Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period.

It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture.

Gothic architecture is the term used to describe building styles between 1200 to 1500. Such a large time span meant that a number of styles developed within Gothic architecture and it is common to divide these styles into three sections. The building between 1200 to 1300 is usually referred to as Early English; between 1300 to 1400, the style of building is referred to as Decorated and from 1400 to 1500, it is known as Perpendicular. It is common for major church buildings to show examples from all three of these periods.

Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe. It is also the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls, universities and to a less prominent extent, private dwellings.

Romanesque architecture proceeded the gothic architectural style. It had rounded arches, so thick walls were needed. The walls had to support all of the roof since there were no pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses and other supports. Because of the lacking of support, they had very few or no windows. Also, they could not be built very tall. Therefore, the Romanesque church appeared dreary and dark resembling a castle.

Gothic Cathedral

Romanesque Cathedral

One of the most notable monuments in Paris (and in all of Europe for that matter) is the Notre Dame Cathedral. This Catholic treasure is over 800 years old. It is located on a small island called the Ile de la Cite in the middle of river Seine. The building of the cathedral was completed over the course of 200 years; it was started in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII and was completed in 1345.
As is the case with most notable historical monuments, The Notre dame Cathedral Paris has its own share of both the glorious and the tragic historical moments that will forever remain indelible in the mind of people everywhere. Among them is the crowning of Henry VI of England right inside the cathedral in 1431. The Cathedral was at one time in a stage of total disrepair and close to the point of being demolished, but was later saved by Napoleon who himself was crowned Emperor in 1804 inside the Cathedral.

Notre-Dame de Paris among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress . The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave but after the construction began, the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher and stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern. Many small individually crafted statues were placed around the outside to serve as column supports and water spouts. Among these are the famous gargoyles, designed for water run-off, and chimeras. The cathedral was essentially complete by 1345. The cathedral has a narrow climb of 387 steps at the top of several spiral staircases.

The purpose of building Gothic cathedrals was to build a church worthy of God. A cathedral is a church which contains a cathedra or a throne for a bishop. In the twelfth century, bishops became independent of the secular power and took their destiny, and that of the Church, into their own hands. The growing power and prestige of the bishops combined with the architectural development and design of the churches. The Gothic Cathedral lifted Medevil minds out of the dirt and darkness of everyday life creating an other-worldly experience. The size and scale of the Cathedral made people experience Heaven vicariously on Earth. The Gothic Cathedral brought ordinary people closer to God literally.

The master mason was in charge. He was an architect and builder rolled into one. Without him and his workers, the cathedrals would not be possible. An entire town or city would work on the Gothic Cathedral together under the master masons supervision. Sometimes it would take more than 100 years to complete the Gothic Cathedral. The costs were immense so everyone in the town or city funded the Cathedral project. Some wealthy people would donate their entire estate and fortune upon their death. A percentage of all Church tithes and offerings also helped fund the project. Since the building process took up to a century the builders were able to acquire large amounts of money.

Originally cathedrals were the homes of Benedictine farther Inexpensive and readily available materials were used to build them such as timber, usually oak, for the roofs. Stone was used to construct the walls and could come from a variety of English mines. The most common stone used was limestone. In Italy, marble was easily obtained and frequently used. No marble was imported into England during the Gothic period, so English master masons used "Purbeck marble" instead, which wasnt really marble at all.

A pointed arch is an arch with a pointed apex. This design redirects the stress line(pressure caused by gravity from above) down to the ground through the columns which allows the engineers to build higher walls.

A ribbed vault is made of two intersecting pointed arches. The ribbed vault channels the weight of the ceiling to the columns creating a skeleton so the walls do not have to support the ceiling at all. This allows for thin, tall walls that can be filled with windows.

The flying buttress is a masonry arch extending off the outside of a building, often along the length of the nave of a cathedral, which transfers the thrust of the roof outwards and down to a pier. The pointed arch has a stress point at the top of the column so the flying buttress would be positioned against this stress point supporting the pointed arch from the outside of the Cathedral.

Stained glass windows

-Stained glass is glass that has been colored by adding metallic salts during its

manufacture. The colored glass is crafted into stained glass windows in which small pieces of glass are arranged to form patterns or pictures. The stained glass windows of the Gothic Cathedrals became the multi-media stories of the day depicting narratives from the Bible since most people could not read or write.

-Light was a symbol for God, so by bringing in more light the people were brought closer to God. Light becomes a building material. -The Gothic Cathedral literally becomes the Bible written in light..

A gargoyle or grotesque is a carved human or animal face or figure projecting from the gutter of a building, typically acting as a water spout. When it rained, it would appear that the gargoyles would be spitting water onto the ground. The gargoyle and grotesques of the Gothic Cathedral acted as water spouts and were suppose to frighten away evil spirits from the Cathedral. They also showed humans the evil side of nature and the universe.

Four Basic Designs

A depressed arch is achieved by drafting two arcs which rise steeply from each springing point on a small radius and then turn into two arches with a wide radius and much lower springing point. The overall effect produces a grid-like appearance of regular, delicate, rectangular forms.

The Flamboyant Arch is one that is drafted from four points. The upper part of each main arc turns upwards into a smaller arc and meets at a sharp, flame-like point.

In an equilateral arch, the radius is exactly the width of the opening and the center of each arch coincides with the point from which the opposite arch springs. This gives a wide opening of satisfying proportion useful for doorways, decorative arcades and large windows.

Lancet openings are often grouped, usually as a cluster of three or five. Lancet openings may be very narrow and steeply pointed.

In gothic architecture, one of the most distinctive characteristics is the large areas of windows. The structure of them developed from single openings to rich and decorative sculptural designs. They were usually filled with stained glass, creating beautiful pictures and art usually depicting Biblical scenes and themes to look at. This is one of the reasons the cathedrals are so amazing and beautiful.

Length

128 metres (420 ft)

Width
Height (max)

69 metres (226 ft)

69 metres (226 ft) (2 towers)

Spire(s)
Spire height

one
90 metres (300 ft)

Notre Dame CathedralParis, France