Gothic Architecture

1. Buildings across Time, 4th Edition
Chapter Nine: Gothic Architecture
Introduction
Gothic originated in the first half of the twelfth century in the region around Paris and
spread to the rest of Europe, where the style was modified to suit local conditions and
aesthetic preferences. The key elements of the French Gothic are:
• the pointed arch
• the ribbed vault
• the flying buttress
• large windows with tracery
• piers composed of shafts bundled around a core
Unlike Romanesque buildings, in which a continuous mass of wall is necessary to sustain
the load, the Gothic structure is a skeletal system, that transfers overhead loads down to
the ground at discrete points, thus freeing large expanses of wall to be opened for
windows.

2. Introduction
Gothic Anatomy
Section showing Gothic
structure in a major
church. Arrows indicate
how dead loads from
the vaults are
transferred to the piers
of the arcade and also,
through the buttress
flyers, to the buttress
piers outside the
building.
The buttress flyers
additionally help to
resist lateral or side
loads caused by the
wind blowing against
the tall building.
Buttress
Pier
Buttress
Flyers
Arcade
Pier
Clerestory
Triforium
Arcade
Vaults

3. Early Gothic in France
The Abbey Church of St. Denis, 1137 - 1144
Generally recognized as the first Gothic building, Abbot Suger’s architects combined Norman composition with
the sculptural detail associated with central and southern France in their re-building of the Abbey Church of St.
Denis. This plan of the abbey church of St. Denis shows the plan of the original eight-century basilica. Abbot Suger
rebuilt the west front between 1137 and 1140, and the design was so well-received, he oversaw construction of a
new, enlarged choir for the church between 1140 and 1144. This new choir is considered to reflect advances in
the early Gothic style.
Enlarged
West
Front
Enlarged
Choir
Original
Basilica

4. Early Gothic in France
The Abbey Church of St. Denis, 1137 - 1144

5. Early Gothic in France
The Abbey Church of St. Denis, 1137 - 1144

6. Early Gothic in France
The Abbey Church of St. Denis, 1137 - 1144
Note the
window
tracery, the
decorative
intersecting
stonework in
the upper
sections of
the windows
in a Gothic
church.

7. Early Gothic in France
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Laon, 1155-1205
Many of the great cathedrals in France
were dedicated to the Virgin Mary and
have the name “Notre Dame” (“Our
Lady” in English.) This façade has a
greater feeling of depth and openness
than was seen at St. Denis. Deep hoods
protect the entrance portals, and the
upper stages of the twin towers become
octagonal in plan.
St. Denis facade

8. Early Gothic in France
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Laon, 1155-1205
The nave has a four-story
elevation: aisle arcade,
gallery, triforium (where
the roof over the aisle
connects to the exterior
wall of the nave), and
clerestory.
Clerestory
Gallery
Aisle
Arcade
Triforium

9. Early Gothic in France
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Laon, 1155-1205
Bundled wall
shafts
correspond to
the ribs of the
sexpartite vaults
(bays or vaults
divided into six
triangular parts)
overhead.

10. Early Gothic in France
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, 1150-1250

11. Early Gothic in France
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, 1150-1250
Changes in the cathedral
design were implemented as
the church was being built.
Construction on the cathedral
began between 1150 and
1155. To bring more light into
the church, the clerestories
around the newly-
constructed nave were
enlarged around 1225 and
the original nave buttresses
were rebuilt. This change is
reflected in the nave
elevations.
Enlarged
Clerestory
Rebuilt
Design
Original
Design

12. Early Gothic in France
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, 1150-1250
Changes in the cathedral
design were implemented as
the church was being built.
Construction on the cathedral
began between 1150 and
1155. To bring more light into
the church, the clerestories
around the newly-
constructed nave were
enlarged around 1225 and
the original nave buttresses
were rebuilt. This change is
reflected in the nave
elevations.
Enlarged
Clerestory

13. Early Gothic in France
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, 1150-1250
The ceiling is constructed as a series of
sexpartite vaults. Notice how there is a
continuity of line from the vaulting ribs to
the wall shafts, giving the interior a vertical
sweep. While the clerestory windows were
enlarged in the 13th century, later Gothic
cathedrals featured much larger windows.

14. Early Gothic in France
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, 1150-1250
West front: what seems to be an obvious
symmetrical composition turns out to be
not entirely so. These small variations
and details make this a highly individual
building. The decorative, bud-like
protrusions on the angles of Gothic
stonework, especially on spires and
towers, are known as crockets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtR
khL_yeu8

15. High Gothic in France
Notre Dame Cathedral, Chartres, 1194-1230
Plans of cathedrals at
Chartres and Bourges. These
buildings, begun within two
years of one another, show
different approaches to
Gothic design. Chartres
continues the tradition of
pronounced transepts seen
at Notre Dame, Laon, while
Bourges has a double
ambulatory rather like Notre
Dame, Paris.
Notre Dame, Chartres Bourges Cathedral

16. High Gothic in France
Notre Dame Cathedral, Chartres, 1194-1230
The first monument of the
High Gothic was the
Cathedral of Notre Dame
at Chartres, built after a
fire damaged the old
Romanesque church.
Flying buttresses were
planned from the start,
simplifying the design and
eliminating the galleries.
Notice the changes from
early to high Gothic, as
well as the greatly
increased height of the
arcade and clerestory at
Chartres.Notre Dame, ChartresNotre Dame, Laon
Clerestory
Triforium
Arcade
Gallery
Triforium
Clerestory
Aisle

17. High Gothic in France
Notre Dame Cathedral, Chartres, 1194-1230
Notre Dame at Chartres was built
between 1194 and 1230, but the
north tower was not completed
until 1513.

18. High Gothic in France
Bourges Cathedral, 1195-1250
Section through the cathedral of St. Etienne
at Bourges, which shows the buttresses and
paired aisles that provide bracing for the
high vaults of the nave and choir.
This is a more structurally-efficient Gothic
cathedral than seen elsewhere, in that it
achieves a comparable height and area to
Chartres but requires significantly less stone.
The model established here, however, was
seldom used in later churches. One suspects
the building patrons preferred the dramatic
luminosity provided by the tall clerestory
windows of the single-aisle design more
than structural efficiency, since Gothic ideas
tended to be about light and space rather
than construction technique.
Aisle Aisle Nave

19. High Gothic in France
Bourges Cathedral, 1195-1250
Due to the
double aisles,
the
clerestory
windows at
Bourges tend
to be smaller
than those
seen in other
Gothic
cathedrals,
but the nave
piers are
exceptionally
tall.

20. High Gothic in France
The Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, 1243-1248
Built as a palace chapel
by King Louis IX to
house relics he had
acquired from
Constantinople, this
small two-story jewel of
High Gothic design is a
virtual glass-walled
structure, with stone
cross-sections reduced
to a minimum.
The relatively small
scale and internal metal
tie-rods that resist
outward thrust on the
building make flying
buttresses unnecessary.

21. High Gothic in France
The Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, 1243-1248
The upper
floor chapel,
for use by the
royal family, is
surrounded by
stained glass
windows with
bar tracery in
the new
rayonnant
style or
characterized
by radiating
lines.

22. High Gothic in France
The Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, 1243-1248
The upper
floor chapel,
for use by the
royal family, is
surrounded by
stained glass
windows with
bar tracery in
the new
rayonnant
style or
characterized
by radiating
lines.

23. English Gothic
English Gothic Tracery
Examples of English Gothic window tracery. From left to right, these windows are from the Early
English, Decorated, and Perpendicular periods.
Early English Decorated Perpendicular

24. English Gothic
Early English Gothic style
The Early English Style existed in England from around 1175 to about 1265. Vaulting is
straightforward, usually quadripartite, and windows have lancet-shaped heads.

25. English Gothic
Decorated Gothic style
The Decorated Style existed in England from around 1250 to about 1370. It used vaulting with
extra ribs, included ribs that do not rise out of a pier colonnette and are not ridge ribs, and
includes trefoil (three-part) and quatrefoil (four-part) cusped tracery shapes.
TREFOIL
QUATREFOIL

26. English Gothic
Perpendicular Gothic style
The Perpendicular Style, the most decidedly English Gothic style, was in fashion in England from
around 1330 to about 1540. It is distinguished by panel tracery and vaulting in elaborate fan
shapes.

27. English Gothic
Canterbury, 1175-1184
Plans of the cathedral at Canterbury,
showing the original Norman church
and its Gothic replacement, which
made use of the foundations from
the earlier church.
In the chapel behind the choir,
Canterbury incorporates the shrine
of St. Thomas Becket, who is
venerated as a saint and martyr by
both the Catholic Church and the
Anglican Communion and was
murdered here by agents of King
Henry II in 1170. The shrine provides
extensive accommodation for
religious pilgrims.

28. English Gothic
Salisbury, 1220-1258
Plans of Salisbury Cathedral (1220-1258),
King’s College Chapel in Cambridge (1446-
1515), and Lincoln Cathedral (1192-1280).
Both Salisbury and Lincoln have plans that
reflect Cistercian monastic church
architecture with rectangular chapels and
double transepts inspired by Cluny III.
Note the polygonal chapter houses,
elegant centrally plan buildings where the
cathedral canons could meet. The
rectangular plan of King’s College Chapel
was designed for preaching. Vast resonant
spaces work well for chants, while the
spoken word benefits from a smaller, less
reverberant hall.
SALISBURY
KING’S COLLEGE
LINCOLN

29. English Gothic
Salisbury, 1220-1258
Salisbury
Cathedral was
unique in that it
was built almost
entirely in one
style, Early
English Gothic.

30. English Gothic
Salisbury, 1220-1258
Notice how the
vaulting ribs do not
extend as wall ribs
down to grouped
piers, but spring
instead for corbels set
between the clerestory
windows.
https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=MHOTA
hHjtww

31. English Gothic
Lincoln Cathedral, 1192-1280
Lincoln Cathedral
provides a wonderful
sampler of vaulting.
The transepts are
sexpartite, while the
nave features vaults
of the decorated
period.
Most unusual of all
are the choir vaults,
known as ‘crazy’
vaults because their
rib pattern is
asymmetrical.

32. English Gothic
Lincoln Cathedral, 1192-1280
Lincoln Cathedral
provides a wonderful
sampler of vaulting.
The transepts are
sexpartite, while the
nave features vaults
of the decorated
period.
Most unusual of all
are the choir vaults,
known as ‘crazy’
vaults because their
rib pattern is
asymmetrical.

33. English Gothic
Ely Cathedral Lantern, 1322-1336
View into the unusual, wooden
lantern at Ely Cathedral, seen
from below. The octagon is
rotated 22.5 degrees from the
long axis of the nave. The lantern
is made of wood, because the
foundations were insufficient for
rebuilding in a heavier material,
like stone.

34. English Gothic
Hammerbeam Truss, Westminster Hall, London, 1394-1402
A hammerbeam is a short,
horizontal structural member
attached to the foot of a
principal rafter. Notice how the
wooden members come to rest
on the masonry wall, with the
hammerbeam partially
supported by the hammer
brace.
The hammerbeam truss at
Westminster Hall rests on
Norman walls. It was
constructed to replace a
wooden roof that required
intermediate supports, but the
span was too great for
continuous beams.
Principal
Rafter
Hammerbeam
Hammerbeam
Brace

35. German and Italian Gothic
St. George Church, Nördlingen, Germany, 1427-1500
This is a hall church, where the
nave and aisle vaults are virtually
the same height.
Gray stone ribs form intricate
geometric patterns on the
plastered surface of the vaults.

36. German and Italian Gothic
St. Barbara Church, Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, 1388-1512
At the nave vaults, the supporting
piers rise as unbraced shafts above
the inner aisles to vaults that match
the height of the nave. Large gallery
windows flood the interior with
light, illuminating the flower-like ribs
that flow gracefully across the
vaulting shell.

37. German and Italian Gothic
Milan Cathedral, 1387-1572; 19th century
This is the largest
Gothic church in
Italy, and its
structure is based
on the cross-
section of Bourges
Cathedral, where
pairs of aisles help
to brace the high
nave vaults.
Master builders
from France,
Germany, and
Italy were
consulted
concerning its
design and
construction.

38. Medieval Construction
Villard de Honnecourt, ca. 1225-1250
Pages from the Notebook of Villard
de Honnecourt, who lived around
1225. Villard collected drawings
from various places, intending to
pass his work on to others. This
page shows methods for obtaining
the solution to geometric problems,
important skills for medieval
builders.

39. Medieval Construction
Villard de Honnecourt, ca. 1225-1250
Page from the Notebook of
Villard de Honnecourt,
showing a sketch of
wrestling men along with
the scheme for a Cistercian
church and a plan for the
choir at Reims cathedral.
Villard’s drawings are the
earliest record we have of a
medieval builder’s graphic
representation of buildings.

40. Medieval Construction
Villard de Honnecourt, ca. 1225-1250
Page from the Notebook of Villard
de Honnecourt, showing plans for
two Cistercian church choirs. Some
scholars think that Villard was
involved in rebuilding the choirs of
Cistercian churches to more
elaborate designs. Notice that these
plans show vaulting ribs and (unlike
the Plan of St. Gall) wall thicknesses.

41. Medieval Houses and Castles
Long House
Reconstruction view of an early medieval long house from Bremerhaven, Germany. Entrances
set on opposite sides of the long wall divide the building into two parts, one with a hearth for
cooking and warmth, and the other with stalls for animals. Regularly spaced wooden posts
support the roof frame, which is weatherproofed in thatch.

42. Medieval Houses and Castles
Hall Interior
Interior of the hall in a
medieval manor house. This
was the main living space,
provided with a central hearth
for warmth. Meals would be
taken here in common with
household servants and
retainers.
It is ironic that the hall in
modern houses has dwindled
down to an entryway or
connecting passage, when once
it was the major living space.

43. Medieval Houses and Castles
Half-timbering
Diagram showing the braced heavy
timber frame (half timbering) used
in medieval construction.
Sections between the wooden
members could be filled with
wattle and daub, brick, or other
material that then might be
plastered over inside and out,
creating a solid wall.
Notice the slight cantilevers or
jetties that extend the floor space
on the upper levels. Along narrow
medieval streets, these overhangs
would reduce available light.

44. Medieval Houses and Castles
Half-timbering
View of a half-timbered medieval
house. Note the diagonal braces
used to strengthen the corners.
Even with these braces, many
surviving medieval houses are
amazingly out of plumb. England
and Germany tend to preserve
substantial numbers of urban
buildings constructed in this
manner. In Germany, half-timbering
is known as Fachwerk.

45. Medieval Houses and Castles
Cluny House
Twelfth-century house at Cluny. This
townhouse is typical of many
medieval urban residencies,
combining workshop or commercial
space on the ground floor with the
owner’s living quarters on the floors
above. To obtain light and air, there
is a small courtyard at the back,
beyond which is the kitchen. The
upstairs hall served as the
multipurpose living space.

46. Medieval Houses and Castles
San Gimignano
Tower houses at San
Gimignano. In many
northern Italian towns where
masonry construction was
the norm, medieval families
constructed towers on
houses out of a sense of
competition or perhaps for
defense. At San Gimignano,
house towers were
apparently also used to hang
lengths of dyed cloth.

47. Medieval Houses and Castles
Tower of London, 1078-1080
William the Conqueror
built this castle at the
eastern edge of London
to signal his dominion
over the most important
city in England. Its three
floors are vaulted, and
the roof served as a
fighting platform. In the
rounded section at the
second floor is a Norman
chapel.

48. Medieval Houses and Castles
Tower of London, 1078-1080
Plan of the Tower
of London,
showing the
ancillary walls
constructed since
William’s time.
When first built,
the Tower sat just
inside the Roman
wall around
London, shown
here as the solid
black line.
Roman
Wall
Tower

49. Medieval Cities
Bastide towns, southern France, 1220-1375
A Cité was an old medieval
fortified settlement that was
eventually built up into a fortified
stronghold.
A bastide was a medieval town
built near a fortified Cité for
defensive purposes and generally
laid-out with a geometric plan.
These were built to encourage
economic growth in a devastated
region. Bastides were commonly
located in France, built between
1220 and 1375.
Bastides often posses an
orthogonal street layout, a central
market square, a town hall, and
uniform lot sizes for houses. The
church is usually relegated to a
side location.

50. Medieval Cities
Carcassonne, built 800-1300
The Cité at Carcassonne, a
medieval French city with
fortifications dating back to
the seventh century.
Plan of Carcassonne, showing
the fortified Cité (lower right)
and the later grid-plan
bastide, that was established
in 1248 across the river Aude.
When the second set of walls
was planned for the Cité, the
hilltop became essentially a
military camp. The civilian
population was resettled in
the valley, where there was
room for commerce to thrive
under the protection of the
fortified stronghold.
Bastide
Cité

51. Medieval Cities
Kraków, Poland, 1257
Plan of Kraków, Poland, generated by a
Great Charter in 1257. The orderly town
plan (shown in dark hatching) includes a
large market square, 600 feet on a side.
Building lots were laid out to maximize
frontage on important streets and around
the square. Exceptions to the grid were
made for existing buildings, notably St.
Mary’s Church and sections of town that
had grown up around the castle.
St. Mary’s
Church
Market
Square
City Hall
Cloth Hall

52. Medieval Cities
Kraków, Poland, 1257
View of the market square at Kraków, showing St. Mary’s Church (left) and the Cloth
Hall in its center. Textile merchants were very important. Their trading hall had stalls
on the ground floor and rooms for the cloth guild upstairs.

53. Medieval Cities
Ca’d’Oro, Venice, begun 1421
The Ca’d’Oro (House of
Gold) in Venice, begun in
1421. This is an
exceptionally fine
merchant house facing
on the Grand Canal. Its
name came from the
gilding that was once
applied to its exterior
detailing. Even without
the gold, its lace-like
arch tracery and marble
walls shimmer in light
reflected off the water.

54. Medieval Cities
Venice
Section through a typical Venetian
palazzo, showing how the deep
grand salon extends from front to
back to encourage circulation of
air through the house.
As in other medieval cities, the
ground floor of houses was
typically used for commerce, with
the residential quarters on the
upper levels where the outlook
was pleasant.
The upper level used for receiving
guests is known as the piano
nobile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=vigjJih8Pn4