GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Introduction
Gothic architecture has nothing to do with the historical Goths. It was
a term that came to be used as early as the 1530s to describe culture
that was considered rude and barbaric.
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture, particularly associated
with cathedrals and other churches.
It flourished in Europe during 12th century.
It was preceded by Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by
Renaissance architecture in the fifteenth century.

It originated at the Abbey church of

Saint-Denis in Paris.
This church was the place that
French kings were buried.
* Built between 1140
and 1144, the church became
a model for most of the late
12th-century French cathedrals.
* By the 1400s, the Gothic style
was so predominant that
builders routinely used Gothic
details for all types of
Structures.

* Secular buildings
such as town halls, royal
palaces, courthouses, hospitals,
castles, bridges, and fortresses
reflected Gothic ideas.

Gothic Architecture Features

Originated in 12th-century
France and lasted into the
16th century.
Gothic architecture was
known during the period as
"the French Style".
Its characteristic features
include:
a)
the pointed arch, Ogee arch
b)
the ribbed vault,
c)
the flying buttress.
d)
Stained glass
e)
Gargoyles
f)
pinnacles

Architecture Features
Pointed Arch
* During the Gothic era, builders
discovered that pointed arched
would give structures amazing
strength and stability.
* In Gothic buildings, the weight
of the roof was supported by the
arches rather than the walls.
This meant that the walls could
be thinner.

Architecture Features
Pointed Arch

Architecture Features

OGEE ARCH
Ogee is a shape consisting of a concave
arc flowing into a convex arc, so forming
an S-shaped curve with vertical ends.
The ogee shape is one of the
characteristics of the Gothic style of
architecture. Ogee windows and arches
were introduced to European cities
from the Middle East.
An ogee molding may be run in plaster
or wood, or cut in stone or brickwork.

Architecture Features

Ribbed Vault
Earlier Romanesque
churches relied on barrel
vaulting.

Gothic builders introduced

the dramatic technique of
ribbed vaulting.

 The intersection of two or three barrel vaults produces a rib

vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with a piped
masonry often carved in decorative patterns

Fan Vaulting

Architecture Features

Flying Buttress
* In order to prevent the
outward collapse of the
arches, Gothic architects
began using a revolutionary
"flying buttress" system.
* Freestanding brick or stone
supports were attached to
the exterior walls by an arch
or a half-arch.

Role of Flying Buttresses

These allowed for builders to go
higher with their walls because
they supported the extra weight
that pushed inward that would
otherwise make the walls fall in.
They direct the force of the wall
out and toward the ground and
they allow the church to look
more delicate and better honor
God.
The Flying Buttresses also
allowed for more and bigger
stained glass windows.

Architecture Features

Stained Glass
Since the walls themselves
were no longer the primary
supports, Gothic buildings
could include large areas of
glass.
Huge stained glass
windows and a profusion of
smaller windows created the
effect of lightness and space.

 rose window: a circular window composed of patterned tracery

arranged in petal-like formation

 The most common design used in stained glasses were:

trefoil, quatrefoil -member composed of three or four foils

and cusps, accordingly.

 trefoil: an ornamental shape that

has three foils or lobes

 quatrefoil : An ornamental form which has four lobes or foils. It

may resemble a four-petaled flower.

LANCET WINDOW
A lancet window is a tall,
narrow window with a
pointed arch at its top.
It acquired the "lancet" name
from its resemblance to
a lance.
Instances of this
architectural motif are typical
of Gothic ecclesiastical structur
es of the earliest period.
Lancet windows may occur
singly, or paired under a single
moulding, or grouped in an odd
number with the tallest
window at the centre

PINNACLE

A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or

crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at
the corners of towers and in many other situations.
The pinnacle looks like a small spire.
It was mainly used in Gothic architecture.

PINNACLE
The pinnacle had two purposes:
Ornamental adding to the
loftiness and verticality of the
structure. They sometimes ended
with statues, such as in Milan
Cathedral.
Structural the pinnacles were very
heavy and often rectified with lead,
in order to enable the flying
buttresses to contain the stress of
the structure vaults and roof.

Architecture Features

Gargoyles
Many gothic cathedrals are
heavily ornamented with
strange, leering creatures.

These gargoyles are not

merely decorative. Originally,
the sculptures were
waterspouts to protect the
foundation from rain.

Gargoyles were originally intended as

waterspouts and drains to keep rain wate
from damaging the foundation of
buildings.

Superstition held that gargoyles

frightened away evil spirits while serving
their practical function.

Some gargoyles were depicted as

monks, combinations of real animals and
people, many of which were humorous
and scary.

They serve more as ornamentation

Gothic Architecture:
Gothic Architecture in France
Cathedral of Notre-Dame at Paris
Bishop of Paris began construction in 1163
A very tall church, reaching some 108 feet from the floor to the
crown of the vaults
The clerestories were enlarged around 1225 to bring in
additional light

Notre Dame Cathedral

YORK MINSTER CATHEDRAL, YORK,

ENGLAND

York Minster is the cathedral

of York, England, and is one of
the largest of its kind in
Northern Europe.
The minster is the seat of
the Archbishop of York, the
second-highest office of
the Church of England, and is
the cathedral for the Diocese
of York.

 York Minster is the second

largest Gothic cathedral of
Northern Europe
The present building was
begun in about 1230 and
completed in 1472.
It has cruciform plan with an
octagonal chapter
house attached to the north
transept, a central tower
and two towers at the west
front
In 741 the church was
destroyed in a fire. It was
rebuilt as a more impressive
structure

INTERIOR YORK MINSTER

 The north and south transepts were the first parts of the new
church to be built.
They have simple lancet windows, the most famous being
the Five Sisters in the north transept.
In the south transept is a famous rose window whose glass
dates from about 1500 and commemorates the union of the
royal houses of York and Lancaster
Other windows in the minster include an ornate rose
window and the 15 m tall Five Sisters window

 York as a whole, and particularly

the minster, have a long tradition
of creating beautiful stained
glass
The Minster's records show that
much of the glass (white or
coloured) came from Germany
Upon arrival at York, it was
intricately painted, fired, then
glazed together with lead strips
into the windows

 Westminster Abbey, is a large,

mainly Gothic, church in the City of
Westminster, London, located just to
the west of the Palace of
Westminster.
It is one of the most notable
religious buildings in the United
Kingdom and is the burial site
for English and British monarchs.

Gothic Style Summary

Old, ornate churches, pointed

Arches
Stained glass in complex trefoil
or rose designs were predominant
Exposed wooden beams, large,
imposing fireplaces, and emulated
candle lighting completed the
style.
There was a strong vertical
influence, supported by the high
arches.

* Light was also important, as windows grew more and more

expansive and light and air flooded into the once gloomy churches.

Gothic Furniture
Furniture was massive and
adorned with Gothic
motifs.
Chairs, bed frames, cabinets
were sturdy and featured
arches, spiral-turned legs
and rich upholstery in dark
colors.