Gothic

The Gothic era took place between the times of 1140-1500.  Paris was the center of the Gothic world and churches were the center of city life.  During this time, religion was very important.  Religious expression was the heart of design.  Popes had a great amount of power within churches and that showed wealth status. Gothic style took inspiration from the Romanesque time period.  The three main elements of the Gothic era were pointed arches, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses. 

                                                    
Pointed Arch                                    Ribbed Vaults            Flying Buttresses

Cathedral were one of the main architectural elements of the Gothic era.  They contained very tall walls and many stained glass windows.  One of the classic stained glass styles was the Rose Window. Tracery's were also a very common style of window.  These aspects created an airiness, weightlessness and earthly feel.  St. Denis in France and Wells Cathedral in England are both great example of cathedrals.  One of the more common cathedrals that you may know is Notre Dame, both in Paris and Chartres, France. 

 

 <--- Notre Dame in Chartres
             Notre Dame in Paris --->






Gothic Cathedrals' basic floor plan and structural components were similar to the Romanesque, the chapels radiated out from the apse and had large stained glass windows, vertical lines suggested skyscrapers, high vaults created new demands with construction, and like a mentioned before, rib vaulting, pointed arches rather than rounded arches, and flying buttresses were a common look.

Take a moment to watch a video comparing and contrasting Gothic Architecture

to Romanesque Architecture!

Here are some modern applications of Gothic style