GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

• The Gothic architecture evolved from Romanesque

architecture and exaggerated it features, increasing the
scale of arches windows and spires.

• It emerged in France in the 12th century and was prevalent

in much of Europe until the end of the 15th century.

• The Name gothic was coined in derision by Italian

renaissance architects because it did not follow the style of
the romans.

• Gothic refer to the Goths.

 High gothic years (1250- 1300) Late gothic years (15th century )
Early gothic years (1130s- 1250s)
In which architecture style In which were characterized by
In which gothic architecture was
expanded toward Britain, expansion of gothic style into
majorly restricted to France.
Spain, and Italy. Germany.
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

STRUCTURAL PRINCIPLES

1. The Pointed Arch

2. Ribbed Vaulting

3. Piers and Flying Buttresses

4. Immense Windows Filled With Stained Glass

5. Elaborate sculpture and Spires

3. The Wall Became A Mere Filling-in Between The

Piers.

Skeletal stone structure

1. The Pointed Arch
2. Ribbed Vaulting

Vaults developed into many different forms: the barrel vault,

ribbed vault, pointed Gothic vault, cross vault, and fan vault.

Fan vaulting:

The ribs of the vault radiate out from the center in an

appearance similar to an open fan.

All the ribs are roughly equal size, and they are bordered by a
semi-circular rib.

Fan vaulting is only found in English churches and one fine

example is the ceiling of the Kings College Chapel in Cambridge,
built in the late 15th century.
3. Flying Buttresses
Flying buttresses are used in architecture as
external methods of support.

Flying buttress, masonry structure typically

consisting of an inclined bar carried on a half
arch that extends (“flies”) from the upper part
of a wall to a pier some distance away
and carries the thrust of a roof or vault.

Flying buttresses ultimately gave Gothic

cathedrals the ability to achieve their
astounding verticality and ethereal effect of
light.
3. Piers

The vertical support of an arch.

The forerunner of the Gothic clustered column, it

is cross-shaped in section, with shafts placed in
the recesses.
4. Immense Windows Filled With Stained Glass

Giant and elaborate stained glass windows,

colorfully and artfully depicting Biblical scenes for
all to see.

Glass craftsmen took spiritual and religious

ideology and utilized windows to tell stories to the
people who would see them
4. SPIRE AND SCULPTURE

Spire, in architecture, steeply pointed pyramidal or

conical termination to a tower.

The Gothic church spire originated in the 12th

century as a simple, four-sided pyramidal structure
on top of a church tower.

The spire could be constructed of masonry, as at

Salisbury Cathedral, or of wood covered with lead, as
at Notre-Dame de Paris.
a gargoyle (/ˈɡɑːrɡɔɪl/) is a carved or formed grotesque
with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and
away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it
from running down masonry walls and eroding the
mortar between.
Sainte Chapelle
Sainte Chapelle

• Location : Paris, France

• Built 1242

• Gothic architecture is often most notable for its size and

grandeur, but Sainte-Chapelle is a magnificent exception.
Though it is smaller than the great cathedrals of northern
France.
Structure Elements :

1. Series Of Groined Vaults

2. Buttresses Which Receive And Resist All The Thrusts.
3. Superb Windows .
4. The Wall-spaces Filled With Stone Ornamentation.
5. Stained Glass.
Sainte Chapelle
NOTRE DAME, PARIS.
NOTRE DAME, PARIS.

Notre Dame is perhaps the best-known Gothic cathedral in the

world.

location : on a small island in the Seine River in central Paris

Structure :
Were not finished until 1250

The vaulted ceilings were more open and spacious than

in Romanesque structures, with thinner columns that provided
a more “weightless” appearance.

The pointed arches also allowed for a taller ceiling and more
wall space for fenestration than the Romanesque
round arch provided.

130 by 48 metres in plan

Roof is (35 metres) high.
Two massive early Gothic towers
 The 3 styles of English Gothic church
architecture

1. The Early English Style

Initially inspired by French models

2. THE DECORATED STYLE

Introducing bar tracery, dividing

windows into sections using thin
stone bars.
3. THE VERTICAL STYLE/ PERPENDICULAR GOTHIC STYLE.

Buildings with a highly decorative form of window

tracery extending onto the walls are in
the Perpendicular Style.

*Perpendicular Gothic, or Third Pointed architecture

was the third and final style of English Gothic
architecture developed in the Kingdom of England
during the Late Middle Ages.
Canterbury Cathedral, Kent
Location: UK, Kent.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

• Canterbury took the radical decision to employ a French architect

• Its one of the oldest world heritage site and most famous Christian
structures in England.
• It was rebuilt from 1391 until the immense central tower , Bell Harry,
was completed in 1498.
• The Cathedral is combination between two architectural styles: the
Romanesque and the Perpendicular Gothic style.

ARCHITECTURE LAYOUT

The Romanesque style was used in the eastern side while, the
Perpendicular Gothic style, was used in the western side.

A large staircase unites the eastern and western side of the church
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Location:
Situated west of the Palace of Westminster, the Houses of
Parliament, and the River Thames in London Uk.

Name:
The Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster—better
known as Westminster Abbey.

Construction:

It was the first Romanesque church constructed in England.

Commissioned in 1050 by Edward the Confessor

Two centuries after the construction of the original

Westminster church, King Henry III ordered it torn down. He
planned to rebuild it in the classic Gothic architecture
style known today.
Westminster Abbey Design and Components

1. Flying buttresses
2. Vaulted ceilings
3. Pointed arches
4. Stained glass windows.

These elements can be found throughout the Abbey.

However, much of British history and architecture have
also influenced the character of the Abbey.,

Most clearly seen in the use of single aisles.

Polished marble
Purbeck columns,
elaborate moldings.
Interior view of the Henry VII Chapel,
Westminster Abbey, London, oil on
canvas, date unknown, 77.5 cm × 67 cm.
Origins of Italian Gothic Architecture

• In the 12th century, French architectural ideas

began to spread to Italy, leading to the adoption of
Gothic elements in Italian buildings.

• Additionally, the arrival of the Cistercian order in

Italy brought with it new architectural innovations.

• Venetian buildings are constructed on timber piles

due to the lack of solid ground in Venice.

Characteristics of Italian Gothic architecture

• Use of polychromatic patterns the integration of

classical elements.
• Focuses more on the materiality of the buildings.
• colored marble.
The Basilica of San Zeno in Verona

Location

The church and covent had been built

on the spot where the saint zeno had
been Buried.

The original Romanesque church

begun in 967,was damaged by an
earthquake.

It was reconstructed in 1120-1132 and

completed by the reconstruction of
the roof and the gothic style apse

Material
Warm color tufa stone
Brick
Can you name the place ?
The construction of the cathedral
was begun in 1386, sponsored by
the duke of Milan.

Most of the structure were

completed [Link] the façade
remained unfinished.

1805 Napoleon Bonaparte

ordered it to be completed. Final
work were finished by 1856.

*five centuries
It has an eastern apse that is French
Gothic in flavor with a large amount of
pinnacles.

Flying buttresses,

Complex window panel patterns

An octagonal Renaissance cupola; an

18th-century spire; and a Neoclassical
facade with bronze doors installed in the
20th century.
 40 pillars
5 main doors

A+B
The Duomo has a cruciform plan in the
form of a Latin cross that covers nearly
12,000 square meters.

157 meters long, its widest part

measures 93 meters in transept and can
accommodate 40,000 people inside.

Highlight its 135 needles and statues around

about 3400, including 96 giant gargoyles.

The needle is highest with the statue of the Virgin,

measures 108 meters.
A crypt : an underground room or vault
beneath a church, used as a chapel or
burial place
The highest point of the
cathedral is the “La
Madonnina”, work in
Giuseppe Perego gilded
copper, set in 1774.

Its measured 4.16 meters

and is at a height of 108
meters, has long been the
highest point town.

The roof was used by popes

were a built in seating was
found facing the statue of
the Virgin.
Can you name the place ?
[Link]
[Link]
Florence Cathedral:

Overview

Florence Cathedral is viewed as the most

important landmark in the city of Florence,
Italy.

Florence Cathedral is largely an Italian

Gothic-style building, elements were
added or removed from the original design
to create a newer and characteristically
Renaissance-style building.

The Cathedral's building began in 1296 CE

and was not completed until around 1436.

The entirety of the Cathedral would not

actually be completed until 1887.
The Santa Reparata church that
was on site of the modern
Cathedral was viewed as no
longer large enough to serve the
population of Florence.

Plan of Santa Reparata (in red) with further extensions of Florence Cathedral
which was constructed on top of it
Many names have been ascribed
to the Florence Cathedral over
time, including the "Duomo di
Firenze," which is simply Italian
for Florence Cathedral.

The Cattedrale di Santa Maria

del Fiore, is another, which
translates to "Cathedral of Saint
Mary of the Flower."

The "Duomo" is also a popular

name for the Cathedral.
Due to its almost 600 year history, the Florence
Cathedral has undergone many changes in its
time.

Architecture and Structure

• The architectural style for the Cathedral began

as a Gothic basilica, demonstrated by the
pointed high arches, and nave and transept
design.

• Changes to the original design would later be

made to incorporate more modern styles.

• Renaissance- style would become evident in

the Cathedral design through the use of simple
lines, domes, rounded arches, and simple
proportioned geometry (as opposed to the
more complex Gothic styles).
DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE.

These same principles controlled the designing of

houses, farm buildings, stores, and the like.
Some key features of Domestic Gothic Architecture
include:

[Link] arches: Arches with pointed tops,

commonly seen in windows, doorways, and decorative
elements.

2. Steeply pitched roofs: Roofs with high slopes,

often adorned with decorative bargeboards or
finials.

3. Ornate tracery: Elaborate stone or wooden

decorative patterns found in windows or screens.

4. Layout: typically had an open courtyard or central

courtyard surrounded by various wings or building.

4. Decorative elements such as pinnacles or turrets.

These features added a sense of drama and verticality
to the skyline of the city.