The Story of Gothic Architecture (2024)

Shortly before the middle of the 12th century, a radical transformation of Romanesque forms in the Ile-de-France led to the creation of a new architectural style; namely Gothic. This genre of architecture would eventually spread to the whole of Europe, and even beyond, by the mid-15th century. Indeed, between 12th and 15th centuries, Western Europe experienced an era of extraordinary urban development, the result of economic and demographic growth and development. Just as the spread of Romanesque architecture had occurred in a period of reorganization and expansion after the end of the barbarian invasions and the weakening of Islamic pressure, so the Gothic style developed in the context of political stability. Noteworthy among the distinctive characteristics of this period were the creation of the great nation states: France under Louis VI, the reorganization of the German Empire under the Hohenstaufen dynasty, the southward expansion of the Christian kingdoms in the Iberian peninsula, the birth of the Italian republics as well as the Flemish merchant cities.

Thus a universal language of architectural forms, utilized by western Christendom - with some influences deriving from the Crusades, the Venetian companies and the activity of the northern military formations in Slavo-Byzantine Europe near Paris. Building sites sprung up all across Europe. A new artistic sensibility spread from the architecture of the French cathedrals, the outcome of philosophical and religious ideas engendered by the speculations of the intellectuals and the elevation of the status of Notre Dame, Our Virgin. Furthermore, as the result of technical and formal advances in order to achieve an extremely high nave, new architectural principles developed.

Since the majority of Gothic monuments were religious buildings, the architecture of this period was interpreted according to its religious and symbolic meanings. Medieval texts of a theological, liturgical, didactic or mystical nature frequently dwelt on the notion of a religious building as being the "house of God", a symbol of His intangible substances, with temporal images of Paradise and of heavenly Jerusalem. Gothic churches provide a formal and a tangible basis to this idea in the vast scale and the incredible height of the cathedrals, as well as in the incredible lightness of the walls, which allowed diffuse, abundant light to enter the space, like the grace of God. The illuminating windows were compared to the precious stones in the walls of the heavenly Jerusalem; the towers recalled those in the vision of St John. To these elements the iconography of sculpture, imagery and stained glass windows were added, arranged in an instructive or mystical series imbued with cosmic symbolism.

French Gothic was confined, at first, to the territories of the French crown. The building of cathedrals, which increased the crown's prestige and made its power apparent, accompanied the expansionist policy of the kingdom. The focus of this ripple effect was the city of Paris, the unquestioned capital and cultural centre, from where French Gothic expanded northwards and southwards.

The "French method" of building was adopted by other European countries to become a common stylistic aesthetic at that time. England, with its historic links to France, welcomed the "French method of working" quite some time before other European countries. Highly interesting variations of the French method were introduced at the same time, which were connected with its particular liturgical tradition, its processional worship and its cult of relics. Indeed, its history, notable for its centuries-old conflicts with France, is reflected in its loyalty to 10th-11th century Anglo-Norman construction methods, borrowing from the formal repertoire of French architecture only those elements which could be reconciled with its traditional forms. English Gothic architecture can be broadly subdivided into 3 phases which do not correspond to the definitions of the Early, High and Late Gothic used for continental architecture.

The distinctive features of Gothic architecture are not an absolute novelty in the European panorama of art, rather they are the conclusion of a series of previous developments and the solution of several problems left unresolved by the earlier Romanesque style. The employment of a very high central nave and the distinct verticality of load-bearing structures, for example, were inherited from previous architectural trends - from the great Ottoman structures down to Clunic buildings. Nevertheless, the transformation of the Romanesque church into the Gothic entailed a long and gradual process of conversion from a structural emphasis to a diametrically opposed aesthetic and formal emphasis such as the type of roofing, the articulation of supports and the plans and elevations.

The mechanism of subdivision, the balancing and the channelling of forces at work within the building structure render Gothic architecture dynamic and flexible rather than static and rigid as with Romanesque architecture. In the new building projects of that time, the massive walls of the Romanesque church, with unbroken walls pierced by small, widely-spaced windows are slowly transformed into a completely different structure, where the wall plane all but vanishes, filigree and translucent and adorned with intricate stained glass windows.

The manner in which the architectural transformation of the Romanesque into the Gothic is effected, is by replacing a structural system of thick walls and heavy masses with a structure free from any unnecessary elements. The wonderful lightness and brightness of the Gothic cathedral lies in stark contrast to the dim, sombre light of the Romanesque church.

Thanks to the use of features such as towers, spires, cusps and pinnacles, Gothic cathedrals express the same characteristic verticality on the exterior as they do on the interior. The twin-towered elevations of the northern French Gothic are among the greatest achievements of medieval architecture. The employment of corner and lateral buttresses allowed for ever-wider openings, while the division into equal storeys corresponding to those of the central part of the facade means that the appearance of the buildings became more and more unified. This unifying aspect was also achieved thanks to the rose windows - the great circular windows with decorated coloured glass intended as a generative feature of the composition and organizational element of the internal lighting - as well as the external arcades, which echoed the structure of the nave.

During the Gothic period, sculpture had a far more organic relationship with architecture than the Romanesque period. In Gothic architecture sculptural decoration extends across almost the entire building - an exuberant plethora of sculpture that follows the architectural design trends, particularly in the late Middle Ages. Symbols and allegories are used in the iconography of all the sculptures adorning the building, but are concentrated over the entrances, thus transforming the entrances to seem like the entrance to the kingdom of heaven with the intricate portrayal of the Last Judgement and the symbolic identification of the doorway with Christ himself.

Colored stained glass windows are one of the most important components of Gothic architecture creating radiant, glowing interiors which vary according to the intensity of light. The iconography typical of the colored glass windows includes the sacred figures of the Virgin, Christ, the apostles and prophets, advancing to more complex compositions drawn from the Scriptures and the lives of saints. There was also a great range of people from every social echelon who commissioned these precious windows. Between the 12th and 13th centuries the range of subjects was regulated: stories from Old and New Testaments and saints' lives with narrative content, which require careful reading, usually appear on the lowest area of the windows, while iconic representations appear on the upper areas. Recent writers, drawing attention to the iconographical breadth of the stained glass windows have interpreted the light shining through the windows as being symbolic of the light on the journey believers must tread to reach Paradise.

The architectural evolution of cathedrals from Early to Late Gothic went hand in hand with an ever-greater luminosity and the associated replacement of solid walls by huge tracts of stunning stained glass. The flying buttresses, which permitted this process, spread rapidly, developing into elaborate and complex structural schemes. To achieve this end, evermore massive buttresses were constructed, surmounted by tabernacles and spires, which fundamentally altered the external appearance of the building, breaking up the volumes into a kind of kaleidoscope of forms. Equally important were the modifications of the interior, as the use of flying buttresses allowed increases in height up to the maximum technically possible. The layout of the nave now reached its mature form, articulated in a large tripartite elevation by eliminating the women's gallery.