GOTHIC architecture

• Notre-Dame Cathedral


  Gothic architecture in Paris
• Gothic architecture


  • Cavernous spaces with the expanse of walls broken up by overlaid tracery
  • Progressive lightening and heightening of structure (made possible by the flying buttress)
  • Use of the pointed arch and ribbed vault
  • Richly decorated fenestration
• "Style Ogivale" - pointed style
• "Opus Modernum" - modern work
• Gothic architecture


  The architectural style of the High Middle ages in Western Europe, which emerged from Romanesque and Byzantine forms in France during the 12th century
• Gothic architecture lasted until the 16th century
• Gothic phases in France and Germany

  • Early Gothic
  • High Gothic
  • Late Gothic
• Gothic phases in France

  • Rayonnant
  • Flamboyant
• Gothic phases in English architecture

  • Early English
  • Decorated
  • Perpendicular
• The Gothic grew out of the Romanesque architectural style, when both prosperity and relative peace allowed for several centuries of cultural development and great building schemes
• The term "Gothic"


  Originated as a means of belittling by critics who criticized the lack of adherence to the standards of classical Greece and Rome
• "the men of the thirteenth and fourteenth century referred to the Gothic cathedrals as opus modernum (modern work)"
• "It represents the triumph of the papacy; a successful and inspiring synthesis of religion, philosophy, and art." Ultimately, the Gothic city was a representation of the unifying of secular and religious ideals.
• Italian variations on Gothic Architecture would stand out from the rest of Europe by its use of brick and marble rather than the stone of other nations. The Late Gothic Period (15th Century onwards) would reach its peak in Germany with its magnificent vaulted hall churches.
• Gothic


  May be referred to as period, art, architecture, and/or people
• Gothic architecture is defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in northern France and spreading through western Europe from the middle of the 12th century to the early 16th century that is characterized by the converging of weights and strains at isolated points upon slender vertical piers and counterbalancing buttresses and by pointed arches and vaulting
• Social and political influences on Gothic architecture


  • The Roman Empire crumbled in 476 C.E. and Germanic tribes called the Goths absorbed what was left of the former empire
  • With people afraid to travel, they remained in one area, which paved the way for the manorial system-the basis for the later creation of Medieval and feudal society
  • During the Middle Ages, people now lived in one area, but they weren't necessarily safe. Therefore, lords offered more than their land to workers
  • Workers would produce crops on the land, while the lord gave the worker (or peasant) protection with his knights. This was one manor
  • To protect manors from each other, they built large, strong castles, which ultimately gave rise to Gothic architecture, named after the barbaric tribes, but essentially instrumental in the stabilization of society
• Gothic periods


  • Early Gothic (1150-1250)
  • High Gothic (1250-1375)
  • Late Gothic (1375-1450)
• Early Gothic (1150-1250)


  • The royal abbey of St. Denis set a precedent with its crown of chapels, radiant with stained glass windows, that builders would attempt to imitate for half a century. The existence of the Gothic style can be attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux and Abbot Suger.
• Early Gothic cathedrals


  • Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
  • Laon Cathedral, Laon, France
• High Gothic (1250-1375)


  • Any need for the Romanesque walls was eliminated. The organic, "flowing" quality of the High Gothic interior was enhanced by the decompartmentalization of the interior so that the nave is seen as one individual, continuous volume of space. The new High Gothic tripartite nave elevation featured an arcade, triforium, and large clerestory windows. As a result of these windows, more light flooded in than in the Early Gothic construction.
• High Gothic cathedrals


  • Amiens Cathedral, Western Frontispiece, 1220-51
• Rayonnant Style (High Gothic)


  • Stained glass windows encompassed most of the cathedral during this movement, and the heavy, rigidity of the supporting elements was eradicated. The stained glass filters light and imbue the interior with an unearthly radiant atmosphere. This style emphasizes extreme slenderness of architectural forms and linearity of form while relying almost entirely on exquisite color and precise carving of details.
• Rayonnant Style cathedrals


  • Interior of Beauvais Cathedral
• Late Gothic (1375-1450)


  • The key characteristic of the Late Gothic style was the S-curve, or the curving savy of the figure, emphasized by the bladelike sweeps of drapery that converge, portraying a mannered elegance that is the hallmark of the Late Gothic style.
• Late Gothic cathedrals


  • Chartres Cathedral (West façade)
• Gothic Revival


  A return to Gothic architectural building styles during the 18th and 19th centuries, primarily in England and the United States
• Gothic Revival architecture


  • St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City
• Key characteristics of Gothic architecture


  • Grand height
  • Cruciform plan
  • Majestic facade
  • Illuminated and airy interiors
  • Emphasis on decoration and ornamentation
• Grand height


  • Verticality suggesting an aspiration to heaven, emphasized on the exterior by towers and spires
• Cruciform plan


  • Use of Latin cross plan with narthex, nave, aisles, transept, crossing, choir, and apse
• Gothic cathedral floor plans

  • Notre Dame de Paris, France (length 128m)
  • Amiens Cathedral, France (length 145m)
  • Cologne Cathedral, Germany (length 144m)
  • Salisbury Cathedral, England (length 135m with a central tower over the crossing)
  • York Minster, England (with a detached octagonal chapter house)
• Majestic facade


  • The west facade was the most important entrance, usually with three portals and tympana over the doorways
• Majestic Gothic cathedral facades

  • Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
  • Cathedral of St. Denis
• Illuminated and airy interiors


  • Shrinking of walls and insertion of large windows
• Illuminated Gothic interiors


  • Siena Cathedral, Italy
• Emphasis on decoration and ornamentation

  • Sculpture, architectural details, brightly coloured paint, wooden ceilings and panelling, painted stone columns, and decorative wall arcading
• Decorated Gothic interiors


  • Chapter House of Westminster Abbey
• Defining architectural elements of Gothic architecture

  • Pointed arch
  • Ribbed and fan vault
  • Stained glass windows
  • Flying buttress