Knowra Gothic architecture Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is a medieval European style distinguished by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses. These structural forms enabled taller buildings and larger areas of stained glass.
Pointed arch : An arch with two curves meeting at a point, able to span varied widths and heights. Its adaptable geometry helped Gothic builders shape tall openings and vaults.
Basilica of Saint-Denis : A church near Paris whose choir, rebuilt under Abbot Suger, is an early major work of Gothic architecture. Its rebuilt choir combined pointed arches, rib vaults, and extensive stained glass.
Chartres Cathedral : A French Gothic cathedral whose principal fabric was largely rebuilt after a fire in 1194. Its sculpted portals, stained glass, and high nave exemplify mature French Gothic.
Renaissance architecture : A European architectural movement that revived classical forms, symmetry, and proportion from the fifteenth century onward. Renaissance designers favored classical order over Gothic verticality and pointed forms.
Rib vault : A vault whose projecting ribs form a framework supporting masonry panels. Ribs concentrated vault loads and made complex ceilings possible.
Abbot Suger : The twelfth-century abbot of Saint-Denis who oversaw major rebuilding of its abbey church. His rebuilding program helped establish an influential early Gothic architectural model.
Notre-Dame de Paris : A medieval cathedral in Paris begun in the twelfth century and built over several centuries. Its construction records the development of Gothic design in the style’s early center.
Baroque architecture : A European architectural style characterized by dramatic movement, rich ornament, and theatrical spatial effects. Baroque buildings pursued dynamic spectacle rather than Gothic structural expression.
Flying buttress : An exterior arched support that transfers a wall’s lateral thrust to a separate pier. It braced tall nave walls while leaving room for large windows.
Île-de-France : The region around Paris that became an early center of Gothic architecture. The style took shape here before spreading across medieval Europe.
Show all 23