Gothic Architecture

Gothic Architecture
- is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval
period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded
by Renaissance architecture.

Originating in 12th century France and lasting into the 16th century,
Gothic architecture was known during the period as "the French Style"
(Opus Francigenum), with the term Gothic first appearing during the
latter part of the Renaissance. Its characteristic features include
the pointed arch, the ribbed vault and the flying buttress.

Westminster Abbey: The arcades, pointed

arches of supporting the triforum and
clerestory windows dividing the nave from the
north aisle.

The multiple flying buttresses supporting

the lofty nave of Westminster Abbey

The architecture of Uppsala Cathedral (1435) is

classified in art history as Baltic International
Gothic style (started around late 1300's). You can see

Gothic architecture is most familiar as the

architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys
and churches of Europe. It is also the architecture of
many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls,
universities and to a less prominent extent, private
dwellings.

It is in the great churches and cathedrals and in a

number of civic buildings that the Gothic style was
expressed most powerfully, its characteristics lending
themselves to appeal to the emotions. A great
number of ecclesiastical buildings remain from this
period, of which even the smallest are often structures
of architectural distinction while many of the larger
churches are considered priceless works of art and
are listed with UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. For this
reason a study of Gothic architecture is largely a study
of cathedrals and churches.

Structure: The Pointed Arch

One of the defining characteristics of Gothic architecture is the pointed
or ogival arch.
Functions:
The Gothic vault, unlike the semi-circular vault of Roman and
Romanesque buildings, can be used to roof rectangular and
irregularly shaped plans such as trapezoids.
The other structural advantage is that the pointed arch channels the
weight onto the bearing piers or columns at a steep angle. This
enabled architects to raise vaults much higher than was possible in
Romanesque architecture.

While, structurally, use of the pointed arch gave a greater flexibility to

architectural form, it also gave Gothic architecture a very different
and more vertical visual character than Romanesque.

Height
A

characteristic of Gothic church

architecture is its height, both
absolute and in proportion to its width,
the verticality suggesting an aspiration
to Heaven. A section of the main
body of a Gothic church usually
shows the nave as considerably taller
than it is wide.

Salisbury Cathedral has the

tallest spire in England.

Vertical emphasis
The pointed arch lends itself to a
suggestion of height. This appearance
is characteristically further enhanced
by both the architectural features and
the decoration of the building.

The Gothic east end of Cologne

Cathedral represents the extreme of
verticality. (nave, dating to the 19th

Light
One of the most distinctive characteristics of Gothic
architecture is the expansive area of the windows as
at Sainte Chapelle and the very large size of many
individual windows, as at York Minster, Gloucester
Cathedral and Milan Cathedral. The increase in size
between windows of the Romanesque and Gothic
periods is related to the use of the ribbed vault, and in
particular, the pointed ribbed vault which channeled the
weight to a supporting shaft with less outward thrust than
a semicircular vault. Walls did not need to be so weighty.

Majesty
The faade of a large church or cathedral,
often referred to as the West Front, is
generally designed to create a powerful
impression on the approaching worshipper,
demonstrating both the might of God and
the might of the institution that it represents.
One of the best known and most typical of
such faades is that of Notre Dame de
Paris.

Notre Dame de
Paris.

Basic shapes of Gothic arch and stylistic

character
Lancet Arch
Equilateral Arch
Flamboyant Arch
Depressed Arch

The faade of Ripon

Cathedralpresents a
composition in
untraceried pointed
arches.

Flamboyant tracery
at Limoges Cathedral.

Windows in the Chapter

House at York
Minster show the
equilateral arch with
typical circular motifs in
the tracery.

The depressed arch

supported by
fan vaulting at King's
College Chapel,

BASIC

A- The nave
B-Rib vaulting (Sort of like a groin vault, only
creased with ridges)
C- Pier (The main supports that hold up the
nave vaulting)
D- The Aisle
E- Clerestory windows (Small, upper
story window that flank the aisles)

F- Triforium (A small walkway usually reserved

for nuns and women......in the "old" days)

Here's a comparison between a regular groin vault and a rib vault.

The rib vault's only difference is that there is a rib going across the top
of each vault. While the difference is slight, the look is totally different
giving the structure a lighter feel.

A- ARCHIVOLTS-concentric
arches that expand out from the
tympanum.
B- JAMB FIGURES-high relief
sculpture that protrudes out
from the doors.
C- TYMPANUM-symmetrical,
high relief sculpture above the
main entrance way.
D- PINNACLES-usually the
spiked tips of buttresses.
E- ROSETTE WINDOW-a large,
round window located directly
in the front-middle of the
facade.
F- BUTTRESSES-structures that
support and hold up the walls
of the building often very
decorative in Gothic structures.

 Buttresses are support columns that help

carry the weight of the structure's
vaulting.
Cathedrals standard buttresses and
flying buttresses. The difference is merely
that standard buttresses hug the
structure by butting directly up the
exterior walls.
Flying buttresses, on the other hand,
stand detached from the exterior walls,
and are connected by only an arch.
Flying buttresses give cathedrals an "airy"
and weightless feeling, while standard
buttresses look and feel more heavy and
dense. The drawing and the photo
below are labeled to show you the
difference between, (A) flying buttresses
and (B) standard buttresses

Constructive system

Flying
Buttresses

Rib and panel vaulting

Pointed archs

In Gothic Architecture the pointed arch is used in every location

where there is a vaulted shape.
It can be seen at doorways, windows, arcades and galleries.

Pointed archs

Stained Colored glass

The windows had stained colored glass containing
brilliant transparent pictures.
Colored glass could be given full scope as the chief
internal decoration, admitting more light to the
interiors of the hall.
Rose windows are significant.