Gothic Architecture


Beginning in the mid-12th century and lasting into the 15th century, the Gothic style was the popular architectural style implemented throughout Europe. Each region in Europe developed its own take on the Gothic style, but all have a similar emphasis on vertical elements (such as pointed arches, spires, or upward-pointing triangles). Each structure was made from local or relatively local materials.


Building types:
Churches
Public buildings

Features/elements/characteristics:
Pointed arches
Vaulting (groin, rib, perpendicular)
Spires
Triangles
Flying buttresses
Large windows
Elaborately detailed doorways
Considerable sculpture
A focus on the vertical
Rose windows
A focus on light and color




Northern European Gothic



Ambulatory at the Basilica of St. Denis. 1140-1144.

Basilica St. Denis Ambulatory. Photo by Beckstet.
CC BY-SA 3.0.


In this video, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker talk about the earliest example of Gothic architecture, the ambulatory at St. Denis designed by Abbot Suger.





Reims Cathedral or Notre-Dame de Reims. Begun in 1211.

Reims Cathedral. Photo by G. Garitan. CC BY-SA 4.0.

In this video, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker talk about the history of Notre-Dame de Reims.

If you are interested in Reims Cathedral's reconstruction after WWI, you can read an online 2019 Smithsonian Magazine article on the subject here.





Amiens Cathedral or Notre-Dame d'Amiens. c. 1220-1266.

Amiens Cathedral. Photo by Welleschik. CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized.


Amiens Cathedral. Photo by VincentdeMorteau.
CC BY-SA 2.5. Resized.

In this video, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker talk about Amiens Cathedral.





Cologne Cathedral. c. 1248-1560, 1842-1880, 1950s restoration.

Cologne Cathedral. Photo by Mark Bauer. 2012.


In this video, Discovery UK examines Cologne Cathedral and its incredible windows.


Cologne Cathedral Front. Photo by Mark Bauer.
2012.

Cologne Cathedral Outside. Photo by Mark Bauer.
2012.

Cologne Cathedral Outside Detail.
Photo by Mark Bauer. 2012.

Cologne Cathedral Flying Buttresses.
Photo by Mark Bauer. 2012.

Cologne Cathedral Gargoyles. Photo by
Mark Bauer. 2012.

Cologne Cathedral Nave.
Photo by Mark Bauer. 2012.






Eastern European Gothic


St. Vitus Cathedral. Photo by Alvesgaspar. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized.

St. Vitus Cathedral. 1344-1929.


St. Vitus Cathedral. Photo by Alvesgaspar.
CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized.

The present St. Vitus Cathedral building in Prague, Czech Republic, has a long and complex history that shows us how complicated the history of architectural structures can be. The present cathedral was begun in 1344 but was still unfinished when the Hussite Wars caused an end to construction in the 1420s. After a 1541 fire, restoration work was done and a few Renaissance and Baroque elements were added, including the spire of the south tower. Only during the Gothic Revival period of the 1800s was the building finally finished to have its unified medieval Gothic appearance.





Brabantine Gothic



Town Hall in Brussels. 1401-1455. Rebuilt after 1695. Later additions.

Town Hall in Brussels. Photo by Christopher Goedert. 2022.

The original Town Hall was built in the Gothic style between 1401 and 1455. In 1695, a French army bombarded the city center, essentially reducing the Town Hall to its stone structure. The building was reconstructed in the early 18th century with new wings added in a Baroque style. During the 19th century, the building was renovated with new sculptures added to the facade. The interior was renovated in a Gothic Revival style.





English Gothic



Gloucester Cathedral. 1089-1499.

Gloucester Cathedral. Photo by Geni. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized.

In this video, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker examine Gloucester Cathedral, a medieval structure with features from multiple styles (Romanesque, Early Gothic, Decorative Gothic, and Perpendicular Gothic).


Photo by Zhurakocskyi.
Public Domain. Resized.

Gloucester Cathedral's vaulted ceiling.





Wells Cathedral. Begun c. 1175.


In this video, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker describe Wells Cathedral.


Fan vaulting in Wells Cathedral's Chapter House.





Italian Gothic



Florence Cathedral or Il Duomo di Firenze. 1296-1436.

Florence Cathedral. Photos by Mark Bauer. 2019.


In this video, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker talk about Florence Cathedral and its wonderful dome designed and built under the direction on Filippo Brunelleschi.



The facade of Florence Cathedral which was added between 1876 and 1887.


Inside the cathedral.


Looking up at the inside of the dome with its elaborate fresco painting. The fresco was painted by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari (with collaborators) in the late Renaissance period (between 1568 and 1579).


The herringbone pattern of the brickwork which helps hold the structure together.





Gothic Revival

During the 1800s, architects became interested in the architectural styles of the Middle Ages, including styles from the Gothic period. This period also saw the development of Romanticism and the rise of Nationalism in Europe, and the styles of the medieval period fed into both of these larger ideas. As authors, artists, and architects worked with Romantic notions, they sought stories and styles which fit in with their own local customs and which contrasted with the dominant Classical stories and styles that had influenced the larger European culture since the Renaissance. As nationalists developed ways of defining and describing themselves as citizens of nations such as Britain, France, Spain, Italy, or Germany, they looked to the medieval past for stories, songs, foods, art, and architecture in order to help create those national identities.

You can see a wide variety of Gothic Revival structures from Europe and from the United States here.


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