Table of Contents

I. Gothic Architecture
II. Architectural Character
A. Church Plan
B. Materials
C. Pointed Arch
D. Ribbed Vaults
E. Flying Buttress
F. Windows
G. Ornamentation
III. Different Gothic Architecture
A. Gothic Architecture in France
B. Gothic Architecture in the British Isles
C. Gothic Architecture in Germany and Central Europe
D. Gothic Architecture in Low Countries
E. Gothic Architecture in Spain and Catalan Countries
F. Gothic Architecture in Italy
IV. Gothic Revival
V. Bibliography

I. Gothic Architecture

Gothic Architecture is an architectural style that emerged in the first

half of the 12th century from Romanesque antecedents. Gothic
Architecture originated from France and the style continued into the 16th
century and was commonly known as the "French Style". The Gothic style
was initiated by Abbot Suger who remodelled the Abbey of St. Denis
monastery St. Denis was one of the last great monastic churches to be
built; and it is known as the cradle of Gothic art.
Gothic Architecture is characterized by the vertical lines of tall pillars
and spires, greater height in interior spaces, the pointed arch, rib vaulting,
and the flying buttress. These features are evident in many
cathedrals, abbeys and churches in Europe.
II. Architectural Character
A. Church Plan
The plan for most Gothic churches use

the Latin cross or "cruciform" plan, with a

long nave making the body of the church, a
transverse arm called the transept and,
beyond it, an extension which may be called
the choir, chancel or presbytery.. The nave
is generally flanked on either side by aisles,
usually singly, but sometimes double.
Plan of Amiens Cathedral in
France

The nave is generally considerably taller than the aisles,

having clerestory windows which light the central space. Gothic churches
of the Germanic tradition often have nave and aisles of similar height and
are called Hallenkirche. In the South of France there is often a single wide
nave and no aisles, as at Sainte-Marie in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges.
B. Materials
The types of materials that were used in construction during the
earlier periods heavily depend on their local availability and accessibility.
In France, several types of limestone were readily available and the
very fine white limestone from the Caen area was much favored for
sculptural decoration. England had a coarser limestone, red sandstone
and also a dark green Purbeck marble which took its name from a
peninsula in the English county of Dorset from which it was quarried.
In Italy, whereas stone was used for fortifications, brick was much
preferred for buildings and because of the widespread and varied deposits
of marble many buildings were faced with it. Because local building stone
was unavailable in Northern Germany and Poland, Scandinavia, the
Netherlands and in the Baltic countries there was a strong tradition of

building with brick which led to the term "Backsteingotik" in Germany and
Scandinavia and the term can be rendered as "Brick Gothic".
C. Pointed Arch
A Gothic arch is a sharp-pointed arch,
formed of two arc segments. The lower part of the
arch is parallel sided, up to the level of
the springing points.
The Gothic arch was a major feature of the
architecture of the Middle Ages. The Gothic arch
evolved from the round-topped Roman arch. The
Gothic architects and builders discovered the
amazing strength and stability of using pointed
arches. The walls of Gothic buildings could be
thinner because the weight of the roof was
(c) Rdiger
supported by the arches rather than the walls.
Wlk
A faadeflexibility.
which
ogivalThe
or
The use of the Gothic arch gave the builders tremendous
pointed arches
arch could not only support greater weights but could also span greater
distances, allowing vaults to be taller and wider.
D. Ribbed Vaults
By the 12th century, architects realized the superiority of the
groined vault compared to the barrel vault and started to add ribs, which
were used to support the weight of the vault. Cross-ribbed vaulting
functions as plain groined vaulting, except that it is reinforced with ribs,
and can be made much thinner. The vault uses a
diagonally reinforced arch resting on thin pillars,
permitting the walls to be hollowed out , and also
allowing the vaults to extend higher.
At Amiens, for example, the introduction of an
extra transverse rib between the diagonal ribs of the
vault allowed for a lighter and more elevated interior.
Such light, skeletal construction employing cross
ribbed-vaults and other thin carrying structures,
replaced the massiveness of Romanesque vaults. This
had the revolutionary effect of opening up the interior
space of a large building such as a church. As the
Gothic era progressed, vaulting became increasing
(c) Magnus
Manske
complex and saw the development of more varied
Ribbed vault at the
forms such as the quatri-partite vault and the
Neims Cathedral in
France
sexpartite vault. Slender columns and stained glass
windows also gave the church a more spacious and heightened effect.
E. Flying Buttress

A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly

associated with Gothic church architecture. It serves to transmit the
lateral forces pushing a wall outwards (which may arise from
stone vaulted ceilings or from wind-loading on roofs) across an intervening
space and ultimately down to the ground. Flying buttress systems have
two key components - a massive vertical masonry block (the buttress) on
the outside of the building and a segmental or quadrant arch bridging the
gap between that buttress and the wall.
F. Windows
One of characteristic of Gothic Architecture is the
expansive area of the windows. Sainte Chapelle,
Gloucester Cathedral and Milan Cathedral are examples
which use very large size of many individual windows.
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.
Through the Gothic period, due
to the versatility of the pointed
arch, the structure of Gothic
windows developed from simple
openings to immensely rich and (c) Jean-Christophe BENOIST
Sainte Chapelles
decorative sculptural designs
stained window
like famous wheel or Rose
window. The windows were very
often filled with stained glass which added a
Sainte Chapelles Rose
dimension of colour to the light within the
window
building, as well as providing a medium for
figurative and narrative art.
G. Ornamentation
The most characteristic ornament is the dogtooth, which was generally placed in hollow mouldings,
and was used in great profusion. Chisel was generally
used, taking the place of the axe in the Early Norman
period. Carved foliage is conventional, and crisp and
fine in treatment typical examples consisting of convex
curling masses, known as " stiff leaf foliage." Flat Dog-tooth moulding
surfaces are often richly diapered, as in Westminster Abbey.
Gargoyles are also used as ornamentation. Gargoyles are carved
stone grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and
away from the side of a building. Many medieval cathedrals included

gargoyles. The most famous examples are those of Notre Dame de

Paris. Although most have grotesque features, the term
gargoyle has come to include all types of images. Some
gargoyles were depicted as monks, or
combinations of real animals and people, many
of which were humorous. The origins of the
word 'gargoyle' are derived from the old
French word 'gargouille' meaning throat.
Gargoyles came into Gothic Architecture in
Gargoyles in Notre-Dame,
the early 13th century.
Paris
III. Different Gothic Architecture
For nearly almost hundred years, Gothic style dominated the
architecture of Western Europe. Originating in northern France, it spread
rapidly across England, the empire of Scandinavia, the Byzantine
provinces of Central Europe and the Near East and the Americas. In the
14th century, Gothic had become the universal style of building in the
Western world, and it included many types of structures. Gothic architects
designed town halls, royal palaces, courthouses and hospitals, they
fortified cities and castles to defend lands against invasion, and they
created bridges and hostelries to facilitate communication. But it was in
the service of the Church that the Gothic style attained its most
meaningful expression, for the Church was the most prolific builder of the
Middle Ages, providing the widest scope for the development of
architectural ideas and calling forth the best talents.

A. Gothic Architecture in France

French Gothic Architecture is a prevalent architectural style in
France from 12th to 15 century. It is divided into four styles: Early Gothic,
High Gothic, Rayonnant, and Flamboyant Gothic.
In France, during the first half of the 12th century, Gothic rib
vaulting appeared sporadically in a number of churches. The particular
phase of Gothic architecture that was to lead to the creation of the
northern cathedrals, however, was initiated in the early 1140s in the
construction of the chevet of the royal abbey church of Saint-Denis, the
burial church of the French kings and queens near the outskirts of Paris. In
the ambulatory of Saint-Denis, the slim columns supporting the vaults and
the elimination of the dividing walls separating the radiating chapels
result in a new sense of flowing space presaging the expanded
spaciousness of the later interiors.

Saint-Denis led in the 1160s to the first of

the great cathedrals, Notre Dame (begun 1163)
in Paris, and to a period of experimentation in
voiding the walls and in reducing the size of the
internal supports. The addition of an extra story
to the traditional three-story elevation of the
interior increased the height dramatically. This
additional story, known as the triforium, consists
of a narrow passageway inserted in the wall
beneath the windows of the clerestory (upper
part of the nave of a church, containing
windows) and above the large gallery over the
side aisles. The triforium opens out into the
interior through its own miniature arcade.

Saint-Denis Cathedral

High Gothic started with the construction of Chartres cathedral,

which was the first cathedral to include flying buttresses from the first
original plan of the building. High Gothic started to change the layout of
the floor of the cathedral by evolving the early square schematics of
Romanesque and Early Gothic into the rectangular bay system, again,
opening up spaces and dissolving walls. This style also focused on
developing an organic feel of space and light and further simplified the
wall elevation style into tripartite elevation, getting rid of the gallery and
lengthening the clerestory. An example of this is St. Chapelle, where the
clerestory was lengthened to such an extreme to form the most of the
wall. Another attempt at simplifying and unifying the spaces inside the
cathedrals was the simplification of the vault sections from sexpartite into
quadripartite vaulting.
French cathedrals focus in on the rush to the sky and vertical
upsweep of walls and flying buttresses in an attempt to again, unite space
and light along an upward stretch for heaven. The most extreme example
of this is Beauvais Cathedral, which is the highest of all Gothic Cathedrals
and one of the last great High Gothic structures
From 1226 to 1270, Gothic architecture entered a new phase, known
as the Rayonnant. The word Rayonnant is derived from the radiating
spokes, like those of a wheel, of the enormous rose windows that are one
of the features of the style. Height was no longer the prime objective.
Rather, the architects further reduced the masonry frame of the churches,
expanded the window areas, and replaced the external wall of the
triforium with traceried glass. Instead of the massive effects of the High
Gothic cathedrals, both the interior and the exterior of the typical
Rayonnant church now more nearly assumed the character of a
diaphanous shell. All these features of the Rayonnant were incorporated in
the first major undertaking in the new style, the rebuilding of the royal
abbey church of Saint-Denis. Of the earlier structure only the ambulatory
and the west facade were preserved. The best example of Rayonnant is

the Sainte-Chapelle, the spacious palace chapel built by Louis IX on the le

de la Cit in the center of Paris. Large windows, rising from near the
pavement to the arches of the vaults, occupy the entire area between the
vaulting shafts, thus transforming the whole chapel into a sturdy stone
framework for the radiant stained-glass windows.
Late Gothic leaves many of the primary ideals of High Gothic
behind. Late Gothic is most identified by the flamboyant style, which
comes from the French term for "flame-like." The ornamentation is very
lacy and flame-like, with many small detailed perforations, multiple
buttressing, and a slight Celtic-Germanic style. The size also decreased,
where the focus still remained on the inside unity, lightness of stone, and
organic forms, but the sense of space and rush for height and size was
entirely lost.
B. Gothic Architecture in the British Isles
The Gothic Architecture in the British Isles or the English Gothic
Architecture, naturally evolved from the Romanesque Architecture which
known in England as Norman Architecture. Many of the largest and finest
works of English architecture, notably the medieval cathedrals of England,
are largely built in the Gothic style. So also are castles, palaces, great
houses, universities, and other buildings, including almshouses and trade
halls. Another important group of Gothic buildings in England are
the parish churches, which, like the medieval cathedrals, are often of
earlier, Norman foundation.
The English Gothic Architecture is divided into three styles: The
Early English, Decorated, and Perpendicular.
Early English of the English Gothic started
from the late 12th century until midway through
the 13th century. The most significant and
characteristic development of the Early English
period
was
the
pointed arch known
as
the lancet. Pointed arches were used almost
universally, not only in arches of wide span such
as those of the nave arcade, but also for
doorways and lancet windows. The arched
windows are usually narrow by comparison to
their height and are without tracery. For this
reason Early English Gothic is sometimes known
as the "Lancet" or "First Pointed" style. Although
arches of equilateral proportion are most often
employed, lancet arches of very acute
proportions are frequently found and are a
Westminster Abbey
highly characteristic of the style. A notable
example of steeply pointed lancets being used structurally is the apsidal
arcade of Westminster Abbey.

The Decorated Style is characterised by wider windows. The

windows were decorated with tracery and ornamentation. Gothic Rose
Windows are associated with great Gothic Churches and Cathedrals
however some small Rose Windows were featured in the Chapels of Gothic
Castles. Rose Windows were a decorative by-product of the development
of stained glass. The innovative use of vaults and buttresses in weight
support allowed for the elaborate Rose Windows to be featured in the
building as a major entry of light.
The Perpendicular Gothic period is the third historical division of
English Gothic architecture, and is so-called because it is characterised by
an emphasis on vertical lines; it is also known as International Gothic,
the Rectilinear style, or Late Gothic.
The Perpendicular style began to emerge c. 1350. Harvey (1978)
puts the earliest example of a fully formed Perpendicular style at
the chapter house of Old St Paul's Cathedral, built by William Ramsey in
1332. It was a development of the Decorated style of the late 13 th century
and early 14th century, and lasted into the mid 16th century. It began
under the royal architects William Ramsey and John Sponlee, and fully
developed in the prolific works of Henry Yevele and William Wynford.
C. Gothic Architecture in Germany and Central Europe
During the 15th century Germany experimented with their Gothic
and Medieval Architecture designs. German architects worked with Gothic
vault structures in an attempt to create the largest possible spaces with
ceiling design. Emphasis was placed on creating hall 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. Martins, Landshut.
German Gothic 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 Gothic design.
Mouldings 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 Gothic buildings in Germany possess many universal

structures specific of Gothic Architecture, many of the buildings possess a
distinct national character that is not found in other European countries.
The trademark building of German Gothic are the, Heidelberg Castle, Altes
Rathaus in Wildeshausen and the Regensburg Cathedral.
D. Gothic Architecture in Low Countries
Low Countries, also called Benelux Countries, coastal region of
northwestern
Europe,
consisting
of Belgium, the
Netherlands,
and Luxembourg. The Low Countries are bordered by Germany to the east
and France to the south.
Metal work was the art of the Low Countries. This was carried on to
the Gothic Period. Gothic shrine-builders became experts in metal
structures. An example is S. Gertude at Nivelles. These designs could
assume a delicacy and a degree of fantastic elaboration far beyond the
scope of masonry or timber work. Aside from this, the distinct
characteristic of the Gothic Architecture in the Low Countries cannot be
determined because the relevant structures have disappeared.
E. Gothic Architecture in Spain and Catalan Countries
Spanish Gothic Architecture started as a result of Central European

influence in the 12th century when late Romanesque alternated with few
expressions of pure Gothic architecture. The High Gothic arrives with all its
strength through the pilgrimage route, the Way of Saint James, in the 13th
century. Some of the most pure Gothic cathedrals in Spain, with German
and French influence, were built at this time.
The most important postthirteenth-century Gothic styles in Spain
are the Levantino & Isabelline Gothic. Levantino is characterized by its
structural achievements and the unification of space. An example of the
Levantino style is the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma or commonly
known as La Seu. Isabelline Gothic is made under the Catholic
Monarchs,that supposed a transition to Renaissance. An example of
Isabelline Gothic is the Royal Chapel of
Grenada which is a mausoleum that houses
the remains of the Catholic Monarchs.

Gothic Architecture in the Catalans grew up and was strengthened

during the 13th and 14th centuries a moment of prosperity in trade and of
prestige for the monarchy and the church. The result was the adoption of
characteristic architectural forms and construction methods in civil,
military and religious architecture.
F. Gothic Architecture in Italy

Cathedral of Santa Maria or

also known as La Seu

The Gothic architecture appeared in Italy in the 12th century. Italian

Gothic always maintained peculiar characteristic which differentiated its
evolution from that in France, where it had originated, and in other
European countries. Italian architects preferred to keep the construction
tradition established in the previous countries. Aesthetically, in Italy the
vertical development was rarely important.
The first Italian Gothic structures were
Cistercian abbeys. They spread in the
whole Italian territory, often adapting the
construction techniques to the local
traditions. The most important Gothic
structures in the 12th century include
the Chiaravalle Abbey in northern Italy and
the Casamari
Abbey in
central
Italy.
Among the non-Cistercian buildings of this
century which were influenced by the
Gothic style, though still presenting
important Romanesque features, are
Chiaravalle Abbey
the Parma
Baptistery by Benedetto
Antelami and
the
church
of Sant'Andrea in Vercelli, also featuring Antelami's influences.
The distinctive characteristic of Italian Gothic is the use of
polychrome decoration, both externally as marble veneer on the brick
faade and also internally where the arches are often made of alternating
black and white segments, and where the columns may be painted red,
the walls decorated with frescoes and the apse with mosaic. The plan is
usually regular and symmetrical. Italian cathedrals have few and widely
spaced columns. The proportions are generally mathematically simple,
based on the square, and except in Venice where they loved flamboyant
arches, the arches are almost always equilateral. Colours and mouldings
define the architectural units rather than blending them. Italian cathedral
faades are often polychrome and may include mosaics in the lunettes
over the doors. The faades have projecting open porches and occular or
wheel windows, and do not usually have a tower. The crossing is usually
surmounted by a dome. There is often a free-standing tower and
baptistery. The eastern end usually has an apse of comparatively low
projection. The windows are not as large as in northern Europe and,
although stained glass windows are often found, the favourite narrative
medium for the interior is the fresco.

IV. Gothic Revival

Gothic Revival, which is also known as Victorian Gothic or NeoGothic, is an architectural movement in England which began in the
1740s. Its popularity grew rapidly in the early 19th century, when
increasingly serious and learned admirers of neo-Gothic styles wanted to
revive medieval forms, in contrast to the neoclassical styles prevalent at
the time.
The style became widespread for its intrinsic appeal in the third quarter of
the 19th century. In parallel to the dominance of neo-Gothic styles in
nineteenth-century England, interest spread rapidly to the continent of
Europe, in Australia, South Africa and to the Americas.
The earliest documented example
of
the
revived
use
of
Gothic
architectural elements is Strawberry
Hill, the home of the English writer
Horace Walpole. As in many of the early
Gothic Revival buildings, the Gothic was
used here for its picturesque and
romantic qualities without regard for its
structural
possibilities
or
original
function. Another early example of the
tendency toward ornamentation and
decoration was Fonthill Abbey, designed
by James Wyatt, a country house with a
tower 270 feet high.

Strawberry Hill interior

Gothic Revival architecture came to America from England about

1830. Its most famous practitioner is English born Richard Upjohn.
Upjohn's best known work is Trinity Church in New York City, consecrated
in 1846. He designed St. Paul's Cathedral in Buffalo, completed in 1851.
His churches served as patterns for countless buildings throughout the
country.
The Gothic Revival was to remain one of the most potent and longlived of the 19th-century revival styles. Although it began to lose force
after the third quarter of the 19th century, buildings such as churches and
institutions of higher learning were constructed in the Gothic style in
England and in the United States until well into the 20th century.

V. Bibliography
Internet Sites:
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Art/DF_art3.shtml
http://www.castles.me.uk/gothic-architecture.htm
http://www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/forlang/new_llc/faculty_websites/courses/rus_c
ult/gothic_art.pdf
http://www.gothic-architecture.com/node/12
http://www.aquinas-multimedia.com/stjoseph/architecture.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture#19th_and_20th_century_Gothic_
Revival
http://www.buffaloah.com/a/archsty/gothic/index.html
http://www.talktalk.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0001560.html
http://www.codesmiths.com/shed/workshop/techniques/arches.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Revival_architecture
Books:

Fletcher, S. B., & Cruinkshank, D. (1996) Sir Banister Fletcher's a history of

architecture. Architectural Press
Rickman, T., & Parker, J. H. (1817) An attempt to discriminate the styles of
architecture in England, from the Conquest to the Reformation: with a
sketch of the Grecian and Roman orders; notices of numerous British
edifices; and some remarks on the architecture of a part of France. NY: J.H.
Parker, 1848
Parker, J. H. (2008) A B C of Gothic Architecture. BiblioBazaar, LLC
Paley, F.A. (2008) A Manual of Gothic Architecture. Wildhern Press