Gothic Architecture their own power, more clearly defining the

borders of their kingdoms and trying to

INTRODUCTION demonstrate their absolute power.
The belief of the time period was that
▪ Influences the right to rule was divinely granted, which
▪ What is Gothic Architecture? meant that kingly power was legitimized
▪ “Gothic” through religion. so many european kings
▪ Characteristics & Elements developed an inseparable relationship with
the church.
Influences ● relics in the mid-13th century.
● King Louis IX established the Gothic chapel
➔ Geographical Sainte-Chapelle to house his
➔ Geological collection of Christian relics in the mid-13th
➔ Climate century.
➔ Religion ● is the only king of France to be canonized
MONASTICISM in the Catholic Church.
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
Cluniac and cisterian orders
Franciscans (mendicant order) ▪ 12th - 15th Century
Dominicans (Mendicant order) ▪ Opus Francigenum (French Work)
▪ “GOTHIC”
“even considered the temporal image of
Paradise,of the New Jerusalem.”
- Hans Sedlmayr

“windows have been compared to “precious Gothic architecture is an architectural

stones encrusting the walls of the New style that was particularly popular in Europe
Jerusalem,” and that “the numerous towers from the late 12th century to the 16th century,
and pinnacles evoke similar structures that during the High and Late Middle
appear in the visions of Saint John.” Ages. so basically this is the last phase of the
-Grodecki’s Gothic Architecture dark age.
It evolved from Romanesque architecture and
Some Gothic Cathedrals’ dimensions and was succeeded by Renaissance
designs have Biblical influence. architecture.

➔ Social and Political TIMELINE

This also differs from each country in So if you can see the timeline, while
Europe. generally, the growth of towns which Romanesque period in europe lasted until
developed into important cities brought about 13th century, Gothic style already emerged in
an increase of riches and erection of the place called Ile de France, a
magnificent buildings. french state , at mid 12th century
At the same time that the Catholic
church was becoming a genuine political Gothic architecture was originally
power, European kings were consolidating referred to as Opus Francigenum, or “French
Work,” until the 16th century when it became characterized by semi-circular arches, Gothic
known as “Gothic.” And no it wasn't built by architecture showcases great height, light,
goths, It was built by the french and volume.

● Abbot Suger-The Gothic architectural ● HEIGHT

style first appeared at Saint-Denis, Gothic buildings were designed to
near Paris. look like hands reaching up to the sky. They
are way too tall than the romanesque
The Gothic architectural style first churches.
appeared at Saint-Denis, near Paris. In fact, the picture that you can see on
In 1137 Abbot Suger began to rebuild the your screen is the ULM CATHEDRAL IN
Abbey Church of St. Denis. Suger was not GERMANY having a height of 162 m. It is
contented with the dark bulky, haphazard currently the tallest church in the world and
style of romanesque architecture, Suger will likely remain so until the eventual
wanted his church to be a graceful completion of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona,
expression of geometric harmony striving Catalonia, Spain. TOP 10 TALLEST - 7 OUT
toward heaven and flooded with miraculous OF 10....to name a few are the COLOGNE
light CATHEDRAL, ROUEN CATHEDRAL AND
Years later, the church of st denis was STRASBOURG cathedral.
revealed to the world as Suger had wished. ● LIGHT
this new church was definitely unlike its Gothic Cathedrals have large
romanesque predecessors were romanesque windows compared to romanesque. These
churches were short and thick and dark. His large windows allow more light inside the
new church was tall and elegant, bright and building.
inspiring. Suger call his style Modern. but Sainte chapelle
obviously was not used to describe the style. The upper chapel consists of 15 stained glass
And so, the basilica cathedral of saint denis is windows, each 15 metres high, that tell the
the first truly gothic building appearing around stories of the bible from Genesis to Christ’s
1140 ad resurrection. In all, there are exactly 1,113
different windows, many depicting complex
scenes from religious history.
● VOLUME
Milan Cathedral, a gothic cathedral, is
the 3rd largest cathedral in the world. 1st is St
Peter's. Among the largest cathedrals listed
are Florence Cathedral, Ulm Minster and
seville cathedral.

KEY ELEMENTS
The style represented giant steps
away from the previous, relatively basic ● Ribbed vault
building systems that had prevailed. Evolving ● Pointed Arch
from a Romanesque style of architecture ● Flying Buttresses
 The Gothic style, though also used in
secular buildings, is most associated with the The most important element of gothic
great architecture is the pointed arch. Arches
cathedrals of Europe. There are certain provide a method for opening space while
immediately recognizable characteristics in maintaining the strength of the walls. They
any allow for things such as doors and windows.
Gothic cathedral. While these guys know about the
Its signature elements—the ribbed rounded arch, the pointed arch is something
vault, flying buttresses, and pointed arch— they imported from the near east and can be
are evident in seen in early islamic architecture such as
some of the most spectacular buildings the al-aqsa mosque.
around Europe like that of Notre Dame Architects of the middle ages
Cathedral in borrowed the idea of the pointed arch
Paris, France. knowing it would let them build verticality
These three elements came together higher than what was previously possible.
in gothic architecture and the results changed This is because the pointed arch was more
the world. Gothic cathedrals are partly efficient at distributing the weight of the walls
recognizable because of their large walls of and roof.
stained glass The pointed arch makes all the rest of
windows which allowed light to fill large open gothic architecture possible its predecessor
spaces and create a heavenly the semi circle or roman arch have some
environment. But to construct these open severe limitations. This limitations have to do
spaces and walls of glass, they had to be with what engineers call stress lines.
creative. Builders of the middle ages took A stress line is basically the direction
traditional methods of construction from in which an arch distributes the pressure
around europe and the near east and above it.
modified them
RIBBED VAULT
To reduce the need for load-bearing
walls, bulky columns and build higher than
ever
Before.

POINTED ARCH

Remember these buildings were

made primarily of brick and stone and were
very heavy/ Managing and distributing the
weight was really important and the pointed FLYING BUTTRESS
arch was key in managing it all.
Especiallywhen these arches were crossed to
create a ribbed vaulted ceiling. Vaulted
ceilings were not a new idea either but
because the pointed arch was more effective
so was the ribbed vault. This resulted in a
need for fewer columns and those that were
used were taller and thinner and provided
another distinguishing characteristic of gothic
architecture.
This is especially true of the ribbed
vault. A vault is essentially an extended arch
made of masonry used to roof a building.
In early vaulted churches the base
arch was the standard semicircular arch. the
resulting barrel vaulting was very heavy and
its stress lines tended to push out the walls of Helping to disperse the weight carried
the church. Romanesque architects had by the pointed arches was the flying buttress
overcome this limitation through the use of and something that gives gothic architecture
groin vaulting which redirected the weight of its unique silhouette. While a regular buttress
the vaulting to a few points instead of having butted up against the wall and kind of
it spread across the entire wall. blended in with the masonry just like in
Later romanesque architects were romanesque, a flying buttress was much
able to reduce the weight of the vault and more elegant and much more obvious. You
further focused the mass through the use of see them mostly on the outside of the
ribbed vaulting. ribbed vaulting essentially building as they move the lateral forces
makes a web of strong arches or ribs and across one or more arches.
then fills in the gaps between these ribs with Despite supporting so much weight,
lighter materials. and because all the weight the flying buttress disguises the load with an
rests on the rib arches, the pressure can be almost magical design. Recalling all
focused to a very small area. gothic architects structures you have learned from History 1
were able to further focus this weight by until romanesque, When you combine the
replacing the romanesque semicircular flying buttress, pointed arch, slender columns
arches with pointed arches. and ribbed vaulting, you get buildings that
look unlike anything you have seen before
the Gothic period. You have a building that’s
no longer supported by walls and has a more
open interior environment.
Using ribbed vaulting to focus all the
way to the ceiling onto a few piers had an
unfortunate side effect for gothic architects.
try as they might to direct the weight of the
roof downward with pointed arches and
ribbed vaults. Millions of pounds of vaulted With the weight of the building taken
the ceiling could not help but push outwards off the walls, you also have an opportunity to
along its stress lines. Since the piers were no fill them with something other than brick or
longer supported by massive walls, gothic mortar, resulting in those large windows of
architects needed to come up with a new way stained glass that help define gothic
to help these piers shoulder the whole roof cathedrals.
and vault. The architect of st denis came up Since the pointed arch does a better
with a brilliant solution he realized that the job directing weight downward rather than
outward pressure of the world was not sideways, gothic churches needed only a few
universal instead it was focused in a few piers to hold up these massive ceilings and
areas. instead of building big thick since the rest of the wall no longer needed to
romanesque walls. He just gave a building a support the whole ceiling, they could be filled
little extra support in these few areas . This with luminous stained glass windows.
was the birth of the flying buttress. There is no better evidence of the
The flying buttress supports the piers quality of Christian art during the Middle
of gothic cathedrals from outside of the Ages, than the Gothic cathedral. The
building. right at the point where the stress cathedral at Chartres, France, features sturdy
line pushes out.. flying buttresses take the flying buttresses that allow for huge windows,
huge horizontal force of the vaulting and including the glorious rose window detailing
redirected vertically into the ground. This the birth of Christ.
external skeleton allowed the gothic cathedral The rose windows depicts the final
to soar to heights unimaginable romanesque judgment of man and is part of the gothic
predecessors and because it was a skeleton. tradition in which biblical and historical stories
it did not block the light. allowing the gothic were portrayed in stained glass and sculpture
cathedral to maintain their massive windows throughout the cathedral. This wasn't done
and weightless quality. just for decoration at a time. When most of
the population was illiterate, these
STAINED GLASS WINDOWS embellishments made scripture and history
available to everyone. So people learn about
history and scripture through the stained
glass windows and sculptures for free.
To modern viewers stained-glass
windows may seem purely decorative, but in
the Middle Ages they illustrated not only
biblical narratives but also local history and
political authority. The 15 tall windows of
Sainte-Chapelle, on Paris’s central Ile de la
Cité, depict tales from the Old and New
Testaments – and also holy relics being
brought to Paris by King Louis IX – now
known as Saint Louis.
ORNAMENTATIONS
● SPIRE And of course, the gothic cathedrals
wouldn't be complete without gargoyles.
What is a gargoyle? One of the most notable
characteristics of gothic architecture is the
gargoyle. Gargoyles are decorative,
monstrous little creatures, perched along the
roofs and battlements of gothic buildings and
castles.
Gargoyles have a practical purpose:
they’re spouts, enabling rainwater to drain off
the roof and gush through their mouths,
before plummeting to the ground. (Guttering
is a relatively recent innovation!).
● PINNACLES However, gargoyles had another
intended purpose. They were designed to
strike fear into the hearts of ill-educated
Medieval peasants, scaring them into the
church or cathedral.
Many gargoyles include elements of
the grotesque. They had exaggerated, evil
features or threatening poses, which would
have leered down from on-high.
eIn a world marked with fear and
superstition, these creepy creatures would
undoubtedly have encouraged many to seek
Pinnacles are typically made of stone solace and safety inside of a church or
and predominantly used for ornamental cathedral. There, they would be protected
purposes, providing vertical emphasis from the demons and ghouls which roamed
breaking up hard outlines. outside.
A finial or hip-knob is an The gargoyle is one of the defining
element/decorative feature marking the top or characteristics of gothic architecture, and
end of the pinnacle sticks in the mind even to today.
Crocket,a small, independent, sharply
projecting ornament, usually occurring in
rows, and decorated with foliage.
● GARGOYLES AND GROTESQUE