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Gothic Architecture
*** Shopping-Tip: Gothic Architecture
{{Archhistory}}
:''See also
Gothic art.''
'''Gothic architecture''' is a style of
Europe European architecture, particularly associated with
cathedrals and other churches, beginning in
12th century 12th century France and in use during the high and late
Middle Ages medieval period. It was succeeded by
Renaissance architecture beginning in
Florence in the
15th century 15th century. A series of '''
Gothic revivals''' began in mid-
18th century 18th century England, triumphed in
19th century 19th century Europe and continued, largely for ecclesiastical and university structures, into the
20th century 20th century. The term ''
Gothic (disambiguation) Gothic'' was originally intended as a stylistic insult by Reformation-era critics, then evolved into a neutral distinguisher between Northern European Architecture from Southern European ''
Romanesque'' Architecture; the term has since matured into a simple description of style.
Origin
The style originated at the
Saint Denis Basilica abbey church of Saint-Denis in
Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis Saint-Denis, near
Paris, where it exemplified the vision of
Abbot Suger. Suger wanted to create a physical representation of the Heavenly
Jerusalem, a building of a high degree of linearity that was suffused with light and color. The
facade façade was actually designed by Suger, whereas the Gothic nave was added some hundred years later. He designed the façade of Saint-Denis to be an echo of the Roman
Triumphal Arch of Constantine Arch of Constantine with its three-part division. This division is also frequently found in the
Romanesque architecture Romanesque style. The eastern
rose window "rose" window, which is credited to him as well, is a re-imagining of the Christian "circle-square"
iconography.
The first truly Gothic construction was the
Cathedral diagram choir of the church, consecrated in
1144. With its thin columns,
stained-glass windows, and a sense of verticality with an ethereal look, the choir of Saint-Denis established the elements that would later be elaborated upon during the Gothic period.
This style was adopted first in northern
France and by the
England English, and spread throughout France, the
Low Countries and parts of
Germany and also to
Spain and northern
Italy.
Image:paris.notre.dame.750pix.jpg thumb|300px|Notre-Dame Cathedral seen from the River Seine.
The Term "Gothic"
Gothic architecture has nothing to do with the historical
Goths. It was a pejorative term that came to be used as early as the
1530s to describe culture that was considered rude and barbaric.
François Rabelais imagines an inscription over the door of his
Utopian
Abbey of Thélème, "Here enter no hypocrites, bigots..." slipping in a slighting reference to "Gotz" (rendered as "Huns" in Thomas Urquhart's English translation) and "Ostrogotz." In English
17th century 17th century usage, "Goth" was an equivalent of "
vandal," a savage despoiler with a Germanic heritage and so came to be applied to the architectural styles of northern Europe before the revival of classical types of architecture. "''There can be no doubt that the term 'Gothic' as applied to pointed styles of
ecclesiastical architecture was used at first contemptuously, and in derision, by those who were ambitious to imitate and revive the Grecian orders of architecture, after the revival of classical literature. Authorities such as
Christopher Wren lent their aid in deprecating the old mediæval style, which they termed Gothic, as synonymous with every thing that was barbarous and rude.''", according to a correspondent in
Notes and Queries No. 9. December 29, 1849.
Characteristics
The style emphasizes verticality and features almost skeletal stone structures with great expanses of glass, sharply pointed spires, cluster columns,
flying buttresses, ribbed vaults, pointed
arches using the
ogive shape, and inventive
sculpture sculptural detail. These features are all the consequence of a focus on large stained-glass windows that allowed more light to enter than was possible with older styles. To achieve this "light" style, flying buttresses were used as a means of support to enable higher ceilings and slender columns. Many of these features had already appeared, for example in
Durham Cathedral, whose construction started in
1093.
Image:STmaximin-Solitude.jpg Provence.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|Conservative 13th century Gothic in [[Provence: Basilica of
Mary Magdalene,
Saint Maximin la Sainte Baume..html" title="Meaning of 300px|Conservative 13
th century Gothic in [[Provence">thumb|300px|Conservative 13
th century Gothic in [[Provence: Basilica of
Mary Magdalene,
Saint Maximin la Sainte Baume.">300px|Conservative 13
th century Gothic in [[Provence">thumb|300px|Conservative 13
th century Gothic in [[Provence: Basilica of
Mary Magdalene,
Saint Maximin la Sainte Baume.
Gothic cathedrals could be highly decorated with statues on the outside and painting on the inside. Both usually told
Bible Biblical stories, emphasizing visual
Medieval allegory typological allegories between
Old Testament prophecy and the
New Testament.
Important Gothic churches could also be severely simple. At the
Basilica of
Mary Magdalene in
Saint-Maximin,
Provence (''illustration, right''), the local traditions of the sober, massive, Romanesque architecture were still strong. The basilica, begun in the
13th century 13th century under the patronage of
Charles of Anjou, was laid out on an ambitious scale (it was never completed all the way to the western entrance front) to accommodate
pilgrims that came to venerate
Relic relics. Building in the Gothic style continued at the basilica until
1532.
In Gothic architecture new technology stands behind the new building style. The Gothic cathedral was supposed to be a microcosm representing the world, and each architectural concept, mainly the loftiness and huge dimensions of the structure, were intended to pass a theological message: the great glory of
God versus the smallness and insignificance of the mortal being.
Brick Gothic
''Main article:
Brick Gothic''.
Image:Marienburg 2004 Panorama.jpg Malbork.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|center|600px|The Teutonic Knights Castle of [[Malbork.html" title="Meaning of center|600px|The Teutonic Knights Castle of [[Malbork">thumb|center|600px|The Teutonic Knights Castle of [[Malbork">center|600px|The Teutonic Knights Castle of [[Malbork">thumb|center|600px|The Teutonic Knights Castle of [[Malbork
In Northern Germany,
Scandinavia and northern
Poland, in areas where native stone was unavailable, simplified provincial gothic churches were built of brick. The resultant style is called ''Backsteingotik'' in Germany and Poland. The biggest brick gothic building is the
Teutonic Knights Castle of
Malbork in Poland and the biggest brick gothic church is the
St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk in
Gdansk. The most famous example in
Denmark is
Roskilde Cathedral. Brick gothic buildings were associated with the
Hanseatic League and the
Teutonic Knights. There are over one hundred brick gothic castles in northern Poland built by the Teutonic Knights.
Sequence of Gothic Styles: France
The designations of styles in French Gothic architecture are as follows:
* '''Early Gothic'''
* '''High Gothic'''
* '''Rayonnant'''
* '''Late Gothic''' or '''Flamboyant''' style
These divisions are effective, but debatable. Because Gothic cathedrals were built over several successive periods, each period not necessarily following the wishes of previous periods, the dominant architectural style changes throughout a particular building. Consequently, it is often difficult to declare one building as a member of a certain era of Gothic architecture. It is more useful to use the terms as descriptors for specific elements within a structure, rather than applying it to the building as a whole.
Image:Cathedrale de Coutances.jpg Coutances_Cathedral.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|Left|250px|[[Coutances Cathedral in France.html" title="Meaning of Left|250px|[[Coutances Cathedral">thumb|Left|250px|[[Coutances Cathedral in France">Left|250px|[[Coutances Cathedral">thumb|Left|250px|[[Coutances Cathedral in France
Early Gothic:
* The East end of the
Abbey Church of St Denis
High Gothic:
*
Amiens Cathedral
* The main body of
Chartres Cathedral
*
Notre-Dame of Laon
*
Notre Dame de Paris
*
Reims Cathedral
Rayonnant:
* The nave of the
Abbey Church of St Denis
Late Gothic:
* The north tower of
Chartres Cathedral
* The
rose window of
Amiens Cathedral
* The west facade of the
Rouen Cathedral
* Church of St. Maclou,
Rouen.
* The south transept of the
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais
Sequence of Gothic styles: England
Image:Salisbury Cathedral Detail Arches.jpg thumb|right|200px|Salisbury Cathedral detail
The designations of styles in English architecture still follows conventions of labels given them by the antiquary
Thomas Rickman, who coined the terms in his ''Attempt to Discriminate the Style of Architecture in England'' (1812—1815)
* '''
Early English Period Early English''' (''ca'' 1180 - 1275)
* '''
Decorated Period Decorated''' (''ca'' 1275 - 1380 )
* '''
Perpendicular Period Perpendicular''' (''ca'' 1380 - 1520 ).
Early English:
*
Salisbury Cathedral
*
Wells Cathedral
*
Westminster Abbey
Decorated or "
Flamboyant":
*
Exeter Cathedral
Perpendicular:
*
King's College Chapel, Cambridge
Secular Gothic Architecture in England
Few examples of secular structures in Gothic style survive. The "Old Palace" at
Hatfield, Hertfordshire Hatfield, built in
1497, is famous for its entrance wing with an imposing
gatehouse, which gave access to the protected inner court. This is an example of the last phase of Gothic design in England which, due to its far northern situation, was still untouched by the Renaissance underway in central Italy. Local building traditions produced a
vernacular style that was as important as Gothic in the final appearance. The roofs are tiled in the local
East Anglian tradition. Substantial eaves enclose essential storage areas in spacious attics. The Gothic elements in these buildings are the paired lancet windows joined under a molding that threw rainwater away from their sills, and the buttresses between each pier and on the angles of the gatehouse tower.
Gothic revival
''Main article:
Gothic revival architecture''
Image:Chateau d Abbadie.jpg Antoine d'Abbadie.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|Chateau d'Abbadie, Hendaye, France: a Gothic pile for the natural historian and patron of astronomy [[Antoine d'Abbadie, 1860 - 1870;
Viollet-le-Duc, architect.html" title="Meaning of 300px|Chateau d'Abbadie, Hendaye, France: a Gothic pile for the natural historian and patron of astronomy [[Antoine d'Abbadie">thumb|300px|Chateau d'Abbadie, Hendaye, France: a Gothic pile for the natural historian and patron of astronomy [[Antoine d'Abbadie, 1860 - 1870;
Viollet-le-Duc, architect">300px|Chateau d'Abbadie, Hendaye, France: a Gothic pile for the natural historian and patron of astronomy [[Antoine d'Abbadie">thumb|300px|Chateau d'Abbadie, Hendaye, France: a Gothic pile for the natural historian and patron of astronomy [[Antoine d'Abbadie, 1860 - 1870;
Viollet-le-Duc, architect
In England, some discrete Gothic details appeared on new construction at
Oxford and
Cambridge in the late 17th century, and at the archbishop of
Canterbury's residence
Lambeth Palace, a Gothic
hammerbeam roof was built in 1663 to replace a building that had been sacked during the
English Civil War. It is not easy to decide whether these instances were ''Gothic survival'' or early appearances of ''Gothic revival,''.
In England in the mid-18th century, the Gothic style was more widely revived, first as a decorative, whimsical alternative to
Rococo that is still conventionally termed 'Gothick', of which
Horace Walpole's Twickenham villa "
Strawberry Hill" is the familiar example. Then, especially after the 1830s, Gothic was treated more seriously in a series of ''
Gothic revivals'' (sometimes termed
Victorian Gothic or ''Neo-Gothic''). The
Palace of Westminster Houses of Parliament in
London are an example of this Gothic revival style, designed by a major exponent of the early Gothic Revival,
Augustus Pugin. Another example is the main building of the
University of Glasgow designed by Sir
George Gilbert Scott.
In France, the towering figure of the Gothic Revival was
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who outdid historical Gothic constructions to create a Gothic as it ought to have been, notably at the fortified city of
Carcassonne in the south of France and in some richly fortified keeps for industrial magnates (''illustration, left''). Viollet-le-Duc compiled and coordinated an ''Encyclopédie médiévale'' that was a rich repertory his contemporaries mined for architectural details but also include armor, costume, tools, furniture, weapons and the like. He effected vigorous restoration of crumbling detail of French cathedrals, famously at
Notre Dame de Paris Notre Dame, many of whose most "Gothic" gargoyles are Viollet-le-Duc's. But he also taught a generation of reform-Gothic designers and showed how to apply Gothic style to thoroughly modern structural materials, especially
cast iron.
Gothic in the 20th Century
Image:gassonsummer.jpg Gasson_Hall.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|250px|[[Gasson Hall on the campus of
Boston College in
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.html" title="Meaning of 250px|[[Gasson Hall">thumb|250px|[[Gasson Hall on the campus of
Boston College in
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts">250px|[[Gasson Hall">thumb|250px|[[Gasson Hall on the campus of
Boston College in
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Neo-Gothic continued to be considered appropriate for churches and college buildings well into the 20th century.
Charles Donagh Maginnis's early buildings at
Boston College helped establish the prevalence of
Collegiate Gothic architecture on American university campuses, such as at
University of Chicago Chicago,
Princeton University Princeton and
Yale University Yale. It was also used, perhaps less appropriately, for early steel skyscrapers.
Cass Gilbert produced his 1907
90 West Street building and the 1914
Woolworth Building, both in
Manhattan, in a neo-Gothic idiom. It was
Raymond Hood's neo-Gothic tower that won the 1922 competition for the Chicago
Tribune Tower, a late example of the vertical style that has been called "American Perpendicular Gothic."
Another Gothic structure of interest is the jailhouse built in
DeRidder, Louisiana DeRidder,
Louisiana in 1914. The iron bars in most of the windows give the structure an eerie appearance. The structure includes shallow arches, dormer windows and has a central tower. It is now on the
National Register of Historic Places.
The National Cathedral is also a neo-Gothic structure.
The last prominent Gothic architect in America was probably
Ralph Adams Cram, working in the 1910s and 1920s. With partner
Bertram Goodhue they produced many good examples, like the sensitive and clever French High Gothic
St. Thomas Episcopal Church, New York with its asymmetrical, urban facade in the heart of Manhattan. Working alone, Cram took up the
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, what he meant to be the largest cathedral and largest Gothic struture in the world, again in French High Gothic. It remains unfinished. Both
St. Thomas and
St. John the Divine are built without steel.
List of notable Gothic structures
*'''France'''
**
Chartres Cathedral
**
Bourges Cathedral
**
-
Bourges Cathedral
**
Amiens Cathedral
**
Notre-Dame of Laon Notre-Dame de Laon
**
Notre Dame de Paris Our Lady's Cathedral in
Paris (''the'' Notre-Dame for many)
**
Reims Cathedral (where all the kings of France were crowned)
**
Saint Denis Basilica Abbey Church of Saint-Denis
**
Sainte-Chapelle in
Paris (famous for its colorful
stained glass windows)
**
Notre-Dame de Strasbourg (with its famous pink stone West front and high north tower)
For a list of all Early Gothic buildings in the Paris Basin, see [http://www.johnjames.com.au/medievaldatabase-parischurches-A-B.shtml]
*'''England'''
**
Westminster Abbey in
London
**
Ely Cathedral
**
York Minster
**
Exeter Cathedral
**
Salisbury Cathedral
**
Wells Cathedral
**
King's College Chapel, Cambridge King's College Chapel,
Cambridge
*'''Scotland'''
**
Glasgow Cathedral
**
Rosslyn Chapel
Image:Torun-Rynek-ratusz-2.jpg Toruń thumb|right|300px|City Hall in [[Toruń|Toruń.html" title="Meaning of Toruń.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|300px|City Hall in [[Toruń|Toruń">thumb|right|300px|City Hall in [[Toruń|Toruń">Toruń.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|300px|City Hall in [[Toruń|Toruń">thumb|right|300px|City Hall in [[Toruń|Toruń
*'''Spain'''
**
Santa Eulalia de Barcelona, in
Barcelona
**
La Seu, in
Palma de Mallorca Palma (
Majorca)
**
Burgos Cathedral Cathedral of Burgos, in
Burgos
**
Cathedral of León, in
León, León León
**
Cathedral of Murcia, in
Murcia
**
Cathedral of San Salvador (Oviedo) Cathedral of San Salvador, in
Oviedo
**
Cathedral of San Salvador (Zaragoza) Cathedral of San Salvador, in
Zaragoza
*'''Germany'''
**
Cologne Cathedral
**
Ulm Münster (features the highest church tower)
**
Freiburg Münster
**
Regensburg Cathedral
**
Lübeck Marienkirche
**
Marburg Elisabethkirche (the earliest Gothic church in Germany)
** St. Mary church in
Trier
*'''Italy'''
**
Ca' d'Oro,
Venice
**
Doge's Palace,
Venice
**
Milan Cathedral, The Duomo
**
Duomo di Siena Siena Cathedral
**
Campo dei Miracoli Pisa Cathedral
**
Orvieto Cathedral
*'''Belgium'''
**
Bruges#History Bruges City Hall, 1376—1420
*'''The Netherlands'''
**
St. John's Cathedral, 's-Hertogenbosch Sint Jan's Cathedral in
's-Hertogenbosch,
The Netherlands
**
Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht Cathedral of Saint Martin in Utrecht
*'''Austria'''
**
Cathedral of Saint Stephan in
Vienna
Image:St Vitus Cathedral from south.jpg St._Vitus Cathedral.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|240px|[[St. Vitus Cathedral in
Prague.html" title="Meaning of right|240px|[[St. Vitus Cathedral">thumb|right|240px|[[St. Vitus Cathedral in
Prague">right|240px|[[St. Vitus Cathedral">thumb|right|240px|[[St. Vitus Cathedral in
Prague
*'''Poland'''
**
St Mary's Church in Gdansk St Mary's Church in Gdańsk (the largest brick church in the world)
**
St Mary's Church in Kraków (with the famous
Veit Stoss altar carved in wood)
**
Wawel Cathedral in
Kraków
** City Hall in
Toruń
** The Castle of the
Teutonic Order in
Malbork
**
Gniezno Cathedral
*'''Slovakia'''
**
St. Martin's Cathedral in
Bratislava
*'''Czech Republic'''
** Saint Barbara's Church in
Kutná Hora (
:Image:Church of St Barbara Kutna Hora.JPG Church of St Barbara picture)
**
Charles Bridge in
Prague
** Old Town Hall in
Prague (
:Image:Old Town Hall Prague.JPG Old Town Hall picture)
**
St. Vitus Cathedral in
Prague
*'''Croatia'''
**
Zagreb Cathedral
*'''Russia'''
**
Königsberg Cathedral
*'''Lithuania'''
** St. Anne's church in
Vilnius
*'''Norway'''
**
Nidaros Cathedral in
Trondheim
*'''Sweden'''
**
Uppsala Cathedral
*'''Portugal'''
**
Alcobaça Monastery
**
Batalha Monastery
** Cathedral of
Évora
Some famous Neo-Gothic structures
Image:Scottmonument-v2-big.jpg Scott_Monument.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|150px|[[Scott Monument..html" title="Meaning of right|150px|[[Scott Monument">thumb|right|150px|[[Scott Monument.">right|150px|[[Scott Monument">thumb|right|150px|[[Scott Monument.
*
Albert Memorial,
London
*
Fonthill Abbey
*
Gasson Tower and
Bapst Library at
Boston College
*
Harkness Tower at
Yale University; 1917-21, James Gamble Rogers, architect
*
Hungarian Parliament Building,
Budapest
*
Palace of Westminster in
London, (the
Palace of Westminster Houses of Parliament)
*
Manchester Town Hall,
England
*
Parliament of Canada
*
Scott Monument.
Edinburgh
*
Santhome Cathedral,
Madras (
Chennai),
India
*
St Pancras Station,
London
*
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York St. Patrick's Cathedral in
New York City
*
Tribune Tower in
Chicago, Illinois
*
St. James Cathedral, Toronto St. James' Cathedral in
Toronto
*
University of Glasgow University of Glasgow
*The
Wills Memorial Building,
University of Bristol,
Bristol, UK
*
PPG Place in
Pittsburgh, PA
*The
Cathedral of Learning of
The University of Pittsburgh in
Pittsburgh, PA
*The
East Liberty Presbyterian Church in
Pittsburgh, PA
*The New Town Hall in
Munich
Further reading
*
Otto Georg von Simson Simson, Otto Georg von (1988). ''The Gothic cathedral: origins of Gothic architecture and the medieval concept of order''. ISBN 0691099596
{{commons|Gothic architecture}}
See also
*
Renaissance of the 12th century
*
Architectural history
*
Architectural style
*
Hawaiian architecture#Gothic Hawaiian Gothic Architecture
*
Medieval architecture
*
Cathedral architecture
*
Gargoyle
*
Middle Ages in history
*
Polish Gothic
cs:Gotická architektura
cy:Pensaernïaeth Gothig
da:Gotisk
de:Gotik
eo:Gotiko
fr:Architecture gothique
it:Architettura gotica
ja:ゴシック建築
nl:Gotiek
pl:Architektura gotycka
pt:Estilo gótico {{Link FA|pt}}
ro:Arhitectură gotică
ru:Готика
simple:Gothic architecture
sk:Gotika
fi:Gotiikka
sv:Gotikens arkitektur
uk:Ò?отика
Category:Medieval architecture
Category:Gothic architecture *
category:Architectural styles
Category:Roman Catholic Church art
'''''Architecture of
Gothic architecture Gothic style in the Medieval period (mid-12th century until the late 15th century).'''''
Category:Architectural history
Category:Architectural styles
Category:Gothic art
Category:Medieval architecture
fr:Catégorie:Architecture gothique
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Gothic architecture
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