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Characteristics of Gothic Architecture
Gothic architecture originated in France in the 12th-15th centuries and was inspired by Romanesque architecture and Moorish architecture. It is characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, flying buttresses, stained glass windows, and elaborate sculptures. Examples include Notre Dame Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Gothic architecture allowed churches to reach new heights through innovations like pointed arches, which exert less outward pressure than rounded arches, and ribbed vaulting supported by columns. Flying buttresses were also introduced to counter the outward force of vaults and arches.
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Characteristics of Gothic Architecture
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- 2. GothicArchitecture (12 – 15thcentury) Gothic architecture began mainly in France, where architects were inspired by Romanesque architecture and the pointed arches of Spanish Moorish architecture. It's easy to recognise Gothic buildings because of their arches, ribbed vaulting, flying buttresses, elaborate sculptures (like gargoyles) and stained glass windows. Gothic architecture was originally known as “French Style”. During the period of Renaissance it fell out of fashion and it wasnot respected by many artists. They marked it as “Gothic” to suggest it was the crude work of German barbarians (Goths). Examples of Gothic architecture: Notre Dame Cathedral in Parisand St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.
- 3. Gothic Architecture • Meaning ofGothic – “DarkAge” • Invading barbarians from the north ruined ancient art and replaced it with their own culture – Goths took Rome in 410 • little damage but became known as the first tribe of barbarians and thus thename“Gothic”
- 4. GothicArchitecture • Characteristics – Structural •Skeletal stone structure – Visual • Visual arts were important including the role of light in structures – Symbolic • Scholasticism – Translations of real events into stone and glass • Cathedrals served as an image of heaven
- 5. Structure of atypicalGothic Church
- 6. Characteristics ofGothic architecture •airy and bright • focus on verticality • pointed arches • rib vaults • flying buttresses • large stained glass windows • ornaments and pinnacles
- 7. PointedArch • Gothic architectureis not merely about ornamentation. • The Gothic style brought innovative new construction techniques that allowed churches and other buildings to reach great heights. • One important innovation was the use of pointed arches. • Earlier Romanesque churches had pointed arches, but builders didn't capitalize on the shape. • During the Gothic era, builders discovered that pointed arches would give structures amazing strength
- 8. GothicArchitecture:The Pointed Arch • Buildersturned from the semicircular, unbroken arch to the pointed arch – Looked lighter and pointed upward – Exert less thrust than semicircular arch of the same span – Solves geometric difficulty inherent in ribbed vaults • Impossible to arrange all arches and ribs to a common level using exclusively semicircular ribs • With a pointed arch, ribs could easily be made
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- 10. The RibVault • RibVaults – Organic metaphor alluding to the role of ribs in anatomy as the body’s skeletal structure supporting tissues – Arches, usually three pairs per rectangular bay, running diagonally • Cross ribs act together with outer frame to create a complete armature of arches along the edges and main folds of the vault
- 11. RibbedVaulting • Earlier Romanesque churchesrelied on barrel vaulting. • Gothic builders introduced the dramatic technique of ribbed vaulting. • While barrel vaulting carried weight on continuous solid walls, ribbed vaulting used columns to support the weight. • The ribs also delineated the vaults and gave a
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- 15. • In orderto prevent the outward collapse of the arches, Gothic architects began using a revolutionary "flying buttress" system. • Freestanding brick or stone supports were attached to the exterior walls by an arch or a half-arch. GothicArchitecture:TheFlying Buttress
- 16. GothicArchitecture:The Flying Buttress • FlyingButtress – Effected by powerful external arches swung above the side aisles and the ambulatory • Arches rise from colossal freestanding piers – Absorb and channel disruptive forces, such as wind and weight, safely to the ground – Towering piers could be erected without much
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- 18. Stained GlassWindow • Sincethe walls themselves were no longer the primary supports, Gothic buildings could include large areas of glass. • Huge stained glass windows and a profusion of smaller windows created the effect of lightness and space. The stained glass window shown here is from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
- 19. Gargoyle s • Cathedrals inthe High Gothic style became increasingly elaborate. • Over several centuries, builders added towers, pinnacles, and hundreds of sculptures. • In addition to religious figures, many Gothic cathedrals are heavily ornamented with strange, leering creatures. • These gargoyles are not merely decorative. • Originally, the sculptures were waterspouts to protect the foundation from rain. • Since most people in Medieval days could not read, the carvings took on the important role of illustrating lessons from the from the scriptures.
- 21. Gothic FloorPlans Gothic buildings werebased on the traditional plan used by basilicas. However, single units were integrated into a unified spatial scheme.
- 22. • Most Gothicchurches, unless they are entitled chapels, are of the Latin cross (or "cruciform") plan, with a long nave making the body of the church, a transverse arm called the transept and, beyond it, an extension which may be called the choir, chancel. There are several regional variations on this plan. Ameins cathedral • The nave is generally flanked on either side by aisles, usually singly, but sometimes double. • The nave is generally considerably taller than the aisles, having clerestory windows which light the central space.
- 23. • In somechurches with double aisles, like Notre Dame, Paris, the transept does not project beyond the aisles. • In English cathedrals transepts tend to project boldly and there may be two of them, as at Salisbury Cathedral, though this is not the case with lesser churches. • In France the eastern end is often polygonal and surrounded by a walkway called an ambulatory and sometimes a ring of chapels called a "chevet". • While German churches are often similar to those of France, in Italy, the eastern projection beyond the transept is usually just a shallow apsidal chapel containing the sanctuary, as at
- 24. GothicEngineering • Medieval manconsidered himself an imperfect reflection of the divine light of God, and Gothic architecture was the ideal expression of this view. • New techniques of construction permitted buildings to soar to amazing new heights, dwarfing anyone who stepped inside. • Moreover, the concept of divine light was suggested by the airy quality of Gothic buildings, which were much lighter than churches in the earlier
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