divides the large lights from one another with moulded mullions. Stone bar-tracery, an important decorative element of Gothic styles, first was used at
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
shortly after 1211, in the chevet built by Jean D'Orbais. It was employed in England around 1240. After 1220, master builders in England had begun to treat the window openings as a series of openings divided by thin stone bars, while before 1230 the apse chapels of Reims Cathedral were decorated with bar-tracery with cusped circles (with bars radiating from the centre). Bar-tracery became common after , with increasing complexity and decreasing weight. The lines of the mullions continued beyond the tops of the window lights and subdivided the open spandrels above the lights into a variety of decorative shapes. ''Rayonnant'' style () was enabled by the development of bar-tracery in Continental Europe and is named for the radiation of lights around a central point in circular rose windows. ''Rayonnant'' also deployed mouldings of two different types in tracery, where earlier styles had used moulding of a single size, with different sizes of mullions. The rose windows of Notre-Dame de Paris (c.1270) are typical. The early phase of ''Middle Pointed'' style (late 13th century) is characterized by ''Geometrical'' tracery 窶 simple bar-tracery forming patterns of Foil (architecture), foiled arches and circles interspersed with triangular lights. The mullions of ''Geometrical'' style typically had Capital (architecture), capitals with curved bars emerging from them. ''Intersecting'' bar-tracery (c.1300) deployed mullions without capitals which branched off equidistant to the window-head. The window-heads themselves were formed of equal curves forming a pointed arch and the tracery-bars were curved by drawing curves with differing Radius, radii from the same Centre (geometry), centres as the window-heads. The mullions were in consequence branched into Y-shaped designs further ornamented with cusps. The intersecting branches produced an array of Lozenge (shape), lozenge-shaped lights in between numerous lancet arched lights.''Y-tracery'' was often employed in two-light windows c.1300. ''Second Pointed'' (14th century) saw ''Intersecting'' tracery elaborated with
ogee An ogee ( ) is an object, element, or curve窶俳ften seen in architecture and building trades窶杯hat has a serpentine- or extended S-shape (Sigmoid curve, sigmoid). Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combination of two semicircle, semicircula ...
s, creating a complex reticular (net-like) design known as ''Reticulated'' tracery. ''Second Pointed'' architecture deployed tracery in highly decorated fashion known as ''Curvilinear'' and ''Flowing'' (''Undulating''). These types of bar-tracery were developed further throughout Europe in the 15th century into the ''Flamboyant'' style, named for the characteristic flame-shaped spaces between the tracery-bars. These shapes are known as ''daggers'', ''fish-bladders'', or ''mouchettes''. ''Third Pointed'' or ''Perpendicular Gothic'' developed in England from the later 14th century and is typified by ''Rectilinear'' tracery (''panel''-tracery). The mullions are often joined together by Transom (architecture), transoms and continue up their straight vertical lines to the top of the window's main arch, some branching off into lesser arches, and creating a series of panel-like lights. ''Perpendicular'' strove for verticality and dispensed with the ''Curvilinear'' style's sinuous lines in favour of unbroken straight mullions from top to bottom, transected by horizontal transoms and bars. Four-centred arches were used in the 15th and 16th centuries to create windows of increasing size with flatter window-heads, often filling the entire wall of the bay between each buttress. The windows were themselves divided into panels of lights topped by pointed arches struck from four centres. The transoms were often topped by miniature crenellations. The windows at Cambridge of King's College Chapel (1446窶1515) represent the heights of ''Perpendicular'' tracery. Tracery was used on both the interior and exterior of buildings. It frequently covered the faテァades, and the interior walls of the nave and choir were covered with blind arcades. It also often picked up and repeated the designs in the stained glass windows.
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...
has a west front lavishly ornamented with bar tracery matching the windows. File:Ripon Cathedral - central part of main facade.jpg, ''Lancet Gothic'', Ripon Minster west front (begun 1160) File:Chartres Cathedral clerestory exterior.jpg, ''Plate tracery'',
Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
clerestory (1194窶1220) File:Ripon Cathedral (7557362580) crop.jpg, ''Geometrical'' ''Decorated Gothic'', Ripon Minster east window File:Straテ歟urger Mテシnster, Groテ歹 Fensterrose.jpg, ''Rayonnant'' rose window,
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...
west front File:Amiens France Cathテゥdrale-Notre-Dame-d-Amiens-03d.jpg, ''Flamboyant'' rose window,
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
west front File:Limoges curvilinear tracery.JPG, ''Curvilinear'' window, Limoges Cathedral nave File:Kings College Chapel Cambridge west window.jpg, ''Perpendicular'' four-centred arch, King's College Chapel, Cambridge west front File:Cathテゥdrale de Tours - dテゥtail de la tour nord.jpg, Blind tracery, Tours Cathedral (16th century) File:Neupfarrkirche - panoramio (1).jpg, ''Post-Gothic'' tracery, Regensburg, Neupfarrkirche (16th century)


Elements of Romanesque and Gothic architecture compared


Plans

The plan of Gothic cathedrals and churches was usually based on the Latin cross (or "cruciform") plan, taken from the ancient Roman Basilica, and from the later Romanesque (architecture), Romanesque churches. They have a long nave making the body of the church, where the parishioners worshipped; a transverse arm called the
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
and, beyond it to the east, the Choir (architecture), choir, also known as a chancel or presbytery, that was usually reserved for the clergy. The eastern end of the church was rounded in French churches, and was occupied by several radiating chapels, which allowed multiple ceremonies to go on simultaneously. In English churches the eastern end also had chapels, but was usually rectangular. A passage called the ambulatory circled the choir. This allowed parishioners, and especially pilgrims, to walk past the chapels to see the relics displayed there without disturbing other services going on. Each vault of the nave formed a separate cell, with its own supporting piers or columns. The early cathedrals, like Notre-Dame, had six-part rib vaults, with alternating columns and piers, while later cathedrals had the simpler and stronger four-part vaults, with identical columns. Following the model of Romanesque architecture and the Basilica of Saint Denis, cathedrals usually had two towers flanking the west faテァade. Towers over the crossing were common in England (
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
), York Minister) but rarer in France. Transepts were usually short in early French Gothic architecture, but became longer and were given large rose windows in the
Rayonnant Rayonnant was a very refined style of Gothic Architecture which appeared in France in the 13th century. It was the defining style of the High Gothic period, and is often described as the high point of French Gothic architecture."Encylclopaedia B ...
period. The choirs became more important. The choir was often flanked by a double disambulatory, which was crowned by a ring of small chapels. In England, transepts were more important, and the floor plans were usually much more complex than in French cathedrals, with the addition of attached Lady Chapels, an octagonal Chapter House, and other structures (See plans of Salisbury Cathedral and York Minster below). This reflected a tendency in France to carry out multiple functions in the same space, while English cathedrals compartmentalized them. This contrast is visible in the difference between
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
, with its minimal transepts and semicircular apse, filled with chapels, on the east end, compared with the double transepts, projecting north porch, and rectangular east end of Salisbury and York.


Elevations and the search for height

Gothic architecture was a continual search for greater height, thinner walls, and more light. This was clearly illustrated in the evolving elevations of the cathedrals. In Early Gothic architecture, following the model of the Romanesque churches, the buildings had thick, solid walls with a minimum of windows in order to give enough support for the vaulted roofs. An elevation typically had four levels. On the ground floor was an arcade with massive piers alternating with thinner columns, which supported the six-part rib vaults. Above that was a gallery, called the tribune, which provided stability to the walls, and was sometimes used to provide seating for the nuns. Above that was a narrower gallery, called the
triforium A triforium is an interior Gallery (theatre), gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, o ...
, which also helped provide additional thickness and support. At the top, just beneath the vaults, was the
clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
, where the high windows were placed. The upper level was supported from the outside by the flying buttresses. This system was used at Noyon Cathedral, Sens Cathedral, and other early structures. In the
High Gothic High Gothic was a period of Gothic architecture in the 13th century, from about 1200 to 1280, which saw the construction of a series of refined and richly decorated cathedrals of exceptional height and size. It appeared most prominently in France ...
period, thanks to the introduction of the four part rib vault, a simplified elevation appeared at Chartres Cathedral and others. The alternating piers and columns on the ground floor were replaced by rows of identical circular piers wrapped in four engaged columns. The tribune disappeared, which meant that the arcades could be higher. This created more space at the top for the upper windows, which were expanded to include a smaller circular window above a group of lancet windows. The new walls gave a stronger sense of verticality and brought in more light. A similar arrangement was adapted in England, at
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
,
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
, and Ely Cathedral. An important characteristic of Gothic church architecture is its height, both absolute and in proportion to its width, the verticality suggesting an aspiration to Heaven. The increasing height of cathedrals over the Gothic period was accompanied by an increasing proportion of the wall devoted to windows, until, by the late Gothic, the interiors became like cages of glass. This was made possible by the development of the flying buttress, which transferred the thrust of the weight of the roof to the supports outside the walls. As a result, the walls gradually became thinner and higher, and masonry was replaced with glass. The four-part elevation of the naves of early Cathedrals such as Notre-Dame (arcade, tribune, triforium, clerestory) was transformed in the choir of Beauvais Cathedral to very tall arcades, a thin triforium, and soaring windows up to the roof. Beauvais Cathedral reached the limit of what was possible with Gothic technology. A portion of the choir collapsed in 1284, causing alarm in all of the cities with very tall cathedrals. Panels of experts were created in Sienna and Chartres to study the stability of those structures. Only the transept and choir of Beauvais were completed, and in the 21st century, the transept walls were reinforced with cross-beams. No cathedral built since exceeded the height of the choir of Beauvais. File:Noyon Cathedral Interior.JPG, Noyon Cathedral nave showing the four early Gothic levels (late 12h century) File:Wells cathedral nave clerestory.JPG, Three-part elevation of Wells Cathedral (begun 1176) File:Lincoln Nave from West wall.jpg, Nave of
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
(begun 1185) showing three levels; arcade (bottom); tribune (middle) and clerestory (top) File:NOTRE DAME DE PARIS May 2012.jpg,
Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the テ四e de la Citテゥ (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
nave (rebuilt 1180窶1220) File:Triforium Chartres.jpg, Three-part elevation of
Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
, with larger clerestory windows File:Amiens cathedral nave-west.jpg, Nave of
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
, looking west (1220窶1270) File:Strasbourg Cathedral nave looking east- Diliff.jpg, Nave of
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...
(mid-13th century), looking east File:Cologne Cathedral interior.JPG, The medieval east end of
Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...
(begun 1248)


West front

Churches traditionally face east, with the altar at the east, and the west front, or faテァade, was considered the most important entrance. Gothic faテァades were adapted from the model of the Romanesque faテァades. The faテァades usually had three portals, or doorways, leading into the nave. Over each doorway was a Tympanum (architecture), tympanum, a work of sculpture crowded with figures. The sculpture of the central tympanum was devoted to the Last Judgement, that to the left to the Virgin Mary, and that to the right to the Saints honoured at that particular cathedral. In the early Gothic, the columns of the doorways took the form of statues of saints, making them literally "pillars of the church". In the early Gothic, the faテァades were characterized by height, elegance, harmony, unity, and a balance of proportions. They followed the doctrine expressed by Saint Thomas Aquinas that beauty was a "harmony of contrasts". Following the model of Saint-Denis and later Notre-Dame de Paris, the faテァade was flanked by two towers proportional to the rest of the faテァade, which balanced the horizontal and vertical elements. Early Gothic faテァades often had a small rose window placed above the central portal. In England the rose window was often replaced by several lancet windows. In the High Gothic period, the faテァades grew higher, and had more dramatic architecture and sculpture. At Amiens Cathedral (), the porches were deeper, the niches and pinnacles were more prominent. The portals were crowned with high arched gables, composed of concentric arches filled with sculpture. The rose windows became enormous, filling an entirely wall above the central portal, and they were themselves covered with a large pointed arch. The rose windows were pushed upwards by the growing profusion of decoration below. The towers were adorned with their own arches, often crowned with pinnacles. The towers themselves were crowned with spires, often of open-work sculpture. One of the finest examples of a
Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
faテァade is Notre-Dame de l'テ英ine (1405窶1527). While French cathedrals emphasized the height of the faテァade, English cathedrals, particularly in earlier Gothic, often emphasized the width. The west front of Wells Cathedral is 146 feet across, compared with 116 feet wide at the nearly contemporary Amiens Cathedral, though Amiens is twice as high. The west front of Wells was almost entirely covered with statuary, like Amiens, and was given even further emphasis by its colors; traces of blue, scarlet, and gold are found on the sculpture, as well as painted stars against the dark background on other sections. Italian Gothic faテァades have the three traditional portals and rose windows, or sometimes simply a large circular window without tracery plus an abundance of flamboyant elements, including sculpture, pinnacles and spires. However, they added distinctive Italian elements. as seen in the faテァades of Siena Cathedral ) and of Orvieto Cathedral, The Orvieto faテァade was largely the work of a master mason, Lorenzo Maitani, who worked on the faテァade from 1308 until his death in 1330. He broke away from the French emphasis on height, and eliminated the column statutes and statuary in the arched entries, and covered the faテァade with colourful mosaics of biblical scenes (The current mosaics are of a later date). He also added sculpture in relief on the supporting contreforts. Another important feature of the Italian Gothic portal was the sculpted bronze door. The sculptor Andrea Pisano made the celebrated bronze doors for Florence Baptistry (1330窶1336). They were not the first; Abbot Suger had commissioned bronze doors for Saint-Denis in 1140, but they were replaced with wooden doors when the Abbey was enlarged. Pisano's work, with its realism and emotion, pointed toward the coming Renaissance. File:Wells Cathedral West Front Exterior, UK - Diliff.jpg, Wells Cathedral (1176窶1450). Early English Gothic. The faテァade was a Great Wall of sculpture File:0 Amiens - Cathテゥdrale Notre-Dame (1).JPG,
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
, (13th century). Vertical emphasis. High Gothic File:Salisbury Cathedral 3 (5691354924).jpg,
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
窶 wide sculptured screen, lancet windows, turrets with pinnacles. (1220窶1258) File:Strasbourg Cathedral Exterior - Diliff.jpg,
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...
(1275窶1486), a faテァade entirely covered in sculpture and tracery File:Saints-Michel-et-Gudule Luc Viatour.jpg, Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels, a towered highly decorated faテァade File:Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Epine.JPG, Flamboyant faテァade of Notre-Dame de l'テ英ine (1405窶1527) with openwork towers File:Facciata del Duomo di Orvieto.JPG, Orvieto Cathedral (1310窶), with polychrome mosaics File:St. Anne's Church Exterior 3, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg, Late Gothic faテァade of Church of St. Anne, Vilnius, Church of St. Anne in Vilnius (ca. 1500)


East end

Cathedrals and churches were traditionally constructed with the altar at the east end, so that the priest and congregation faced the rising sun during the morning liturgy. The sun was considered the symbol of Christ and the Second Coming, a major theme in Cathedral sculpture. The portion of the church east of altar is the choir, reserved for members of the clergy. There is usually a single or double ambulatory, or aisle, around the choir and east end, so parishioners and pilgrims could walk freely easily around east end. In Romanesque churches, the east end was very dark, due to the thick walls and small windows. In the ambulatory of the Basilica of Saint Denis, Abbot Suger first used the novel combination rib vaults and buttresses to replace the thick walls and replace them with stained glass, opening up that portion of the church to what he considered "divine light". In French Gothic churches, the east end, or
chevet In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. In Byzan ...
, often had an apse, a semi-circular projection with a vaulted or domed roof. The chevet of large cathedrals frequently had a ring of radiating chapels, placed between the buttresses to get maximum light. There are three such chapels at Chartres Cathedral, seven at Notre Dame de Paris, Amiens Cathedral, Prague Cathedral and Cologne Cathedral, and nine at Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua in Italy. In England, the east end is more often rectangular, and gives access to a separate and large Lady Chapel, dedicated to the
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
. Lady Chapels were also common in Italy. File:Amiens Cathテゥdrale Notre-Dame Chor 04.jpg, High Gothic Chevet of
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
, with chapels between the buttresses (13th century) File:Panorama of the interior of the Cathテゥdrale Notre Dame de Paris-LR1 (22457676932).jpg, Ambulatory and Chapels of the chevet of Notre Dame de Paris (14th century) File:Henry7Chapel 09.jpg, The Henry VII Lady Chapel at
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
(begun 1503) File:Ely cathedral east end.jpg, Ely Cathedral 窶 square east end: Early English chancel (left) and Decorated Lady Chapel (right) File:Ely Cathedral Lady Chapel, Cambridgeshire, UK - Diliff.jpg, Interior of the Ely Cathedral Lady Chapel (14th century)


Sculpture


Portals and tympanum

Sculpture was an important element of Gothic architecture. Its intent was present the stories of the Bible in vivid and understandable fashion to the great majority of the faithful who could not read. The iconography of the sculptural decoration on the faテァade was not left to the sculptors. An edict of the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 had declared: "The composition of religious images is not to be left to the inspiration of artists; it is derived from the principles put in place by the Catholic Church and religious tradition. Only the art belongs to the artist; the composition belongs to the Fathers." File:Chartres - south portal - central bay -.jpg, Monsters and devils tempting Christians 窶 South portal of
Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
(13th century) File:Wells cathedral 12 crop.JPG, Gallery of Kings and Saints on the faテァade of Wells Cathedral (13th century) File:Amiens tympan central detail 07.jpg,
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
, tympanum detail 窶 "Christ in majesty" (13th century) File:Amiens iluminacion fachada catedral.JPG, Illumination of portals of Amiens Cathedral to show how it may have appeared with original colors File:Reims6.jpg, West portal Annunciation group at
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
with smiling angel at left (13th century)
In Early Gothic churches, following the Romanesque tradition, sculpture appeared on the faテァade or west front in the triangular tympanum over the central portal. Gradually, as the style evolved, the sculpture became more and more prominent, taking over the columns of the portal, and gradually climbing above the portals, until statues in niches covered the entire faテァade, as in Wells Cathedral, to the transepts, and, as at Amiens Cathedral, even on the interior of the faテァade. Some of the earliest examples are found at
Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
, where the three portals of the west front illustrate the three epiphanies in the Life of Christ in art, Life of Christ. At Amiens, the tympanum over the central portal depicted the Last Judgement, the right portal showed the Coronation of the Virgin, and the left portal showed the lives of saints who were important in the diocese. This set a pattern of complex iconography which was followed at other churches. The columns below the tympanum are in the form of statues of saints, literally representing them as "the pillars of the church". Each saint had his own symbol at his feet so viewers could recognize them; a winged lion meant Saint Mark, an eagle with four wings meant Saint John the Apostle, and a winged bull symbolized Saint Luke. Floral and vegetal decoration was also very common, representing the Garden of Eden; grapes represented the wines of Eucharist. The tympanum over the central portal on the west faテァade of Notre-Dame de Paris vividly illustrates the Last Judgement, with figures of sinners being led off to hell, and good Christians taken to heaven. The sculpture of the right portal shows the coronation of the
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
, and the left portal shows the lives of saints who were important to Parisians, particularly Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary. To make the message even more prominent, the sculpture of the tympanum was painted in bright colors. following a system of colours codified in the 12th century; yellow, called ''gold'', symbolized intelligence, grandeur and virtue; white, called ''argent'', symbolized purity, wisdom, and correctness; black, or ''sable'', meant sadness, but also will; green, or ''sinople'', represented hope, liberty and joy; red or ''gueules'' (see gules) meant charity or victory; blue or ''azure'' symbolised the sky, faithfulness and perseverance; and violet, or ''pourpre'', was the colour of royalty and sovereignty. File:Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg, faテァade, tentateur et vierges folles.jpg, More naturalistic later Gothic. Temptation of the foolish Virgins, Strasbourg Cathedral File:Escultures dels Pisano al Museo dell'Opera del Duomo de Siena.JPG, Sculpture from faテァade of Siena Cathedral by Nino Pisano (14th century) In the later Gothic, the sculpture became more naturalistic; the figures were separated from the walls, and had much more expressive faces, showing emotion and personality. The drapery was very skilfully carved. The torments of hell were even more vividly depicted. The late Gothic sculpture at Siena Cathedral, by Nino Pisano, pointing toward the Renaissance, is particularly notable. Much of it is now kept in a museum to protect it from deterioration.


Grotesques and Labyrinths

Besides saints and apostles, the exteriors of Gothic churches were also decorated with sculptures of a variety of fabulous and frightening Grotesque (architecture), grotesques or monsters. These included the chimera (mythology), chimera, a mythical hybrid creature which usually had the body of a lion and the head of a goat, and the Strix (mythology), strix or stryge, a creature resembling an owl or bat, which was said to eat human flesh. The strix appeared in classical Roman literature; it was described by the Roman poet Ovid, who was widely read in the Middle Ages, as a large-headed bird with transfixed eyes, rapacious beak, and greyish white wings.Frazer, James George (1933) ed., Ovid
''Fasti''
VI. 131窶,, tr.
They were part of the visual message for the illiterate worshippers, symbols of the evil and danger that threatened those who did not follow the teachings of the church. The gargoyles, which were added to Notre-Dame in about 1240, had a more practical purpose. They were the rain spouts of the church, designed to divide the torrent of water which poured from the roof after rain, and to project it outwards as far as possible from the buttresses and the walls and windows so that it would not erode the mortar binding the stone. To produce many thin streams rather than a torrent of water, a large number of gargoyles were used, so they were also designed to be a decorative element of the architecture. The rainwater ran from the roof into lead gutters, then down channels on the flying buttresses, then along a channel cut in the back of the gargoyle and out of the mouth away from the church.Viollet-le-Duc, volume 6, page 24-26 Many of the statues at Notre-Dame, particularly the grotesques, were removed from the faテァade in the 17th and 18th century, or were destroyed during the French Revolution. They were replaced with figures in the Gothic style, designed by Eugティne Viollet-le-Duc during the 19th-century restoration. Similar figures appear on the other major Gothic churches of France and England. Another common feature of Gothic cathedrals in France was a labyrinth or maze on the floor of the nave near the choir, which symbolised the difficult and often complicated journey of a Christian life before attaining paradise. Most labyrinths were removed by the 18th century, but a few, like the one at Amiens Cathedral, have been reconstructed, and the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral still exists essentially in its original form. File:ND Amiens - gargouille.JPG, Gargoyle of Amiens Cathedral (13th century) File:Notre Dame HDR.jpg, A Strix (mythology), strix at
Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the テ四e de la Citテゥ (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
(19th century copy) File:Labyrinthchartres.jpg, Labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral (13th century) File:AmienCathedralLabyrinth.JPG, Labyrinth with Chartres pattern at
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...


Windows and stained glass

Increasing the amount of light in the interior was a primary objective of the founders of the Gothic movement. Abbot Suger described the new kind of architecture he had created in the east end of the Saint-Denis: "a circular ring of chapels, by virtue of which the whole church would shine with the wonderful and uninterrupted light of most luminous windows, pervading the interior beauty." Religious teachings in the Middle Ages, particularly the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, a 6th-century mystic whose book, ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'', was popular among monks in France, taught that all light was divine. When the Abbot Suger ordered the reconstruction of choir of the abbey church at Saint-Denis, he had the builders create seventy windows, admitting as much light as possible, as the means by which the faithful could be elevated from the material world to the immaterial world. The placement of the windows was also determined by religious doctrine. The windows on the north side, frequently in the shade, had windows depicting the Old Testament. The windows of the east, corresponding to the direction of the sunrise, had images of Christ and scenes from the New Testament. In the Early Gothic architecture, Early Gothic period, the glass was particularly thick and was deeply coloured with metal oxides; cobalt for blue, copper for a ruby red, iron for green, and antimony for yellow. The process of making the windows was described in detail by the 12th-century monk known as Theophilus Presbyter. The glass of each colour was melted with the oxide, Glassblowing, blown, shaped into small sheets, cracked with a hot iron into small pieces, and assembled on a large table. The details were painted onto the glass in vitreous enamel, then baked in a kiln to fuse the enamel on the glass. The pieces were fit into a framework of thin lead strips, and then put into a more solid frame or iron armatures between the panels. The finished window was set into the stone opening. Thin vertical and horizontal bars of iron, called ''vergettes'' or ''barlotierres'', were placed inside the window to reinforce the glass against the wind. The use of iron rods between the panels of glass and a framework of stone mullions, or ribs, made it possible to create much larger windows. The three rose windows at Chartres (1203窶1240) each were more than in diameter. Larger windows also appeared at York Minster (1140窶1160) and Canterbury Cathedral (1178窶1200) The stained glass windows were extremely complex and expensive to create. King Louis IX paid for the rose windows in the transept of Notre-Dame de Paris, but other windows were financed by the contributions of the professions or guilds of the city. These windows usually had a panel which illustrated the work of the guild which funded it, such as the drapers, stonemasons, or Cooper (profession), coopers. File:Vitraux Saint-Denis 190110 19.jpg, Abbey of Saint-Denis, Abbot Suger represented at feet of Virgin Mary (12th century) File:Cathテゥdrale de Bourges - Dテゥtail du vitrail de l'Apocalypse (dテゥbut XIIIティme siティcle).JPG, Detail of the Apocalypse window, Bourges Cathedral, early 13th century File:Canterbury Cathedral 011 Medieval glass Thomas a Becket.JPG, Thomas Becket figure from
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
(13th century) File:Baptism Sainte-Chapelle MNMA Cl23717.jpg, Glass of
Sainte-Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; ) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Citテゥ, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the テ四e de la Citテゥ in the River Seine in Paris, France. Construction b ...
depicting a baptism (13th century), now in Cluny Museum File:Interior of Sainte Chapelle, Vincennes 140308 1.jpg, Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes (14th century) File:Cambridge - King's Chapel - vitraux.jpg, Windows of
King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...
(1446窶1451)
The 13th century saw the introduction of a new kind of window, with grisaille, or white glass, with a geometric pattern, usually joined with medallions of stained glass. These windows allowed much more light into the cathedral, but diminished the vividness of the stained glass, since there was less contrast between the dark interior and bright exterior. The most remarkable and influential work of stained glass in the 13th century was the royal chapel, Sainte-Chapelle (1243窶1248), where the windows of the upper chapel, high, occupied all of the walls on the three sides, with 1,134 individual scenes. Sainte-Chapelle became the model for other chapels across Europe. The 14th century brought a variety of new colours, and the use of more realistic shading and half-toning. This was done by the development of flashed glass. Clear glass was dipped into coloured glass, then portions of the coloured glass were ground away to give exactly the right shade. In the 15th century, artists began painting directly onto the glass with enamel colours. Gradually the art of glass came closer and closer to traditional painting. File:Ulm-Muenster-KramerFensterDetail-061209.jpg, The Visitation window (1480) from Ulm Minster, by Peter Hemmel of Andlau. Late Gothic with fine shading and painted details. File:Tondo St Peter MNMA Cl23759.jpg, Late Gothic grisaille glass and painted figures, depicting Saint Nicholas (France, 1500窶1510), Cluny Museum File:King's College Chapel, Cambridge, vetrate 02.JPG, Detail of the Late Gothic stained glass of
King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...
, (1531)
One of the most celebrated Flamboyant buildings was the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes (1370s), with walls of glass from floor to ceiling. The original glass was destroyed, and is replaced by grisaille glass. King's College Chapel (15th century), also followed the model of walls entirely filled with glass. The stained glass windows were extremely complex and expensive to create. King Louis IX paid for the rose windows in the transept of Notre-Dame de Paris, while other windows were often financed by the contributions of the professions or guilds of the city. These windows usually incorporated a panel which illustrates the work of the guild which funded it, such as the drapers, stonemasons, or barrel-makers. In England, the stained glass windows also grew in size and importance; major examples were the Becket Windows at
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
(1200窶1230) and the windows of
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
(1200窶1220). Enormous windows were also an important element of York Minster and
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...
. Much of the stained glass in Gothic churches today dates from later restorations, but a few, notably Chartres Cathedral and Bourges Cathedral, still have many of their original windows


Rose windows

Rose windows were a prominent feature of many Gothic churches and cathedrals. The rose was a symbol of the Virgin Mary, and they were particularly used in churches dedicated to her. The French Gothic cathedrals of Chartres, Notre Dame de Paris, Reims, and Laon have them in the west faテァade, and in the transepts as well. Amiens Cathedral, Strasbourg Cathedral and Westminster Abbey also have them in transepts. The designs of their tracery became increasingly complex, and gave their names to two periods; the
Rayonnant Rayonnant was a very refined style of Gothic Architecture which appeared in France in the 13th century. It was the defining style of the High Gothic period, and is often described as the high point of French Gothic architecture."Encylclopaedia B ...
and the
Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...
. Two of the most famous Rayonnant rose windows were constructed in the transepts of Notre-Dame in the 13th century. File:Rose Faテァade Cathテゥdrale de Laon 150908 2.jpg, Notre Dame de Laon west window (13th century) File:Cathテゥdrale Notre-Dame de Paris - Rose Sud (DBW24-0421).jpg, South rose window of Notre Dame de Paris (13th century) File:Cathedrale nd chartres vitraux015.jpg, South rose window of Chartres Cathedral (13th century) File:Reims, Groテ歹 Fensterrose West.jpg, West rose window of
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
(13th century) File:MK09074 Cathテゥdrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Grande Rose.jpg, Grand rose of
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...
(14th century) File:Orvieto, cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (070).jpg, Orvieto Cathedral rose window (14th c.)


High Gothic architectural elements, 1180窶1230

* Flying buttresses developed * Higher vaults were possible because of the flying buttresses * Larger clerestory windows because of the flying buttresses. * Clerestory windows had geometric tracery * Rose windows became larger, with geometric tracery * The west front of Notre-Dame set a formula adopted by other cathedrals. * Transept ends had ornate portals like the west front


Rayonnant Gothic architectural elements, 1230窶1350

* Cathedrals increasingly tall in relation to width, facilitated by the development of complex systems of buttressing * Quadripartite vaults over a single bay * Vaults in France maintained simple forms but elsewhere the patterns of ribs became more elaborate. * Emphasis on the appearance of high internally. * Abandonment of fourth stage, either the deep triforium gallery or the shallow tribune gallery, in the internal elevation. * Columns of classical proportion disappear in favour of increasingly tall columns surrounded by clusters of shafts. * Complex shafted piers * Large windows divided by mullions into several lights (vertical panels) with geometric tracery in the arch * Large rose windows in geometric or radiating designs


Flamboyant Gothic architectural elements, 1350窶1550

* The design of tracery no longer dependent on circular shapes, developed S curves and flame-like shapes. * Complex vaults with Flamboyant shapes in the ribs, particularly in Spain and Central Europe, but rare in France * Many rose windows built with Flamboyant tracery, many in France. * Large windows of several lights with Flamboyant tracery in the arch * The Flamboyant arch, drafted from four centres, used for smaller openings, e.g. doorways and niches. * Mouldings of Flamboyant shape often used as non structural decoration over openings, topped by a floral finial (''poupテゥe'')


Palaces

The Gothic style was used in royal and papal residences as well as in churches. Prominent examples include the Palais de la Citテゥ the Medieval Louvre, the Chateau de Vincennes in Paris, residences of the French kings, the Doge's Palace in Venice, and the Palace of the Kings of Navarre of Olite, Palace of the Kings of Navarre in Olite (1269窶1512). Another is the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), the former Papal residence in Avignon. It was constructed between 1252 and 1364, during the Avignon Papacy. Given the complicated political situation, it combined the functions of a church, a seat of government and a fortress. The Palais de la Citテゥ in Paris, close to Notre-Dame de Paris, begun in 1119, which was the principal residence of the French kings until 1417. Most of the Palais de la Citテゥ is gone, but two of the original towers along the Seine, of the towers, the vaulted ceilings of the Hall of the Men-at-Arms (1302), (now in the Conciergerie; and the original chapel, Sainte-Chapelle, can still be seen. The
Louvre Palace The Louvre Palace (, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxe ...
was originally built by Philippe II of France beginning in 1190 to house the King's archives and treasures, and given machicoulis and features of a Gothic fortress. However, it was soon made obsolete by the development of artillery, and in the 15th century it was remodelled into a comfortable residential palace. While the outer walls retained their original military appearance, the castle itself, with a profusion of spires, towers, pinnacles, arches and gables, became a visible symbol of royalty and aristocracy. The style was copied in chateaux and other aristocratic residences across France and other parts of Europe. File:Palais de la Cite.jpg, Palais de la Citテゥ (1119窶) and
Sainte-Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; ) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Citテゥ, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the テ四e de la Citテゥ in the River Seine in Paris, France. Construction b ...
(1238窶48), Paris File:Conciergerie Salle des gens d'armes 11.JPG, Hall of men-at-arms, Conciergerie of the Palais de la Citテゥ File:Faテァade du Palais des Papes.jpg, Faテァade of the Palais des Papes, Avignon (1252窶1364) File:D's palace.jpg, The Doge's Palace, Venice (1340窶1442) File:Palacio de Olite.JPG, Palace of the Kings of Navarre of Olite, Palace of the Kings of Navarre, Olite (1269窶1512) File:Flickr - Duncan~ - Hampton Court Palace.jpg, Great Gatehouse at Hampton Court Palace, London (1522)


Civic architecture

In the 15th century, following the late Gothic period or flamboyant style, elements of Gothic decoration began to appear in the town halls of northern France, Flanders and the Netherlands. The Rouen Courthouse in Normandy is representative of Flamboyant Gothic in France. The Hテエtel de Ville of Compiティgne has an imposing Gothic bell tower, featuring a spire surrounded by smaller towers, and its windows are decorated with ornate Accolade (architecture), accolades or ornamental arches. Similarly flamboyant town halls were found in Arras, Douai, and Saint-Quentin, Aisne, and in modern Belgium, in Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Audenarde, Mons, Belgium, Mons and Leuven. Gothic civil architecture in Spain includes the Llotja de la Seda, Silk Exchange in Valencia, Spain (1482窶1548), a major marketplace, which has a main hall with twisting columns beneath its vaulted ceiling. File:Hildesheim Rathaus 2012-02.jpg, Hildesheim Town Hall, Germany (13/14th c.) File:Ayuntamiento Principal, Gdansk, Polonia, 2013-05-20, DD 07.jpg, Gdaナгk Town Hall, Poland (15th c.) File:Carillon Douai.jpg, Bell tower of the Hotel de Ville of Douai, France (14th c.) File:Brussels, townhall oeg2043-00090 foto3 2015-06-07 08.38.jpg, Brussels Town Hall, Brussels' Town Hall (15th century) File:Belfry of Bruges.jpg, Belfry of Bruges in Bruges, Belgium (13th c. (lower stages), 15th c. (upper stages) File:Llonja.jpg, Llotja de la Seda, Silk Exchange, Valencia (1482窶1548) File:BIG 262042912040411.jpg, Gallery of Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona (1403) File:Townhall of Middelburg at 4 May 2012 in the morning - panoramio.jpg, Middelburg Town Hall, Netherlands (1520) File:Gouda Stadhuis during sunny day 2017.jpg, Town Hall Gouda, Netherlands (1459)


University Gothic

The Gothic style was adopted in the late 13th to 15th centuries in early English university buildings, with inspiration coming from monasteries and manor houses. The oldest existing example in England is probably the Mob Quad of Merton College at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
, constructed between 1288 and 1378. The style was further refined by William of Wykeham, Chancellor of England and founder of New College, Oxford, in 1379. His architect, William Wynford, designed the New College quadrangle in the 1380s, which combined a hall, chapel, library, and residences for Fellows and undergraduates. A similar kind of academic cloister was created at Queen's College, Oxford, in the 1140s, likely designed by Reginald Ely. The design of the colleges was influenced not only by abbeys, but also the design of English manor houses of the 14th and 15th century, such as Haddon Hall in Derbyshire. They were composed of rectangular courtyards with covered walkways which separated the wings. Some colleges, like Balliol College, Oxford, borrowed a military style from Gothic castles, with battlements and crenelated walls.
King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...
is one of the finest examples of the late Gothic style. It was built by King Henry VI of England, Henry VI, who was displeased by the excessive decoration of earlier styles. He wrote in 1447 that he wanted his chapel "to proceed in large form, clean and substantial, setting apart superfluity of too great curious works of entail and busy moulding." The chapel, built between 1508 and 1515, has glass walls from floor to ceiling, rising to spreading fan vaults designed by John Wastell. The glass walls are supported by large external buttresses concealed at the base by side chapels. Other European examples include Collegio di Spagna in the University of Bologna, built during the 14th and 15th centuries; the Karolinum, Collegium Carolinum of the Charles University in Prague in the Czech Republic (); the University of Salamanca, Escuelas mayores of the University of Salamanca in Spain; and the Collegium Maius of the Jagiellonian University in Krakテウw, Poland. File:Merton College, Oxford (Mob Quad).jpg, Mob Quad of Merton College,
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
(1288窶1378) File:Balliol front quad.jpg, Balliol College, Oxford, front quad, with decorative battlements (1431) File:Cambridge King's College Chapel Vault.jpg, Fan vaults and glass walls of
King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...
(1508窶1515) File:Praha Karolinum vテスklenek 1.jpg, Gothic oriel window, Karolinum, Charles University, Prague () File:Krakテウw - Collegium Maius - Dziedziniec 02.jpg, Cloister, Collegium Maius, Krakテウw (late 15th century)


Military architecture

In the 13th century, the design of the castle () evolved in response to contact with the more sophisticated fortifications of the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world during the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
. These new fortifications were more geometric, with a central high tower called a keep () which could be defended even if the Curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls of the castle were breached. The donjon of the Chテ「teau de Vincennes, begun by Philip VI of France was a good example. It was high, and, even though within the moat and walls of the fortress, had its own separate drawbridge to going to higher floor. Towers, usually round, were placed at the corners and along the walls in the Phillipienne castle, close enough together to support each other. The walls had two levels of walkways on the inside, a Crenelation, crenellated parapet with merlons, and projecting machicolations from which missiles could be dropped on besiegers. The upper walls also had protected protruding balconies, ''Bartizan, テゥchauguettes'' and ''bretティches'', from which soldiers could see what was happening at the corners or on the ground below. In addition, the towers and walls were pierced with arrowslits, which sometimes took the form of crosses to enable a wider field of fire for archers and crossbowmen. Castles were surrounded by a deep moat, spanned by a single drawbridge. The entrance was also protected by a grill of iron which could be opened and closed. The walls at the bottom were often sloping, and protected with earthen barriers. One good surviving example is the Chテ「teau de Dourdan, near Nemours. After the end of the Hundred Years War (1337窶1453), with improvements in artillery, the castles lost most of their military importance. They remained as symbols of the rank of their noble occupants; the narrowing openings in the walls were often widened into the windows of bedchambers and ceremonial halls. The tower of the Chテ「teau de Vincennes became a part-time royal residence until the Palace of Versailles was completed. File:Carcasonneouterwall.jpg, Restored outer walls of the medieval city of Carcassonne (13th窶14th century) File:Castillo de Malbork, Polonia, 2013-05-19, DD 04.jpg, Malbork Castle in Poland (13th century) File:Exterior Alcazar Segovia.jpg, Alcazar of Segovia (12th窶13th centuries) File:Burg Hohenzollern.JPG, Hohenzollern Castle (1454窶1461) in Baden-Wテシrttemberg, southern Germany File:Visconteo Castle of Pavia.jpg, Visconti Castle (Pavia), Visconti Castle, 1360- 1365, Pavia


Synagogues

File:Blick von der Gartenseite der Synagoge Worms.jpg, Romanesque Worms Synagogue from the 11th century with Gothic windows (after 1355) File:Scolanova Synagogue.jpg, Scolanova Synagogue, Trani, Apulia (1247) File:20190204 OldSynagoga 3715 (33586950518).jpg, Old New Synagogue,
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
() File:Altneusynagoge - Portal.jpg, Main portal of the Old New Synagogue, Prague () File:Erfurt Alte Synagoge 688.jpg, Old Synagogue (Erfurt), Old Synagogue, Erfurt () File:Praha Pinkas Synagogue Interior 02.jpg, Late Gothic vaulting of Pinkas Synagogue, Prague (1535) File:Krakow Old Synagogue G21.jpg, Post-Gothic interior of the Old Synagogue in Krakow, Old Synagogue in Krakテウw using Gothic vaults (1570)
Although Christianity played a dominant role in the Gothic sacred architecture, Jewish communities were present in many European cities during the Middle Ages and they also built their Synagogue, houses of prayer in the Gothic style. Unfortunately, most of the Gothic synagogues did not survive, because they were often destroyed in connection with Persecution of Jews, persecution of the Jews (e. g. in Bamberg, Nテシrnberg, Regensburg, Judenplatz, Vienna). One of the best preserved examples of a Gothic synagogue is the Old New Synagogue in Prague which was completed around 1270 and never rebuilt.


Influences


Romanesque and Norman influence

File:Durham Cathedral. Interior.jpg, The transition from Romanesque to Gothic styles is visible at the
Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...
in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, (1093-1104. Early Gothic rib vaults are combined with round arches and other Romanesque features. File:Abbaye de Lessay - transept sud 2.JPG, The south transept of Lessay Abbey in Normandy (1064窶1178) File:Cefalu Cathedral interior BW 2012-10-11 12-07-53.jpg, Cefalテケ Cathedral built in Norman Sicily (1131窶1267) File:MonrealeCathedral-pjt1.jpg, Nave of Monreale Cathedral in Norman Sicily (1172窶1267)
Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
and Norman architecture had a major influence upon Gothic architecture. The plan of the Gothic cathedral was based upon the plan of the ancient Roman basilica, which was adopted by Romanesque architecture. The Latin cross form, with a nave and transept, choir, disambulatory, and radiating chapels, came from the Romanesque model. The grand arcades of columns separating the central vessel of the nave from the collateral aisles, the
triforium A triforium is an interior Gallery (theatre), gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, o ...
over the grand arcades, and the windows high on the walls allowing light into the nave were all also adapted from the Romanesque model. The portal with a tympanum (architecture), tympanum filled with sculpture was another characteristic Romanesque feature, as was the use of the buttress to support the walls from the outside. Gothic architects improved them by adding the
flying buttress The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of a ramping arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, to convey to the ground the lateral forces that push a wall ou ...
with high arches connecting the buttresses to the upper walls. In the interior, Romanesque architecture used the
barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
with a round arch to cover the nave, and a groin vault when two barrel vaults met at right angles. These vaults were the immediate ancestors of the Gothic rib vault. One of the first use of the Gothic rib vaults to cover a nave was in the Romanesque
Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...
, (1093窶1104).Weber, Patrick, ''Histoire de l'Architecture'' (2018), pp. 35窶37 Norman Architecture, similar to the Romanesque style, also influenced the Gothic style. Early examples are found in Lessay Abbey in Normandy, which also featured early rib vaults in the nave similar to the Gothic vaults. Cefalu Cathedral (1131窶1267) in Sicily, built when Sicily was under Norman rule, is another interesting example. It featured pointed arches and large Gothic rib vaults combined with ornamental mosaic decoration. Romanesque architecture had become a pan-European style and manner of construction, affecting buildings in countries as far apart as Ireland and Croatia, and Sweden and Sicily. The same wide geographic area was then affected by the development of Gothic architecture, but the acceptance of the Gothic style and methods of construction differed from place to place, as did the expressions of Gothic taste. The proximity of some regions meant that modern country borders did not define divisions of style. Many different factors like geographical/geological, economic, social, or political situations caused the regional differences in the great abbey churches and cathedrals of the Romanesque period that would often become even more apparent in the Gothic. For example, studies of the population statistics reveals disparities such as the multitude of churches, abbeys, and cathedrals in northern
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
while in more urbanised regions construction activity of a similar scale was reserved to a few important cities. Such an example comes from Roberto Lテウpez, wherein the French city of Amiens was able to fund its architectural projects whereas
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
could not because of the economic inequality of the two. This wealth, concentrated in rich monasteries and noble families, would eventually spread certain Italian, Catalan, and Hanseatic bankers. This would be amended when the economic hardships of the 13th century were no longer felt, allowing Normandy, Tuscany, Flanders, and the southern Rhineland to enter into competition with France.


Islamic influence

File:Al-Ukhaidir Fortess.jpg, Al-Ukhaidir Fortress (completed 775 AD), Iraq File:Jerusalem-2013-Al-Aqsa Mosque 04.jpg, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem File:Cordoba, la Mezquita - Cテコpula de la Maqsura.jpg, Vaulted central dome of Cordoba Cathedral, Cordoba Mosque-Cathedral, Spain (784窶987 A.D.). Ribs decorate the Pendentives which support the dome. File:C (203).JPG, Delal, Delal Bridge, Iraq File:Ar^Raqqa SYRIE 324.jpg, Arches at Al-Raqqah, Syria The pointed arch, one of the defining attributes of Gothic, was earlier featured in
Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...
,Banister Fletcher, ''A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method''. Though it did not have the same functions. Precursor of pointed arch appeared in
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
and Sasanian architecture, Sassanian architectures, This was evidenced in early church building in Syria and occasional secular structures, like the Karamagara Bridge; in Sassanian architecture, employed in palace and sacred construction. These pre-Islamic arches were decorative rather than structural in their function. The pointed arch as an architectonic principle was first clearly established in Islamic architecture; as an architectonic principle, the pointed arch was entirely alien to the pre-Islamic world. Use of the pointed arch seems to have taken off dramatically in Islamic architecture. It begins to appear throughout the Islamic world in close succession after its adoption in the late Umayyad or early Abbasid period. Some examples are the Al-Ukhaidir Fortress, Al-Ukhaidir Palace (775 AD), the Abbasid reconstruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Al-Aqsa mosque in 780 AD, the White Mosque, Ramla, Ramlah Cisterns (789 AD), the Great Mosque of Samarra (851 AD), and the Mosque of Ibn Tulun (879 AD) in Cairo. It also appears in one of the early reconstructions of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia, and the Mosque窶鼎athedral of Cテウrdoba in 987 AD. The pointed arch had already been used in Syria, but in the mosque of Ibn Tulun we have one of the earliest examples of its use on an extensive scale, some centuries before it was exploited in the West by the Gothic architects. A kind of
rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...
was also used in Islamic architecture, for example in the ceiling of the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. In Cordoba, the dome was supported by pendentives, which connected the dome to the arches below. The pendentives were decorated with ribs. Unlike the Gothic rib vault, the Islamic ribs were purely decorative; they did not extend outside of the vault, and they were not part of the structure supporting the roof. The military and Islamic world contributions to Medieval Europe, cultural contacts with the medieval Islamic world, including the Norman conquest of southern Italy, Norman conquest of History of Islam in southern Italy, Islamic Sicily in 1090, the
Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
(beginning 1096), and the Al-Andalus, Islamic presence in Spain, may have influenced Medieval Europe's adoption of the pointed arch. Another feature of Gothic architecture, a kind of rib vault, had also earlier appeared in Islamic architecture, and spread to Western Europe via Al-Andalus, Islamic Spain and Emirate of Sicily, Sicily. The early rib vaults in Spain were used to support cupolas, and were decorative. The dome of the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba was supported by pendentives, rather than the vault. These were frequently used in Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, as in the dome of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which also was supported by pendentives. The Gothic rib vault, among other features, such as the flying buttress, have their antecedents in Romanesque architecture, such as
Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...
, constructed between 1093 and 1096. In those parts of the Western Mediterranean subject to Islamic control or influence, rich regional variants arose, fusing Romanesque and later Gothic traditions with Islamic architecture, Islamic decorative forms. For example, in Monreale Cathedral, Monreale and Cefalテケ Cathedrals, the Alcテ。zar of Seville, and Teruel Cathedral.


Armenian influence

File:Odzun cupola.jpg, Cupola of Odzun Basilica in Armenia, supported by squinch vaulting, an early form of pendentive. (8th century) File:Ani-Cathedral, Ruine.jpeg, The Armenian cathedral of Ani, completed in the early 11th century. A number of scholars have cited the Armenian Cathedral of Ani, completed 1001 or 1010, as a possible influence on the Gothic, especially due to its use of pointed arches and cluster pier (architecture), piers. However, other scholars such as Sirarpie Der Nersessian, who rejected this notion as she argued that the pointed arches did not serve the same function of supporting the vault. Lucy Der Manuelian contends that some Armenians (historically documented as being in Western Europe in the Middle Ages) could have brought the knowledge and technique employed at Ani to the west.


Subvarieties


Styles


Notable examples


Austria

*St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna


Belarus

*Mir Castle Complex *Muravanka Church *:be-tarask:ミヲミームミコミイミー ミ。ム糊イム肖び錦 ミ岱ームム錦ミー ム ミ寅サミオミアミー (ミ斷ーミイミーミウムミーミエミーミコ), Church of St.Barys And St.Hlieb, Navahradak *Church of St. Michael, Synkavichy *:be-tarask:ミ墟ームム袴ム岱サ ミ斷ーミケムム糊イム肖ミオミケム威ーミケ ミ「ムミセミケムム (ミム威コミーミサム糊エミキム), Church of the Holy Trinity, Iナ。kaldナコ


Belgium

*Brussels Town Hall *Brussels Cathedral *Belfry of Bruges *Belfry of Ghent *Tournai Cathedral *Antwerp Cathedral *Leuven Town Hall *Mechelen Cathedral


Croatia

*Zagreb Cathedral


Czech Republic

*Basilica of St. Ludmila *Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, Brno, Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (Brno) *Charles Bridge *Karlナ。tejn, Karlナ。tejn Castle * Prague Cathedral *Old Town Hall (Prague) *St. Barbara's Church, Kutnテ。 Hora, St. Barbara's Church in Kutnテ。 Hora * Vladislav Hall


France

*Albi Cathedral *
Amiens Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of Amiens (), or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administra ...
*Blois-Vienne Church *
Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral (, lit. Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the List of bishops of Chartres, Bishop of Chartres. Dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary ( ...
*Fontevraud Abbey *
Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the テ四e de la Citテゥ (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
*Palais des papes *
Reims Cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of the same name, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and wa ...
*
Rouen Cathedral Rouen Cathedral () is a Catholic church architecture, church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the Episcopal see, see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, b ...
*Saint Denis Basilica *
Sainte-Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; ) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Citテゥ, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the テ四e de la Citテゥ in the River Seine in Paris, France. Construction b ...
*
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (, or ''Cathテゥdrale de Strasbourg'', ), also known as Strasbourg Minster (church), Minster (), is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of ...


Germany

*Ulm Minster *
Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (, , officially , English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia belonging to the Catholic Church. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archd ...
*Maulbronn Monastery *Regensburg Cathedral *Freiburg Minster *Bremen Town Hall *Frauenkirche, Nuremberg, Frauenkirche


Hungary

*Matthias Church


Ireland

*Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Christ Church Cathedral *St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, Saint Patrick's Cathedral


Italy

*Fossanova Abbey *Santa Maria Arabona, Santa Maria Arabona Abbey *Casamari Abbey *Basilica di Sant'Andrea, Basilica di Sant'Andrea (Vercelli) *Milan Cathedral *Orvieto Cathedral *
Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral (), formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower ( ), is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence in Florence, Italy. Commenced in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed b ...
*Santa Croce, Florence, Church of Santa Croce (Florence) *Siena Cathedral *Lucera Cathedral *Naples Cathedral *San Francesco d'Assisi, Palermo, Church of San Francesco d'Assisi (Palermo) *Santa Maria dello Spasimo, Church of Santa Maria dello Spasimo (Palermo) *Santa Maria della Catena, Palermo, Church of Santa Maria della Catena (Palermo) *San Lorenzo Maggiore, Naples, Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore (Naples) *Santa Maria Donna Regina Vecchia, Church of Santa Maria Donna Regina Vecchia (Naples) *Santa Chiara, Naples, Church of Santa Chiara (Naples) *Doge's palace *Palace of the Popes in Viterbo, Palace of the Popes (Viterbo) *Palazzo Chiaramonte *Palazzo Abatellis *Palazzo Corvaja *Palazzo Pubblico *Palazzo Vecchio *Giotto's Campanile *White Tower (Brixen) *Castello Maniace *Castello Ursino *Castel Nuovo *Castel del Monte, Apulia, Castel del Monte (Apulia)


Lithuania

*Kaunas Castle *Trakai Peninsula Castle *Trakai Island Castle *Medininkai Castle *Vilnius Castle Complex, Vilnius Upper Castle *Church of Saint Nicholas, Vilnius, Saint Nicholas Church *Church of Vytautas the Great, Vytautas' the Great Church *Kaunas Cathedral Basilica *Church of St. Anne, Vilnius, Church of St. Anne *House of Perkナォnas


Netherlands

*St. John's Cathedral ('s-Hertogenbosch) *Ridderzaal, The Hague *Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk (The Hague) *Middelburg Town Hall, Middelburg, Zeeland, Middelburg *St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht *Nieuwe Kerk (Amsterdam) *Nieuwe Kerk (Delft) *Cathedral of St Bavo, Haarlem *Grote Kerk, Haarlem *City Hall (Haarlem) *Grote Kerk (Breda) *St. Christopher's Cathedral, Roermond *Dinghuis, Maastricht *Oude Kerk (Delft) *Grote Kerk, Dordrecht *Hooglandse Kerk, Leiden *Grote or Sint-Laurenskerk (Rotterdam) *St Eusebius' Church, Arnhem


Norway

*Nidaros Cathedral *Haakon's Hall, Bergenhus


Poland

*WrocナBw Town Hall *Gdaナгk Town Hall *Copernicus House in Toruナ *Frombork Cathedral *Gniezno Cathedral *Wawel Cathedral *Pelplin Abbey *Toruナ Cathedral *WrocナBw Cathedral *Gniew Castle *Kwidzyn Castle *Lidzbark Castle *Malbork Castle *St. Mary's Basilica, Krakテウw *Basilica of St. James and St. Agnes, Nysa *Collegiate Basilica of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Wiナ嬪ica *St. Mary's Church, Gdaナгk *St. Catherine's Church, Gdaナгk *St. Mary's Church, Stargard *Basilica of the Holy Trinity, Krakテウw *Corpus Christi Basilica *St Elizabeth's Church, WrocナBw *St Dorothea Church, WrocナBw *Collegiate Church of the Holy Cross and St. Bartholomew, WrocナBw *Church of St Mary on the Sand *St. John the Evangelist's Church, Paczkテウw *Saints Peter and Paul Basilica, Strzegom *Krakテウw Barbican *Collegium Maius, Krakテウw *St. Florian's Gate


Portugal

*Jeronimos Monastery *Monastery of Batalha *Monastery of Alcobaテァa *Evora Cathedral *Carmo Convent *Guarda Cathedral *Lisbon Cathedral *Oporto Cathedral *Silves Cathedral *Cathedral of Funchal *Convent of Christ (Tomar), Convent of Christ *Castle of Leiria *Sabugal Castle *Castle of Estremoz *Castle of Braganテァa *Castle of Santa Maria da Feira *Belテゥm Tower *Monastery of Jesus of Setテコbal *Convent of Nossa Senhora da Conceiテァテ」o de Beja *Graテァa Church *Santa Maria dos Olivais Church *Leテァa do Balio Monastery *Saint John of Alporテ」o Church *Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha *Monastery of Sテ」o Francisco


Romania

*Biserica Neagrト, Black Church *Corvin Castle *Saschiz fortified church *Sebeネ Lutheran church *Sibiu Lutheran Cathedral *St. Michael's Church, Cluj-Napoca


Spain

*Palace of the Kings of Navarre of Olite *Palau de la Generalitat *Llotja de la Seda *Leテウn Cathedral *Burgos Cathedral *Toledo Cathedral *Cathedral of Avila *Palace of the Borgias *Oviedo Cathedral *Valencia Cathedral *Seville Cathedral, the largest Gothic church *Palma Cathedral


Sweden

*Linkテカping Cathedral *Uppsala Cathedral *Visby Cathedral


Switzerland

*Basel Minster


Slovakia

*St Elisabeth Cathedral *St Martin's Cathedral, Bratislava


United Kingdom

*
Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...
*Beverley Minster *
Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bristol. The cathedral was originally an abbey dedicated to St ...
*
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...
*
Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, テヲdes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
*Ely Cathedral *Glasgow Cathedral *
King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bu ...
* Lichfield Cathedral *
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
*Peterborough Cathedral *
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
*St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle * Wells Cathedral *
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
*Winchester Cathedral *York Minster


See also

* Architectural history * Architecture of cathedrals and great churches * Carpenter Gothic * Collegiate Gothic in North America * Gothicmed *
Gothic cathedrals and churches Gothic cathedrals and churches are religious buildings constructed in Europe in Gothic style between the mid-12th century and the beginning of the 16th century. The cathedrals are notable particularly for their great height and their extensive u ...
* List of Gothic architecture * Mudテゥjar * Tented roof * Abbey de Sainte-Marie-au-Bois


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * Clark, W. W.; King, R. (1983). Laon Cathedral, Architecture. Courtauld Institute Illustration Archives. 1. London: Harvey Miller Publishers. . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * Banister Fletcher, Fletcher, Banister; Cruickshank, Dan
''Sir Banister Fletcher's a History of Architecture''
Architectural Press, 20th edition, 1996 (first published 1896). . Cf. Part Two, Chapter 14. * * * Cram, Ralph Adams (1909).
Gothic Architecture
" ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. * * * * * * Glaser, Stephanie, "The Gothic Cathedral and Medievalism", in: ''Falling into Medievalism'', ed. Anne Lair and Richard Utz. Special Issue of ''UNIversitas: The University of Northern Iowa Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity''
2.1 (2006)
(on the Gothic revival of the 19th century and the depictions of Gothic cathedrals in the Arts) * * Rudolph, Conrad ed., ''A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe'', 2nd ed. (2016) * Tonazzi, Pascal (2007) ''Florilティge de Notre-Dame de Paris (anthologie)'', Editions Arlテゥa, Paris, * * * * * * * Riviティre, Rテゥmi; Lavoye, Agnティs (2007). ''La Tour Jean sans Peur'', Association des Amis de la tour Jean sans Peur.


External links


Mapping Gothic France
窶 a project by Columbia University and Vassar College with a database of images, 360ツー panoramas, texts, charts and historical maps.
Gothic Architecture
窶 ''Encyclopテヲdia Britannica'' *
Gutenberg.org
from Project Gutenberg *
Archive.org
from Internet Archive * John_Henry_Parker_(writer), Parker, J. H. (1881),
A B C of Gothic Architecture
'. Oxford: Parker & Co. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gothic Architecture Gothic architecture, Architectural history Architectural styles European architecture Gothic art, * Architecture in England Architecture in Italy Medieval French architecture Catholic architecture 12th-century architecture 13th-century architecture 14th-century architecture 15th-century architecture 16th-century architecture