GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE ( 1200-1500 AD)
LECTURE 12
Gothic Architecture
BACKGROUND
• During the 12th century, features that were
to become typical of Gothic architecture
began to appear.
• Gothic architecture is a style of
architecture which flourished during the
high and late medieval period.
• It evolved from Romanesque architecture
and was succeeded by Renaissance
architecture.
• Originating in 12th-century France and
lasting into the 16th century, its
characteristic features include the pointed
arch, the ribbed vault and the flying
buttress.
Gothic Architecture
BACKGROUND
• Gothic architecture is most familiar as the
architecture of many of the great
cathedrals, abbeys and parish 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.
• The Gothic style, when applied to an
ecclesiastical building, emphasizes
verticality and light.
• often surmounted by one or more
towers and pinnacles and perhaps tall
spires.
Material
BACKGROUND
• Caen- fine white lime
stone
• England: coarse
limestone, red sandstone
and dark green marble
• Germany- bricks
• Italy- brick and marble
Gothic Architecture
BACKGROUND
• Tall windows
• Pointed arches
• Tall buildings
• Steep roofs
• Very ornate
(decorated)
• Extensive use of
stained glass
• Buttresses and
flying buttresses
St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle -
England
Byzantine Architecture
BACKGROUND
Gothic Style allowed for
high walls, allowing
larger windows, more
light.
The Difference at a Glance
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
Flying Buttresses
Extensive Stained Glass
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
The Stained Glass at Opera Duomo
Cathedral, Siena, Italy
The Doors of Chartres Cathedral
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
Doors
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
The Doors of the Cathedral of Santa Maria
del Fiore in Florence, Italy
Plan
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• Most Gothic churches, unless they are
entitled chapels, are of the Latin cross
(or "cruciform") plan, with a long
nave, a transept and beyond it, the
extension called choir, chancel or
presbytery.
• There are several regional variations
on this plan.
• The nave is generally flanked on
either side by aisles, usually singly,
but sometimes double.
Height
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• Verticality suggesting an inspiration to
heaven
• Nave taller than it is wide
• Proportion greater than 2:1
• Italy tower present is detached from
the building
• France and Spain- two towers
• England Germany Scandinavia-
multiple towers
• Small churches- one tower
Arches
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• The defining characteristic of Gothic
architecture is the pointed or ogival
arch.
• Gothic openings such as doorways,
windows, arcades and galleries have
pointed arches.
• Gothic vaulting above spaces both
large and small is usually supported
by richly moulded ribs.
• Niches with pointed arches and
containing statuary are a major
external feature.
Gothic Architecture- Exterior
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• Externally, towers and spires are
characteristic of Gothic churches
both great and small, the number
and positioning being one of the
greatest variables in Gothic
architecture.
• On the exterior, the verticality is
emphasised in a major way by the
towers and spires and in a lesser
way by strongly projecting vertical
buttresses.
Gothic Architecture- Exterior
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• A characteristic of Gothic church
architecture is its height, both
real and proportional.
• A section of the main body of a
Gothic church usually shows the
nave as considerably taller than
it is wide.
• In France, Gothic builders aimed
for seemingly impossible inside
height.
Gothic Architecture- Facade
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• West façade: Front façade
• Designed to create the powerful
impression on the approaching
worshipers representing both might
of God and might of institution that it
represents.
• Above portal there was Large Rose
window
• Gable richly decorated with arcading
and sculptures.
• Rest of the façade with polychrome
marble and mosaic
• Two towers in case of France
Gothic Architecture- Facade
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• In the centre of the middle level of
the facade, there is a large window,
which in countries other than
England and Belgium, is generally a
rose window like that at Reims
Cathedral.
• The gable above this is usually richly
decorated with arcading or
sculpture, or in the case of Italy, may
be decorated, with the rest of the
facade, with polychrome marble and
mosaic, as at Orvieto Cathedral.
Gothic Architecture- Openings
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• 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
decorative sculptural designs.
• The windows were very often
filled with stained glass which
added a dimension of colour to
the light within the building, as
well as providing a medium for
figurative and narrative art.
Gothic Architecture- Portal
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• Central to the façade is the main portal, often flanked by additional
doors.
• In the arch of the door, the tympanum, is often a significant piece of
sculpture, most frequently Christ in Majesty and Judgment Day.
• If there is a central door jamb or a tremeu, then it frequently bears a
statue of the Madonna and Child.
• There may be much other carving, often of figures in niches set into
the mouldings around the portals, or in sculptural screens extending
across the facade.
Doors and Portals
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
Notre dame Paris
Gothic Architecture
• Gothic
buildings
reached
astounding
proportions,
soaring high
above their
surrounding
towns.
Gothic Architecture
• In France, late
Gothic
architecture
stressed
flamboyant
decoration.
…inside
…and out.
Gothic Architecture
• In England,
“fan” vaulting
grew so
ornate that
one can no
longer tell
what is
decorative
and what is
structural.
