Gothicarchitecture
Gothicarchitecture
Gothicarchitecture
It is characterized by building of
great cathedrals, a progressive
lightening and heightening of
structure, and the use of pointed
arch, ribbed vault, flying
buttresses, and a system of richly
decorated fenestration
Pointed arches
Very high towers and spires and roofs
Clustered columns: tall columns that looked like a group of thin columns bundled
together
Ribbed vaults: arched ceilings made of stone. In the Gothic style they were held up by
stone ribs.
Tracery: carved stone lace in the windows and on the walls
Stained glass: richly coloured glass in the windows, often with pictures telling stories
Buttresses: narrow stone walls jutting out from the building to help hold it up
Flying buttresses: buttresses that help to hold the vault up. They are made with an
arch that jumps over a lower part of the building to reach the outside wall.
The nave is usually a lot taller than the aisles, and has
high windows which light up the central space.
CATHEDRAL SECTION
It is simply known as the Gothic
Arch and was reconstructed from
cylindrical vault of Roman
architecture.
There are four stones at the end of
the arch supporting the power from
the top so that the height and the
span of the arch are no longer
restricted and the arch can be
made as large and high as possible.
POINTED ARCH
Buttress is a supporting facility to share
the pressure from the main walls.
• impression of
verticality
• double transepts
Different building materials were found in different parts of Europe. This is one of the
differences in the architecture between different places.
In ITALY, stone was used for fortifications, but brick was Interior of Amiens Cathedral, France.
preferred for other buildings.
In Northern Germany,
Netherlands, Denmark, Baltic
The clear proportions countries and northern Poland
of Florence Cathedral ,
ITALY are defined by dark there was clay for making bricks
stone against the colour- and tiles. So many of these
washed plastered brick. countries have Brick Gothic
churches and even Brick
Gothic castles.
RIBS
The innovative
design used at
Saint-Denis
became the
inspiration
W. Face of
Chartres
Cathedral 1134-
1220