Gothic Architecture

University of Jordan

History of Architecture II

Gothic Architecture

By : Hala Mahdi Nawafleh 0194694

Supervised

by : Dr .

Jawdat Goussous

Introduction

Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is a pan-European style that lasted between the mid 12th Century and the 16th Century. It is usually characterized as a style of masonry building that makes heavy use of cavernous spaces with walls broken up by overlaid tracery

• Gothic architecture began mainly in France, where architects were inspired by Romanesque architecture and the pointed arches of Spanish Moorish architecture. It's easy to recognize Gothic buildings because of their arches, ribbed vaulting, flying buttresses, elaborate sculptures (like gargoyles) and stainedglass windows.

• however, Gothic architecture also abandoned one key feature of Romanesque architecture: thick walls. To construct taller, more delicate buildings with thinner walls.

• Gothic architecture was originally known as "French Style". During the period of Renaissance, it fell out of fashion, and it was not respected by many artists. They marked it as "Gothic" to suggest it was the crude work of German barbarians (Goths).

Gothic Architecture Characteristics

• Structural Skeletal stone structure.

• Visual Visual arts were important including the role of I light in structures.

• Symbolic Scholasticism Translations of real events into stone and glass Cathedrals served as an image of heaven.

Features of GOTHIC architecture

• Airy and bright focus on verticality.

• Pointed arches.

• Rib vaults flying buttresses.

• Large stained-glass windows.

• Ornaments and pinnacles.

Major Influences on Gothic Architecture

Romanesque architecture had a major influence and many architectural features associated with Gothic style were derived from Romanesque's. Line, ribbed vaults, buttresses. clustered columns. ambulatories, wheel windows. spires. stained glass windows, and richly carved door tympana. These were already featuring of ecclesiastical architecture before the develop merit of the Gothic style and all were to develop in increasingly elaborate ways .

• It was also influenced by theological doctrines which called for more interior light as a symbol of divinity, and by the practical necessity of many churches to accommodate large numbers of pilgrims Hence larger openings more use of glass was incorporated.

• It was especially by technical improve merits in vaulting and buttresses which allowed much greater height and larger windows.

Architecture Character of Gothic Style

Architecture Character of Gothic Style : Spatial Composition

Externally, towers and spires are characteristic of Gothic churches. These cathedrals were the skyscrapers of that day and would have been the largest buildings by far that Europeans would ever have seen. A pointed arch, the ribbed vault, and the buttress were the defining features of the architecture.

• The Gothic style brought innovative new construction techniques that allowed churches and other buildings to reach great heights.

• The structural parts of the building ceased to be its solid walls and became a stone skeleton due to developed architectural features like pointed arches. The slender columns and lighter systems of thrust allowed for larger windows and more light compared to Romanesque architecture.

Architecture Character of Gothic Style : constructive features

The flying buttress (arc-boutant, arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of an arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, in order to convey to the ground, the lateral forces that push a wall outwards, which are forces that arise from vaulted ceilings of stone and from windloading on roofs.

A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown, whose two curving sides meet at a relatively sharp angle at the top of the arch. This architectural element was particularly important in Gothic architecture.

Ribbed Vault : Complex intersection of 2 or 3 vaults decorated with piped masonry

Fan Vault :Predominant in English Gothic churches.the ribs are of equal curvature and rotated around a central (vertical) axis.

Architecture Character of Gothic Style : Roofs

Architecture Character of Gothic Style : ornamentation and technique

Tracery is an architectural device by which windows are divided into sections of various proportions by stone bars or ribs of molding. The special ornaments of the period are the Tudor rose, the portcullis, and the fleur-de-lis. Rose windows were a characteristic of the Gothic facade with tinted painted glass.

Difference Between Gothic and Romanesque Architecture

Main Differences Between Gothic Architecture and Romanesque Architecture

• Gothic architecture was traced to the mid 12th century. On the other hand, Romanesque architecture was traced from the 9th century to the 12th century.

• Gothic architecture mainly came in use for constructing churches so that they look like heaven. On the other hand, Romanesque architecture was influenced by Roman and Byzantine styles.

• Gothic architecture buildings have pointed arches in them. On the other hand, Romanesque architectural buildings have rounded arches in them.

• Gothic architecture buildings have a slender skeleton structure. On the other hand, Romanesque architecture buildings have heavy framed structures.

• Gothic architecture buildings have large windows and many stained glasses, which result in a light, bright, and airy interior. On the other hand, Romanesque architecture buildings have small windows and fewer stained glasses, which result in a dark interior.

Comparison Between Gothic Architecture and Romanesque Architecture

Parameter of Comparison

Chapels and apse

Shape of arches

Gothic architecture

Romanesque architecture

Unified , unbroken space

Separate compartments

Interiors

Pointed arches

Gothic architecture buildings have large windows and many stained glasses, which result in a light, bright, and airy interior.

Main vault support

Elevation

Exterior flying buttresses

Sculptural decoration

Vertical , soaring

More realistic proportions and individualized features

Mood

Tall , Light - filled

Rounded arches

Romanesque architecture buildings have small windows and fewer stained glasses, which result in a dark interior.

Thick walls , buttresses

Horizontal , modest height

Thin , elongated , abstract figures

Dark , Gloomy

• The verticality of the Gothic architecture is achieved through flying buttresses compared to Romanesque.

Technology of construction allowed larger windows facilitating light-filled and visually lighter spaces

Gothic – Fan Vaults

Romanesque - Vaults

Gothic Portal : Pointed Arch and thin walls

Romanesque Portal : Round Arch leading to thick walls

Gothic : Flying Buttress

Romanesque : Buttress

Features for Sacredness in Gothic Architecture

VERTICALITY

• 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.

• The pointed arch lends itself to a suggestion of height. In many Gothic churches, the treatment of vertical elements in gallery and window tracery creates a strongly unifying feature that counteracts the horizontal divisions of the interior structure.

• On the exterior, the verticality is emphasised in a major way by the towers and spires and in a lesser way by strongly projecting vertical buttresses.

LIGHT

• Light as a way of transporting us to Divine in Gothic architecture .

• Sugar expresses the correspondence between the physical space of the church and its spiritual aim-to conduct the soul towards the contemplation of the divine.

• He took the notion of light as divinity applied it in the architectural setting.

• Sugar 'an abbot and advisor to the French royal family. To express the growing power of the monarchy, churches were developed.

• Glass windows incorporated along the ambulatory, first at Basilica of St. Denise that holds relics of the French Royal Family, by Suger.

Types of Gothic Architecture

Early Gothic (1120-1200)

• Early Gothic is the style of architecture that appeared in northern France, Normandy and then England

• Key features: Increased exaltation of light, Opening of walls, Use of stained glass, Flying Buttress (Increased and elaborate)

Pinnacles and spires Removal of tribune To achieve a new monumental appearance Full of balance and harmony

High Gothic (1200-80) "Rayonnant"

• High Gothic is a particularly refined and imposing style of Gothic architecture that appeared in northern France

• Key features: New radiating window designs, Piercing of Rose windows, Monumentality was abandoned, series of supports increased in height without the depth in treatment of surfaces.

Late Gothic (1280-1500) "Flamboyant"

• These architectural designs were more colorful and vibrant than the “Rayonnant” style, focusing on flame like curve in the stone window to give more of an even flow and to create even larger ceiling spaces.

• Key features: Embellishment of technical and decorative elements, Incorporation of Plant forms, Exuberant freedom curving, Twisting lines, Pointed tracery, Richest and most imaginative decorative themes

Gothic Architecture-Styles

Gothic Architecture is a pan-European style and French excelled in it throughout this period. Major characteristics included : Rib vaults, Flying buttresses, Pointed Gothic arches, Stained glass windows were also common. The British, Spanish and Germans would follow suit and develop their own variations on the general Gothic theme led by the French. However, 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 their magnificent vaulted hall churches.

French Gothic

French Gothic Architecture

French Gothic

French Gothic architecture is an architectural style which emerged in France in 1140 and was dominant until the mid-16th century.

Its main characteristics were the search for verticality, or height, and the innovative use of the rib vault and flying buttresses and other architectural innovations to distribute the weight of the stone structures to supports on the outside, allowing unprecedented height and volume, The new techniques also permitted the addition of larger windows, including enormous stained-glass windows, which filled the cathedrals with light. The French style was widely copied in other parts of northern Europe, particularly Germany and England. It was gradually supplanted as the dominant French style in the mid-16th century by French Renaissance architecture.

The flying buttress is another defining constructive element of Gothic architecture in France. The buttress transfers part of the weight from the tall walls and helps keep the structure stable. They were created as a constructive solution but also became an important decorative element of the facade. The designs for the buttresses became much elaborate, enhancing the sense of verticality and greatness of the building. Another functional element that evolved into a decorative item was the gargoyles. These little monsters were spouts for rainwater to drain from the roofs. However, they served a higher purpose; they were there to create fear of evil among the superstitious population of that time and encourage them to seek God's protection inside of the cathedral.

• the alternation of strong pillars and weak pillars, which rhythmized the naves and reinforced the impression of length, of horizontality

• the search for verticality and the handling of the height / width ratio of the naves that accentuated or diminished the height sensation of the vaults

• the alternation of hollows and massifs

• the multiplication of the games of lights and colors

• the will to welcome the largest number of faithful

• The east and is polygonal with ambulatory

• The major church in the south some are without aisles

Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris

• Notre-Dame de Paris, or simply Notre-Dame. It is one of the largest and best-known churches in France, let alone Europe. Construction began in 1163 and was completed in 1345.

• The cathedral was consecrated to the Virgin Mary and considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Its pioneering use of the rib vault and flying buttress, its enormous and colorful rose windows, as well as the naturalism and abundance of its sculptural decoration set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style.

• The first phase began with the construction of the choir and its two ambulatories

• The second phase, concerned the construction of the four sections of the nave behind the choir and its aisles to the height of the clerestories.

• The decision was made to add a transepts at the choir, where the altar was located, in order to bring more light into the center of the church. The use of simpler four-part rather than six-part rib vaults meant that the roofs were stronger and could be higher.

Both these transept portals were richly embellished with sculpture; the south portal features scenes from the lives of Saint Stephen and of various local saints, while the north portal featured the infancy of Christ and the story of Theophilus in the tympanum, with a highly influential statue of the Virgin and Child in the trumeau.

• An important innovation in the 13th century was the introduction of the flying buttress. Before the buttresses, all the weight of the roof pressed outward and down to the walls, and the abutments supporting them. With the flying buttress, the weight was carried by the ribs of the vault entirely outside the structure to a series of counter-supports, which were topped with stone pinnacles which gave them greater weight.

• The buttresses meant that the walls could be higher and thinner and could have much larger windows.

• The massive buttresses which counter the outward thrust from the rib vaults of the nave.

The weight of the building-shaped pinnacles helps keep the line of thrust safely within the buttresses.

• Early six-part rib vaults of the nave. The ribs transferred the thrust of the weight of the roof downward and outwards to the pillars and the supporting buttresses.

• The stained-glass windows of Notre-Dame, particularly the three rose windows, are among the most famous features of the cathedral. The west rose window, over the portals, was the first and smallest of the roses in Notre-Dame. It is 9.6 meters in diameter, and was made in about 1225, with the pieces of glass set in a thick circular stone frame. None of the original glass remains in this window; it was recreated in the 19th century.

• The two transept windows are larger and contain a greater proportion of glass than the rose on the west façade, because the new system of buttresses made the nave walls thinner and stronger. The south rose in the transept is particularly notable for its size and artistry. It is 12.9 meters in diameter; with the claire-voie surrounding it; The south rose has 94 medallions, arranged in four circles.

• Notre-Dame currently has ten bells. The two largest bells, or bourdons, Emmanuel and Marie, are mounted in the south tower. The eight smaller bells, Gabriel, Anne Geneviève, Denis, Marcel, Étienne, Benoît-Joseph, Maurice, and Jean-Marie, are mounted in the north tower. In addition to accompanying regular activities at the cathedral, the bells have also rung to commemorate events of national and international significance,

The Basilica of Saint-Denis

The Basilica of Saint-Denis

• The Basilica of St Denis, located in a suburb of Paris, is widely considered one of the first ever Gothic style buildings. Specifically, its choir that was completed in 1144, shows many elements associated with the Gothic style.

• The site it is built on was originally a Roman cemetery, the remains of which still lie beneath the building. It officially became a cathedral in 1966 and is now the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis. Although it is known as a basilica locally, it has not officially been granted that title by the Vatican.

• This basilica is not only an important place of pilgrimage, it also houses the tombs of most French Kings between the 10th and 18th Centuries. It is also the resting place of many older kings including Charles Martel who famously crushed the invading army of the Umayyad Caliphate at the critical Battle of Tours in 732.

The chevet, at the east end of the cathedral, was one of the first parts of the structure rebuilt into the Gothic style. The apse was built much higher, along with the nave. Large flying buttresses were added to the chevet, to support the upper walls, and to make possible the enormous windows installed there. At the same time, the transept was enlarged and given large rose windows in the new rayonnant style, divided into multiple lancet windows topped by trilobe windows and other geometric forms inscribed in circles. The walls of the nave on both sides were entirely filled with windows, each composed of four lancets topped by a rose, filling the entire space above the triforium. The upper walls, like the chevet, were supported by flying buttresses whose bases were placed between the chapels alongside the nave.

The original entrance on the north did not have sculpture, but mosaic, which Suger replaced by sculpture in 1540. It is considered an important step in the history of Gothic sculpture, because of the skill of the carving, and the lack of rigidity of the figures. There are six figures in the embrasures and thirty figures in the voussoirs, or arches above the door, which represent Kings, probably those of the Old Testament, while the tympanum over the door illustrates the martyrdom of Saint-Denis and his companions Eleuthera and Rusticus.

The tympanum of the south portal illustrates the last days of the Denis and his companions before their martyrdom.

The nave, the portion to the west of the church reserved for ordinary worshippers, and the choir, the portion to the east reserved for the clergy, were rebuilt into the Gothic style in the 13th century, after the apse at the east and the west front. Like the other Gothic churches in the Ile-deFrance, its walls had three levels; large arcades of massive pillars on the ground floor; a narrow triforium or passageway midway up the wall; originally windowless; and a row of high windows the clerestory, above. Slender columns rose from the pillars up the walls to support the four-part rib vaults. As a result of the Rayonnant reconstruction in th the triforium was given windows, and the upper walls were entirely filled with glass, which reached upward into the arches of the vaults, flooding the church with light.

It was one of the first great realizations of Gothic architecture. The double deambulatory is divided not by walls but by two rows of columns, while the outside walls, thanks to buttresses on the exterior, are filled with windows. The new system allowed light to pass into the interior of the choir. The deambulatory connects with the five radiating chapels at the east end of the cathedral, which have their own large windows.

To give them greater unity, the five chapels share the same system of vaulted roofs. To make the walls between the chapels even less visible, they are masked with networks of slender columns and tracery.

The basilica retains stained glass of many periods (although most of the panels from Suger's time have been removed for long-term conservation and replaced with photographic transparencies), including exceptional modern glass, and a set of 12 misericords.

Reims Cathedral

Reims Cathedral

Reims Cathedral, also called the Cathedral of Notre-Dame at Reims, cathedral located in the city of Reims, France, on the Vesle River east-northeast of Paris. Reims was the site of 25 coronations of the kings of France

Plan of the Cathedral

Nave

• The nave, the central body of the church running from the west end to the transept, is the section where ordinary parishioners' worship. It occupies about half the length of the church and has exceptional length and unity of style. It is somewhat narrower than the adjoining transept and apse. Its height is made possible through the use of a newer and stronger four-part rib vault, reinforced by the flying buttresses outside. The four-part vaults also made it possible to have arcades of identical pillars, rather than the alternating pillars and piers of earlier Gothic churches such as Sens Cathedral and Notre-Dame de Paris, giving greater unity to the appearance.

The elevation of the church was divided in three sections, following the model introduced slightly earlier in the 1190 Soissons Cathedral: high arcades on the ground floor, above that a narrower gallery called the triforium, and above that tall windows, equal in height to the galleries. Reims combined this unity and simplicity with the enormous size and scale of the nave first introduced at Chartres Cathedral. The architects adapted another element from Chartres; the pillars of the arcade were composed of groups of colonettes clustered together around a pillar, rising dramatically as a group into the high arches of the vaults. The multiple lines of the colonettes greatly emphasized the sensation of height.[69] The capitals of the columns were another distinctive Reims characteristic; they were composed of delicate floral and vegetal sculpture, decorated in places with imaginary creatures.

• The west façade, the entry to the cathedral, particularly glorifies royalty. Most of it was completed at the same time, giving it an unusual unity of style. It is harmonic or balanced, with two towers of equal height and three portals entering into the nave. The porches of the portals, with archivolts containing many sculptures, protrude from the main wall.[45]

• Above and slightly behind the central portal is a large rose window at the level of the clerestory, with tall arched windows flanked by statuary under pointed canopies projected forward. Above this level is the gallery of kings, composed of 56 statues with a height of 4.5 meters (15 ft)

Towers

The southwest tower contains the massive bourdon, a bell 2.46 meters in diameter, it also contains the second bourdon, weighing seven tons, and 2.2 meters in diameter. This bell was made in 1849.

The north and south walls of the long nave are supported by eleven flying buttresses on each side. These counterbalance the outward thrust of the ceiling vaults, and make possible the great height, thin walls and large windows that bring abundant light into the nave. The double arches of each buttress make a leap from heavy pillars to the upper walls. The buttresses are topped by slender booth-like tabernacles containing statues, decorated with slender spires. The statuary gives additional weight to the buttresses, helps conceal the arches, and complements the decoration of the upper level of the cathedral. The buttresses have a secondary function; the arches have narrow channels that carry rainwater to the mouths of the sculpted gargoyles which spout it away from the building.

Apse

• The apse, the east end of the cathedral, has one axial chapel at the end and four radiating chapels. The exterior is lavishly decorated with arcades, pinnacles, spires and an abundance of statuary.

• Above the choir rises a slender, lead-covered timber fleche, or spire, that is 18 m (about 59 feet) tall.

Transept

• The north transept, like the west facade, has three portals surrounded by sculpture. They are dedicated to the Virgin Mary (left); Christian saints (center) and the Last Judgement (right). Above and set back from the portals are three small rose windows, and then a large rose window covered with an arcade full of sculpture. The north rose window is one of the earliest examples of the use of bar tracery, with the panes of stained glass separated by thin stone mullions. Twelve stone mullions radiate outward from a central eye. This became a major characteristic of Rayonnant Gothic architecture.[64]

• Above this window an arch full of sculpture, and above the continuation of the gallery of kings from the west façade, with seven statues of apostles and prophets. At the top is a triangular pigeon with a sculptural depiction of the Annunciation. The pignon is decorated with crockets and other elaborate ornament that became characteristic of the late Gothic Flamboyant style.[64]

• The north transept is flanked by two tall buttresses, which are crowned by slender tabernacles containing statues of kings, covered with spires decorated with more late Gothic crockets.

• The south transept has a similar plan to the north transept but lacks portals. Instead, there is a group of three narrow lancet windows divided by slender columns and topped by small rose windows, and above them a large rose window. The original south rose window was destroyed by a hurricane in 1580 and was replaced by a window with a simpler design of tracery. The upper gallery of statues underwent major restoration in the 19th century. The triangular pignon at the top is in the Flamboyant style, with sculpture depicting the Assumption of the Virgin. At the peak of the pignon is a statue of a Sagitarius, an ancient Roman archer, with his bow.

Amiens Cathedral

Amiens Cathedral

• The cathedral was built almost entirely between 1220 and c.1270, a remarkably short period of time for a Gothic cathedral, giving it an unusual unity of style. Amiens is a classic example of the High Gothic style of Gothic architecture. [5] It also has some features of the later Rayonnant style in the enlarged high windows of the choir,

• Its builders were trying to maximize the internal dimensions in order to reach for the heavens and bring in lighter. As a result, Amiens cathedral is the largest in France

The elevation has three levels; the grand arcades, the triforium, and the clerestory at the top. The grand arcades, unlike earlier cathedrals, occupy a full half of the height of the wall. The pillars of the arcade, eighteen meters high, are composed of massive columns surrounded by four thinner colonettes, which continue up the walls to support the vaulted ceiling. The total height of the walls beneath the vaults is 42 meters

The transept

• The transept crossing the church in the center is seventy meters long and divided into three vessels. The center of the transept, where it crosses the nave, is covered by a massive star vault, one of the earliest in France, supported by four massive pillars. The elevation has three levels, like the nave; the arcades, triforium and the clerestory at the top. The triforium and the clerestory are entirely walled with stained glass, filling the center of the cathedral with light.[29] The rose windows are later additions. The north rose window is in the Rayonnant style, while the later south rose window is in the Flamboyant style. The spire over the central crossing was added between 1529 and 1533

The labyrinth

• A labyrinth in the centre of the floor of the nave was a common feature of early and High Gothic cathedrals . It symbolised the obstacles and twists and turns of the journey toward salvation, but also showed that with determination the journey was possible. On certain religious holidays, pilgrims would follow the labyrinth on their knees. The Amiens labyrinth is 240 meters long. The labyrinth today is not the original, but an exact copy

Rose windows

• The three rose windows each represent a different period of the cathedral's construction. The rose window on the west facade is the oldest, from the High Gothic period, and represents Christ surrounded by the symbolic figures of the Apocalypse. The rose window of the north transept has the characteristic radiating tracery of the Rayonnant Gothic.[39]

• The rose window of the south transept is the latest, with the curves and reverse curves of the late Gothic Flamboyant style. It depicts fourteen angels, heads towards the centre of the window, in a style characteristic of the Picard style of window in the 15th century.

• The flying buttresses are the architectural feature that made possible the exceptional height of the walls of the nave and choir. The arched buttresses leap over the outer, lower level of the cathedral, where the ambulatory and chapels are located, to strengthen the upper walls of the clerestory. They counteract the outward and downward thrust of the vaulted ceiling, so that the walls between the buttresses can be thin and filled with large windows. The buttresses were later given additional strength by the placement of heavy stone pinnacles on top of their bases.[26] The buttresses of the nave are older, from about 1230, and each pier has two arches, one above the other. They both make a single jump to the wall of the nave; one arch meets the wall just above the point of maximum outward thrust from the vaults; the other just below.

The early buttresses of the nave

The later reinforced double buttresses of the choir

English Gothic architecture

English Gothic

Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed arches, rib vaults, buttresses, and extensive use of stained glass. Combined, these features allowed the creation of buildings of unprecedented height and grandeur, filled with light from large stainedglass windows. The Gothic style endured in England much longer than in Continental Europe.

Features of the Gothic style

• Pointed arches

• Very high towers, spires and rooves

• Clustered columns: tall columns that looked like a group of thin columns bundled together

• Ribbed vaults: arched ceilings made of stone. In the Gothic style they were held up by stone ribs.

• A skeleton of stonework with big glass windows in between.

• Tracery: carved stone lace in the windows and on the walls

• Stained glass: richly coloured glass in the windows, often with pictures telling stories

• Buttresses: narrow stone walls jutting out from the building to help hold it up

• Flying buttresses: buttresses that help to hold the vault up. They are made with an arch that jumps over a lower part of the building to reach the outside wall.

• Statues: of saints, prophets and kings around the doors

• Many sculptures, sometimes of animals and legendary creatures. Gargoyles spout water from the roof.

The Cathedral of Canterbury

The Cathedral of Canterbury

• Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site.

• Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt between 1070 and 1077. The east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the 12th century and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174

• its central axis about 5m south of that of its predecessor, was a cruciform building, with an aisled nave of nine bays, a pair of towers at the west end, aisleless transepts with apsidal chapels, a low crossing tower, and a short quire ending in three apses.

• Lanfranc's inadequate east end was demolished, and replaced with an eastern arm 198 feet long, doubling the length of the cathedral. It was raised above a large and elaborately decorated crypt. The new quire took the form of a complete church in itself, with its own transepts; the east end was semicircular in plan, with three chapels opening off an ambulatory.

The Cathedral of Canterbury is the first important example of English Gothic architecture, which is evident in the construction of the choir, the nave, the triforium, and the clerestory.

The Cathedral is built in Caen stone (i.e. a stone mined in north-western France, near the city of Caen), which gives the building a creamy-yellowish color . A large staircase unites the eastern and western side of the church.

Key Facts & Summary

• Canterbury Cathedral is an English Gothic cathedral located in Canterbury, near the southeast coast of England.

• It was established by St. Augustine in 603. The Cathedral later became the ecclesiastical center of Britain.

• Canterbury was a Benedictine monastery, and its guest houses, granaries, and other monastic buildings once extended north of the city walls. Only the rebuilt cloister and the rectangular chapter house remain.

• The cathedral is incredibly long and low, with a roofline broken by the soaring central tower and the lower western towers. These latter are suggestive of France, though the immense Perpendicular window between them is typically English.

• The entrance is through the richly decorated porch on the south side.

• The present nave is that seen by Chaucer’s Canterbury pilgrims. Though stripped of its rich furnishings and resplendent colors under Henry VIII and later under Cromwell it is still splendid and is characteristic in its great length and its division into areas of activity.

• The separating screen between nave and choir is a reminder that laymen were restricted to the naves of these monastic cathedrals whose primary purpose was to serve as worship centres for the cathedral chapters.

• Only on festival occasions were the people admitted to the eastern side to gaze upon the glorious shrines of the holy dead.

• The choir of Canterbury was built after the burning of the earlier choir in 1174. Its irregularities are due to the use of parts of the older walls.

Gorgeous stone tracery around the windows, the creamy white sandstone standing out in relief besides the glass, which appears black against the dark interior...

• The cathedral has a total of 21 bells in the three towers:

The Southwest Tower (Oxford Tower) contains the cathedral's main ring of bells, hung for change ringing in the English style. There are fourteen bells – a ring of twelve with two semitones, which allow for ringing on ten, eight or six bells while remaining in tune. All the bells were cast in 1981 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry from seven bells of the old peal of twelve with new metal added and rehung in a new frame. The length (draught) of the ropes was increased by lowering the floor of the ringing chamber to the level of the south aisle vault at the same time, also allowing for the new bells to be set lower in the belfry than the old, with the intention of reducing stress on the Medieval structure.

Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral

• Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury, currently Nick Holtan.

• The building is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English Gothic architecture.[3] Its main body was completed in 38 years, from 1220 to 1258.

• The cathedral has the largest cloister and the largest cathedral close in Britain at 80 acres (32 ha).[3] It contains a clock which is among the oldest working examples in the world, and has the best surviving of the four original copies of Magna Carta.

It is composed of a stair turret at each extremity, with two niched buttresses nearer the center line supporting the large central triple window. The stair turrets are topped with spirelets, and the central section is topped by a gable which contains four lancet windows topped by two round quatrefoil windows surmounted by a mandorla containing Christ in Majesty. At ground level there is a principal door flanked by two smaller doors. The whole is highly decorated with quatrefoil motifs, columns, trefoil motifs and bands of diapering.

Salisbury Cathedral is unusual for its tall and narrow nave, which has visual accentuation from the use of light grey Chilmark stone for the walls and dark polished Purbeck marble for the columns. It has three levels: a tall pointed arcade, an open gallery and a small clerestory.

The chapter house is notable for its octagonal shape, slender central pillar and decorative medieval frieze. which circles the interior above the stalls

Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral

• Lincoln Cathedral is widely thought of as one of the most precious pieces of architecture in the British Isles. Its Nave and rise windows are particularly stunning.

• Construction work began in 1088 and continued over several phases throughout the middle ages until 1311. It used to be the tallest building in the world until 1549 until its central spire collapsed.

• It is the third largest cathedral in Britain and is highly regarded by architectural scholars and tourists alike.

• Lincoln Cathedral features two major rose windows, which are a highly uncommon feature among medieval architecture in England. On the north side of the cathedral there is the “Dean's Eye” which survives from the original structure of the building and on the south side there is the “Bishop's Eye” . This south window is one of the largest examples of curvilinear tracery seen in medieval architecture. Curvilinear tracery is a form of tracery where the patterns are continuous curves. This form was often done within pointed arches and squared windows because those are the easiest shapes, so the circular space of the window was a unique challenge to the designers. A solution was created that called for the circle to be divided into smaller shapes that would make it simpler to design and create.

• Curves were drawn within the window which created four distinct areas of the circle. This made the spaces within the circle where the tracery would go much smaller, and easier to work with. This window is also interesting and unique in that the focus of the tracery was shifted away from the centre of the circle and instead placed in other sections. The glazing of the window was equally difficult as the tracery for many of the same reason; therefore, the designers made a decision to cut back on the amount of iconography within the window. Most cathedral windows during this time displayed many colourful images of the Bible; however, at Lincoln there are very few images. Some of those images that can be seen within the window include saints Paul, Andrew, and James.

• One major architectural feature of Lincoln Cathedral are the spectacular vaults. There are several different kinds of vaults that differ between the nave, aisles, choir, and chapels of the cathedral. Along the North Aisle there is a continuous ridge rib with a regular arcade that ignores the bays. on the South Aisle there is a discontinuous ridge rib that puts an emphasis on each separate bay. The Northwest Chapel has quadripartite vaults, and the South Chapel has vaulted that stem from one central support columns. The use of sexpartite vaults allowed for more natural light to enter the cathedral through the clerestory windows, which were placed inside of each separate bay.

The Choir

The Chapter House

Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral

• It was the first monumental cathedral to be built in England. It was built between 1175 and 1490.

• It is a beautiful example of Early English Gothic Architecture. The original cathedral also had richly painted niches and buttresses and glided stone figures, as well as towers placed beyond its sides

It has the distinctly English arrangement of two transepts, with the body of the church divided into distinct parts: nave, choir, and retro-choir, beyond which extends the Lady Chapel.[86] The façade is wide, with its towers extending beyond the transepts on either side.[4] There is a large projecting porch on the north side of the nave forming an entry into the cathedral.To the north-east is the large octagonal chapter house, entered from the north choir aisle by a passage and staircase. To the south of the nave is a large cloister, unusual in that the northern range, that adjacent the cathedral, was never built.

tower

(adapted from a plan by Georg Dehio)

• Elevation

In section, the cathedral has the usual arrangement of a large church: a central nave with an aisle on each side, separated by two arcades. The elevation is in three stages, arcade, triforium gallery and clerestory.[87] The nave is 67 feet (20 m) in height, very low compared to the Gothic cathedrals of France.[89] It has a markedly horizontal emphasis, caused by the triforium having a unique form, a series of identical narrow openings, lacking the usual definition of the bays. The triforium is separated from the arcade by a single horizontal string course that runs unbroken the length of the nave. There are no vertical lines linking the three stages, as the shafts supporting the vault rise above the triforium.

The central tower, nave and south transept seen from the cloister garth. The nave rises above the pitched roof of the aisle. The buttresses are of low profile.

The exterior of Wells Cathedral presents a relatively tidy and harmonious appearance since the greater part of the building was executed in a single style, Early English Gothic. This is uncommon among English cathedrals where the exterior usually exhibits a plethora of styles.[90] At Wells, later changes in the Perpendicular style were universally applied, such as filling the Early English lancet windows with simple tracery, the construction of a parapet that encircles the roof, and the addition of pinnacles framing each gable, similar to those around the chapter house and on the west front.[87] At the eastern end there is a proliferation of tracery with repeated motifs in the Reticulated style, a stage between Geometric and Flowing Decorated tracery

• West fronts in general take three distinct forms: those that follow the elevation of the nave and aisles, those that have paired towers at the end of each aisle, framing the nave, and those that screen the form of the building.

The west front at Wells has the paired-tower form, unusual in that the towers do not indicate the location of the aisles, but extend well beyond them, screening the dimensions and profile of the building.

• At the lowest level of the façade is a plain base, contrasting with and stabilizing the ornate arcades that rise above it.[94] The base is penetrated by three doors, which are in stark contrast to the often-imposing portals of French Gothic cathedrals. The outer two are of domestic proportion and the central door is ornamented only by a central post, quatrefoil and the fine moldings of the arch.[4]

• Above the basement rise two stores, ornamented with quatrefoils and niches originally holding about four hundred statues, with three hundred surviving until the mid-20th century.[4] Since then, some have been restored or replaced, including the ruined figure of Christ in the gable.

• The sculptures on the west front at Wells include standing figures, seated figures, half-length angels and narratives in high relief. Many of the figures are lifesized or larger. Together they constitute the finest display of medieval carving in England.[4] The figures and many of the architectural details were painted in bright colors, and the coloring scheme has been deduced from flakes of paint still adhering to some surfaces.[4] The sculptures occupy nine architectural zones stretching horizontally across the entire west front and around the sides and the eastern returns of the towers which extend beyond the aisles. The strongly projecting buttresses have tiers of niches which contain many of the largest figures. Other large figures, including that of Christ, occupy the gable. A single figure stands in one of two later niches high on the northern tower.

Italian gothic architecture

Italian gothic

Gothic architecture appeared in the prosperous independent city-states of Italy in the 12th century, later than in Northern Europe. Each city developed its own particular variations of the style. Italian architects preferred to keep the traditional construction methods established in the previous centuries; architectural solutions and technical innovations of French Gothic were seldom used. Soaring height was less important than in Northern Europe. Brick rather than stone was the most common building material, and marble was widely used for decoration. In the 15th century, when the Gothic style dominated northern Europe and Italy, the north of the Italian Peninsula became the birthplace of Renaissance architecture.

Milan Cathedral

Milan Cathedral

• was another example of Gothic Architecture that took almost 600 years to complete. The ground was broken in 1386 and the bulk of the construction wasn't completed until well into the 19th Century in 1865. Building work was further stalled during WW2, thanks to allied bombing of Milan.

• It is the third largest cathedral in the world and is famous for its forest of spires and pinnacles. Not to mention its highly ornate facade. The complex forest of spires and pinnacles provides both aesthetic and structural purposes.

The plan consists of a nave with four side-aisles, crossed by a transept and then followed by choir and apse. The height of the nave is about 45 meters (148 ft), the highest Gothic vaults of a complete church (less than the 48 meters (157 ft)

The roof is open to tourists (for a fee), which allows many a close-up view of some spectacular sculpture that would otherwise be unappreciated. The roof of the cathedral is renowned for the forest of openwork pinnacles and spires, set upon delicate flying buttresses.

The cathedral's five broad naves, divided by 40 pillars, are reflected in the hierarchic openings of the façade. Even the transepts have aisles. The nave columns are 24.5 meters (80 ft) high, and the apsidal windows are 20.7 by 8.5 meters (68 by 28 ft). The huge building is of brick construction, faced with marble from the quarries which Gian Galeazzi Visconti donated in perpetuity to the cathedral chapter. Its maintenance and repairs are very complicated.

The central one of its five great doors is bordered with a bas-relief of birds and fruits and beasts and insects, which have been so ingeniously carved out of the marble that they seem like living creatures.

Florence Cathedral

Florence Cathedral

• Florence Cathedral, aka the Duomo, dominates the skyline of Florence. It is most famed for its incredible brick dome that is the biggest ever constructed.

• The dome was designed and built by Italian Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi.

• It is one of Italy's largest churches and its dome is still the biggest brick dome ever built.

Plan of the church with various extension phases

The cathedral of Florence is built as a basilica, having a wide central nave of four-square bays, with an aisle on either side. The chancel and transepts are of identical polygonal plan, separated by two smaller polygonal chapels. The whole plan forms a Latin cross. The nave and aisles are separated by wide pointed Gothic arches resting on composite piers.

The Gothic style church was planned to include a huge dome over its center, although no technology existed at the time to create a dome with such wide a base. The city announced an architectural design competition, and the winner was Filippo Brunelleschi who came up with a revolutionary idea: building two domes, one on top of the other, using a special herringbone brick pattern and a horizontal stone chain in order to reduce stress and allow the weight to be evenly distributed.

It has 463 steps and boasts one of the greatest views of the entire town, but it really isn’t for everyone. The stairs were originally built to help the workers during the construction and for maintenance, not for the general public. They are small and narrow but offer a closer look to the architectural magnificence and frescoes that line the inside of the cupola.

Germany Gothic Architecture

Germany Gothic

• Emphasis was placed on creatinghall churches, which were built with a long section where people could sit, called the nave. On each side of the nave there was a lower aisle; the nave and the isle were fashioned to be the same height. Examples of these hall churches in Germany include St. Martin’s, Landshut.

• German designs used double choirs, that is, churches with apses (a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome). Typically, they were situated at both the east and west ends of the building. Details incorporated into designs were borrowed from Italian design.

• Moldings used were simple and basic. The most internal distinctive feature of German Gothic design was the great height of the triforium, a shallow gallery of arches within the thickness of inner wall, which stands above the nave. German designers experimented with geometrical figures and lines, which mostly translated into elaborate tracery for windows and paneling. German architects created a large collection of brick buildings in their medieval designs, a collection that is not seen as much in other European countries. Part of this is attributed to the fact that brick was an easy natural resource for builders.

• Although buildings in Germany possess many universal structures specific to Gothic Architecture, many of the buildings possess a distinct national character that is not found in other European countries.

The Cologne Cathedral

The Cologne Cathedral

The mighty Gothic cathedral of Cologne is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne. The entire structure took around 600 years to build. Cologne Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. It also has the second tallest spires which are built in an entirely Germanic Gothic style.

The design of Cologne Cathedral was based quite closely on that of Amiens Cathedral in terms of ground plan, style and the width to height proportion of the central nave. The plan is in the shape of a Latin Cross, as is usual with Gothic cathedrals. It has two aisles on either side, which help to support one of the very highest Gothic vaults in the world, being nearly as tall as that of the Beauvais Cathedral, much of which collapsed.

• Externally the outward thrust of the vault is taken by flying buttresses in the French manner. The eastern end has a single ambulatory, the second aisle resolving into a chevet of seven radiating chapels.

Internally, the medieval choir is more varied and less mechanical in its details than the 19thcentury building. It presents a French style arrangement of very tall arcade, a delicate narrow triforium gallery lit by windows and with detailed tracery merging with that of the windows above. The clerestory windows are tall and retain some old figurative glass in the lower sections. The whole is united by the tall shafts that sweep unbroken from the floor to their capitals at the spring of the vault. The vault is of plain quadripartite arrangement.

Embedded in the interior wall are a pair of stone tablets on which are carved the provisions formulated by Archbishop Englebert II (1262–67) under which Jews were permitted to reside in Cologne

The most celebrated work of art in the cathedral is the Shrine of the Three Kings, It is traditionally believed to hold the remains of the Three Wise Men. The shrine takes the form a large reliquary in the shape of a basilica church, made of bronze and silver, gilded and ornamented with architectonic details, figurative sculpture, enamels and gemstones. The shrine was opened in 1864 and was found to contain bones and garments.

Near the sacristy is the Gero-Kreuz, a large crucifix carved in oak and with traces of paint and gilding. Believed to have been commissioned around 960 for Archbishop Gero, it is the oldest large crucifix north of the Alps and the earliestknown large free-standing Northern sculpture of the medieval period.

The main entrance shows the 19th century decoration

Frankfurt Cathedral

Frankfurt Cathedral

• Frankfurt Cathedral is the largest religious building in the city, it was also a former collegiate church. Despite it being called a cathedral in English this is not technically true.

• It is actually a Kaiser Dom or ancient imperial great church. The current building is the third church built on the same site and was completed around 1550. Frankfurt Cathedral was seen as a symbol of unity for Germany, notably during the 19th Century.

Conclusion

• The significance of Gothic architecture has made some beautiful buildings. Its history has brought on the importance of how its elements influenced other styles to evolve as well. The innovation of religion also lays in the structure and monumental buildings for centuries beyond our times. The development is unique to its own and is not found in every corner of the world. Gothic Styles are part of history and will remain as history, like all other art generations.

• Overall, Gothic architecture can be recognized with seven main featured elements; flying buttresses, vaulted ceilings, pointed arches, gargoyles, light and airy interiors, height, and Christian features. The form of Gothic architecture is recognized as light and freedom. Found in various areas of Europe, Gothic architecture is no longer constructed after the 1800’s and its style can be referenced as medieval era. Its architecture is priceless and are set as monuments that can be visited by all people around the world.