Gothic architecture developed between 1150 and 1400 AD in Europe. It evolved from Romanesque architecture with key innovations like pointed arches, rib vaulting, and flying buttresses that allowed for taller buildings with larger windows. Gothic cathedrals became important symbols of towns and featured stained glass, sculpture, and elaborate tracery. The style progressed through experimental, classical, and flamboyant stages before declining at the end of the 15th century.

1. Gothic Architecture
1150 A.D – c.1400 A.D.

2. What is ‘Gothic’?
 The Gothic period was progressionary step
from the preceding Romanesque period.
 The word ‘Gothic’ was a derogatory term
coined during the Renaissance to describe
the old-fashioned and unenlightened of the
period.

3. Influences on the Period
 The ever increasing wealth and power of the
Catholic Church.
 Significant advances in structural engineering.
 The combination of rib-vaulting and pointed
arches.
 The importance given to biblical & local saints.

4. Gothic Beginnings
 Gothic Architecture began with the construction
of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Denis, in the Ile-
de France, just north of Paris in 1144.
 The Abbey was build under the stewardship of
Abbot Suger.
 Abbot Suger is known as the ‘creator of Gothic’.

5. Gothic Churches
 They became an important status symbol for
a town.
 Churches began to get significantly bigger
and as a result we began to call these larger
buildings cathedrals.

6. Gothic Stages
 The Experimental Stage
- Roughly the period from the building of the Abbey
Church at St. Denis to the opening decades of the
thirteenth century.
 The Classical Stage
- Spans the entire thirteenth century
 The Flamboyant Stage
- Extends into the end of the fifteenth century

7. http://klimtlover.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/cluny-iii.png
A Typical Gothic Cathedral

8. Gothic Architectural Features
 Pointed Arches
 Flying Buttresses
 Thin walls
 Cruciform Shape
 High Pointed Spires
 Stained Glass Windows
 Rib-Vaulting
 High Relief Sculpture

9. Gothic Architectural Features
Pointed
Arches
The most obvious
difference between
Gothic and
Romanesque
architecture is the
shape of the arches.
Pointed arches were
stronger than the
rounded
Romanesque arch.http://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/252/flashcards/825252/png/untitled1323743639824.png

10. Gothic Architectural Features
Rib Vaulting
• A ribbed vault is criss-crossed
by ribs of solid stone that
provide a skeletal frame to
support the vault.
• Ribbed Vaults were much
lighter and did not need
massive stone walls to support
them.
• As a direct result it was
possible to open large spaces
in the walls for windows.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gotic3d2.jpg

11. Gothic Architectural Features
Flying Buttresses
• A flying buttress is an
external arch that was used
to support the central nave
wall and eliminate the
outward thrust caused by
the weight of the roof and
ceiling structure of Gothic
cathedrals.
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsapp/BT/EEI/MASONRY/14typgoth.jpgt downwards to the ground.

12. Gothic Architectural Features
Stone Tracery
Tracery are the stonework
elements that support the
glass in a Gothic Window.
Gothic tracery began as
simple geometric patterns
but evolved into the very
elaborate and complex
‘Rayonnant’ style.
http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/gothic/11.jpg

13. Gothic Architectural Features
Stained Glass
With the advent of Gothic
architecture, stained glass
flourished with the
expansion of immense
window spaces in Gothic
cathedrals.
The windows of the period
depicted complex ideas,
with embellished biblical
narrative being the main
focus.
http://d1ezg6ep0f8pmf.cloudfront.net/images/slides/a5/12735-chartres-cathedral-blue-virgin-window-detail.jpg

14. http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66834
Cluny Abbey

15. Acknowledgements
Art Associates
Maria Moore
Margaret O’Shea
Local Facilitator Team
Aine Andrews
Joe Caslin
Jane Campbell
Siobhan Campbell
Niamh O’Donoghue
Niamh O’Neill
Keith O’Rahilly
Sheena McKeon
Tony Morrissey
Monica White
Many thanks to the following for their invaluable contribution to the European
Art History and Appreciation series of workshops and resource materials.
PDST Professional Development Service for Teachers

16. PDST Professional Development Service for Teachers
The PDST is funded by the
Department of Education and
Skills under the National
Development Plan 2007 -
2013
Cultural & Environmental Education
Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST)
Dublin West Education Centre,
Old Blessington Road,
Tallaght,
Dublin 24
National Co-ordinator
Conor Harrison
Mobile: 087 240 5710
E-mail: conorharrison@pdst.ie
Administrator
Angie Grogan
Tel: 014528018 Fax: 014528010
E-mail: angiegrogan@pdst.ie.