Gothic Cathedrals

Gothic Cathedrals: Background

In the 11th and 12th centuries, the Romanesque style dominated Europe. Because of regional differences, Romanesque lingered in some countries, such as Italy, after the emergence of Gothic in the middle of the 12th century.

• Romanesque generally used the elongated floor plan of a Roman basilica. In Rome, basilicas featured a long central aisle (nave) and were used for secular purposes. In Medieval Europe, the basilica floor plan was adapted to religious functions. The nave was covered with a vault—an interior roof made of arches. The nave was intersected by a shorter transept at a 90-degree angle, making the structure have the shape of a cross. Churches faced eastward to symbolize Jerusalem, the birth of Christianity. As a result, the east end comprised an apse—a semicircular part of the church—with an altar.

More complex churches had multiple aisles flanking the nave. They also had an ambulatory—another aisle around the apse in the shape of a semicircle. Occasionally, the ambulatory itself was surrounded by chapels called radiating chapels. Another key aspect of a Romanesque church was the semicircular arches and windows. Churches in this period also displayed sculptures and different types of ornamentation, for instance, carved column capitals (tops).

The growth of different monastic orders was one of the reasons for the expansion of church architecture across Europe. Churches were built bigger to house larger crowds. Because churches were sometimes updated, some buildings featured a fusion of styles.

Church architecture also displayed regional differences. For instance, Italy had access to marble, so many Romanesque buildings were faced with it. Romanesque also lasted in Italy longer than in the rest of Europe.

Gothic Cathedral Architecture

Gothic architecture gradually replaced Romanesque as an international style in Europe approximately between 1150 and the 16th century. The gothic style is best known for cathedrals, but its elements could also be seen in secular architecture and even furniture.

The Gothic style is divided chronologically into:

• Early
• High
• Late Gothic

This style also varied across European countries, for instance, the French Rayonnant style, the Spanish, and French Flamboyant style, as well as the English Perpendicular style.

Labeled Parts of a Gothic Cathedral

From the middle of the 12th century, architects began to construct taller and taller buildings, while, at the same time, making them appear weightless, with an abundance of natural light. They were able to achieve this aesthetic by using flying buttresses—exterior supports—that became one of the key aspects of Gothic architecture. Cathedrals built in this style also featured:

• rose windows
• stained glass
• pointed arches

And significant interior and exterior ornamentation, such as:

• window tracery
• complex vaults (roof interiors)
• spires
• towers

Fig. 2 - Quadripartite vault, Hans Hildebrand, 1907.

Gothic Vaults

Architects also paid special attention to vaulting—the interior roof over the nave. Ribbed vaults comprised of intersecting arcs varied in complexity. There were quadripartite (four-part) and sexpartite (six-part) vaults. Their name depended on the number of parts into which each section of the vault was split. England preferred fan vaults that resembled fans.

Fig. 3 - Gothic architecture in France, England, and Italy, 1915 (no known copyright restrictions).

Gothic Cathedral Characteristics

As with Romanesque, different countries subscribed to the general Gothic style while featuring regional differences. For instance, 13th-century French architecture sometimes used the Rayonnant style. Its name comes from the famous Gothic rose windows. This style focused on ornamentation, including window tracery and moldings. Architects combined the clerestory and triforium into a unified area of the church. The buildings also achieved a weightless look by using larger windows. These windows let in a significant amount of natural light, impacting the church's aesthetics depending on the time of day.

Fig. 4 - Elements of French Gothic architecture, Banister Fletcher, 1946.

Another Gothic variant associated with France is the Flamboyant style. This style is also linked to late Gothic architecture. Geographically, it can also be found in Spain. The Flamboyant style is even more decorative than its Rayonnant counterpart. The ornamentation, specifically found in tracery, was so dominant that it overshadowed the architectural elements.

In England, Late Gothic featured the Perpendicular style. As in France, the Perpendicular style sought to emphasize ornamentation in architecture. However, in this case, it was vertical lines decorating window tracery that became a key element of this aesthetic. Another popular element was fan vaults, in which the ribs of a vault looked like a fan. English churches also combined the different aspects of the building interior to emphasize a cohesive vertical space.

Italy was one of the exceptions to the Gothic style. In general, Romanesque lingered in that part of Europe longer than elsewhere. Moreover, as with Romanesque, Italy represented an unbroken tradition of masonry specifically focused on using marble since the Roman era. Italian cathedrals also opted for brick over stone used elsewhere. At the same time, some Italian buildings did adopt certain elements of the Gothic style.

Fig. 5 - Flying buttresses from a cross-section drawing of the Reims Cathedral, Wilhelm Lübke, Kunstgeschichte, 1908.

Examples of Gothic Cathedrals

There are many examples of Gothic cathedrals across Europe.

France

• Notre Dame, Paris, France (1163-1177)
• Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France (1194-1220)
• Reims Cathedral, Reims, France (1211–1345)
• Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, France (ca. 1238-1248)
• Amiens Cathedral, Amiens, France (1220-ca. 1270)

Germany

• Maulbronn Abbey, Maulbronn, Germany (founded 1147)
• Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany (1248–1560, 1842–1880)

England

• Westminster Abbey, City of Westminster, London, England (960, 1065, 13th century)
• Canterbury Cathedral, Kent, England (1070-1077, rebuilt 1174)
• Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester, England (1089–1499)
• Wells Cathedral, Wells, Somerset, England (1176–1445)
• Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury, England (1220-1258)
• King's College Chapel, Cambridge, England (1446-1515)

Italy

• Siena Cathedral, Siena, Italy (1265–1268)
• Orvieto Cathedral, Orvieta, Italy (1290–1591)
• Florence Cathedral, Florence, Italy (1296-1436)
• Milan Cathedral, Milan, Italy (1386-1965)

Spain

• Burgos Cathedral (1221-1567)
• Segovia Cathedral (1525-1577)

Aftermath

The Gothic style was gradually phased out during the 16th century, as the Renaissance began. Renaissance architecture brought back many elements of Roman buildings that featured a simpler appearance as compared to Medieval Gothic. These elements included using centralized domes, columns, rounded arches, and barrel vaulting. However, certain buildings were upgraded at this time. As a result, they featured a fusion of styles, such as the Florence Cathedral and its mixture of Gothic elements, including the windows above eye level, with a large Renaissance dome designed by the well-known Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi.