Gothic is an architectural style that dominated Europe from about 1150 to 1500 and is best known from the great cathedrals with their soaring, light-filled structures. Its hallmarks are the pointed arch, the rib vault and the flying buttress.
Application
Gothic architecture developed out of Romanesque and made taller, lighter and more open buildings possible. Main characteristics:
- Pointed arch — directs forces more steeply downward than the round arch, so walls need to be less massive.
- Rib vault — a skeleton of ribs carries the vault; the panels between stay thin and light.
- Flying buttress and buttress — take the sideways vault forces outside the building, so the walls could open up for large windows.
- Stained glass — the large windows were filled with painted glass.
Thanks to this structural principle, walls could seemingly dissolve into glass. Gothic had phases such as Early, High and Late (Flamboyant) Gothic. In the Low Countries brick Gothic is characteristic. The style revived in the 19th century as Neo-Gothic.
Related terms
- Architectural style
- Rib vault
- Flying buttress
- Buttress
- Neo-Gothic
Want to know more about construction terms? Visit our knowledge base on fredsdiyplans.com.