Gothic Cathedrals

Gothic architecture spread quickly throughout Europe, originating in 12th century France. It was inspired by the Romanesque architecture of England in the 10th century. Most Gothic architecture was seen prominently in cathedrals and churches of Europe. The structure used in Gothic cathedrals mostly involved the flying buttresses, pointed arch, and the ribbed vault.

Their style of building was both for beauty, and support. The pointed arch used originated in Islamic architecture, and inspired its use in Europe. The upward style is supposedly for representing an aspiration to heaven. Much of Gothic cathedrals were much taller than they were wide. The Lincoln Cathedral, in England, was the tallest cathedral of the medieval period, with its spire reaching 527 feet. The windows of the cathedrals were one of the most distinctive parts of the architecture. Just like the rest of the structure, they too pointed upwards. They were usually of stained glass, and not only for lighting, beauty, and color, but also to tell stories. Stained glass was known for having pictures of history. Statues built into the cathedrals also helped tell stories, such as the Strasbourg Cathedral, where the Devil is seen tempting the Foolish Virgins. Ribbed vaults were the main structure of the buildings. They’re consecutive arches that laid out a ceiling to the cathedral. Buttresses were found along the exterior cathedral walls, as tall tower-like structures. These helped hold up walls. Attached to many of them, were structures going from the wall to the buttress, called flying buttresses. This type of buttress allowed extra support to vaults and walls containing windows. For walls that had cut-out details such as large windows, this was almost necessary. It would lessen the amount of weight carried by the vault wall. For many of the taller vaults, two flying buttresses were one on top of the other, to give more support at a higher level.

Cathedrals of different regions are generally built differently. In France, they are mostly simple, being small and having few or no aisles and transepts. In England, no cathedral is the same, each one being large and wide. And often, English cathedrals have sections that were built within a wide range of time, spanning centuries even. Oddly, they have no intent in each of the sections being similar. Cathedrals of Germany tend to follow the pattern of the French, but with large and broader towers. Similar to England, Spain used diversity, having no area of the cathedral quite the same. Spanish cathedrals mostly composed of the architecture of other regions and cultures, such as Islamic and Renaissance detail. Italy, being very different than other regions, used symmetry and regularity. Italian cathedrals almost always used equilateral arches, and didn’t have much height.

Gothic cathedrals were large, and showed dominance in many areas. With their tall height and stained glass, they are often the most distinctive buildings of a city. They had careful planning, each one having evened weight and support, but still having a beautiful, elegant look. And no cathedral is the same, so every cathedral is a new sight to see.