What was gothic style

In — 44 Suger renovated the eastern end of his church, the abbey of Saint-Denis in Paris, using innovative architectural features, which had evolved or been introduced previously in Romanesque architecture 6th — 11th century.

These features enabled Suger to increase the height and the volume of the abbey and to suffuse it with light. The new Gothic style emerging in France was rapidly taken up in England, where it was used in two highly important buildings: Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, where royal coronations took place.

In order to help support the weight of these taller buildings, Gothic architects constructed rib vaults, where the ceiling surface was divided into webs by a framework of diagonal arched ribs, and flying buttresses, great arches that extended out from the upper portion of external walls that helped to push weight outwards.

Although buttresses had been around since the 3rd century, they became more sophisticated under Gothic architects. New arches carried the thrust of the weight entirely outside the walls, where it was met by the counter-thrust of stone columns, with pinnacles placed on top for decoration and additional weight.

Pointed arches were an important characteristic of Gothic architecture that could give the impression of soaring height and more practically they could support heavier loads than the earlier round arches.

Pointed arches were used in arcades, vaults, doors, windows and niches, but also as architectural motifs found on Gothic objects where they served as frames for figures or narrative scenes. Another key feature of Gothic architecture was the extensive use of stained glass, and a revival of the medieval rose window, which brought light and colour to the interior.

Innovations in tracery — the stone framework that supports the glass — also meant windows could be larger and of increasingly complex patterns. Gothic artists were keen to engage the viewer's emotion more directly than earlier art styles. Where previous figures in sculpture and painting had appeared stiff and stylised in form, Gothic figures appear more realistic, with natural poses and gestures, full of tender feeling and strong emotion.

It dates from around the 13th to 15th Centuries. Its tower is still the cities tallest structure standing at meters. Till today it is the second tallest brick tower in the world. It is most famed for housing a white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. This statue has been captured and recovered twice in history.

Firstly from French Revolutionaries in and then the Nazi's in It was built between and and is famous for its highly ornate exterior and spires. After centuries of neglect, the building underwent renovation works in the 19th Century.

It completely survived the devastation of WW1 but was struck by a bomb in WW2. It was not until that repairs were completed. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna is widely considered as the most eminent Gothic edifice in the entire city. Currently, it houses a large proportion of Vienna's art treasures. Its existing form is actually a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic forms.

The building was saved during WW2 from demolition by retreating German forces when the officer in charge disobeyed direct orders to do so. Sadly the roof collapsed after catching fire when locals burnt down their shops ahead of Soviet troops entering the city. The Belfry of Ghent is the tallest one in Belgium today and is one of three medieval towers that overlook the city.

It stands at 91 meters tall and is built in the Gothic style of architecture. Construction began in It was designed by master mason Jan van Haelst and was completed in Zagreb Cathedral in Kaptol is the tallest building in Croatia.

It is also the most sacral building built in the Gothic Architecture stye southeast of the Alps. The entire building is typically Gothic, especially its sacristy which is highly valued as a piece of architecture. The original building was destroyed by the Mongols in , but it was rebuilt a few years later.

The cathedral was later fortified just prior to the Ottoman Invasion of Croatia in the 15th Century. It was also later heavily damaged during the Zagreb Earthquake.

Construction began in with much of its form completed by the end of the Century. It was heavily damaged during the 13th and 14th Centuries by earthquakes. It was converted to a mosque in when the Ottomans captured Cyprus.

In its name was officially changed to the Selimiye Mosque in honor of the Sultan Selim II who led the previous conquest of Cyprus.

Source: A. Saint Vitus Cathedral is the largest and most eminent cathedral in Prague, not to mention the Czech Republic. It has been used to house the remains of many prominent people in the Czech Republic. Construction of the building began in with all additional works being completed as late as Lincoln Cathedral is widely thought of as one of the most precious pieces of architecture in the British Isles.

Its Nave and rise windows are particularly stunning. Construction work began in and continued over several phases throughout the middle ages until It used to be the tallest building in the world until until its central spire collapsed.

It is the third largest cathedral in Britain and is highly regarded by architectural scholars and tourists alike. Wells Cathedral was the first monumental cathedral to be built in England. It is a beautiful example of Early English Gothic Architecture. T he original cathedral also had richly painted niches and buttresses and glided stone figures, as well as towers placed beyond its sides.

It stands on top of an isolated volcanic plug above the confluence of the Paglia and Chiana Rivers. It is most noted for its Silver Shrine and magnificent western facade and was built, mainly, throughout the 14th Century.

Although its construction began in the Romanesque style, later phases transitioned to distinctly Gothic in nature. It was founded in the 12th Century and is one of the most important monasteries in the region.

It represents, like some others on the list, a transition between Romanesque and Gothic Architecture. It was officially made a Spanish national monument in Monastery of Santa Maria de Vallbona.

One of its most prominent features is its meter tall tower and cruciform floor plan. The ground was broken in and construction was completed in Its latin cross or cruciform floor plans are typical of Gothic cathedrals of this period.

It was abandoned in about and had suffered heavy damage during the Battle of Mir in After trading hands through various marriages reconstruction began in Between and , the castle actually belonged to Polish family until the Soviet Union occupied the area in Westminster Abbey is one of the most iconic landmarks in London. It is a large, primarily Gothic, abbey church in the City of Westminster, London.

It has been the traditional place of coronation for English monarchs for many centuries. It was originally a Benedictine monastic church until the monastery was dissolved in William the Conqueror was the first King to be coronated in the Abbey in and all monarchs since have followed suit. It is today one of the largest castles in Europe and is listed as one of the seven wonders of Romania. Construction began in with additional phases of work continuing until the 19th Century.

It would fall into disuse and partial ruin before heavy restoration in the 's. Zvolen Castle in Slovakia is a medieval castle located on the hill near the Zvolen in Central Slovakia. It was mainly built in 14th Century in the Gothic Architecture style and was heavily influenced by Italian castles of the same period.

It is more than years old and is the traditional site of Polish Monarch coronations. The current building is the third edifice of the site and was built in the 14th Century after previous incarnations were destroyed. This changed in the s with a generation of architects whose education had been thoroughly grounded in architectural history. In they were hired to design an entire campus for Bryn Mawr College. They based their designs on gothic colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, including castellated gateways, long steep-gabled ranges of dormitories with tall, narrow windows, and soaring pointed-arched windows for the library.

One striking innovation was that American collegiate gothic buildings usually did not form closed courtyards as at medieval Oxford and Cambridge, where students were literally locked up at night.

American students were given more freedom to come and go by looser arrangements of college buildings around central lawns or along picturesque ridge lines. Cope and Stewardson were eloquent proponents of their gothic style in preference to classical Roman buildings, especially for college campuses.

Classic architecture expresses completion, finality, perfection: Gothic architecture expresses aspiration, growth, and development. To the beholder, the Classic says: This is the sum — Here is perfection — Do not aspire further. The Gothic says to him: Reach higher — Spread outward and upward — There are no limitatations.