Gothic Generally, a name for the pointed style or French Style in later periods/ of medieval architecture prevalent in Western Europe from the 12' to 15" century. Started in Paris region (1140), eventually spread in rest of Europe. Originally called “French Work”, based on the geographical origin. In Renaissance period (14 C onwards in Italy), the Italians, who always considered to be superior to others, related this style to the Goths i.e. Germanic tribes which destroyed their classical civilisation of Rome and who they considered to be uncivilised. Hence they used the term “Gothic” disparagingly, as an insult. But this name stuck to this style.EUROPE AND ‘CRUSADER STATESEuropean architecture from Medieval period onwards... There is no architectural style based strictly on time period. Certain characteristics belong to certain styles. The characteristics depend on the technology known, materials available, design philosophy and the political patronage available. For no building, there was a design template conforming to certain style. It is very common to find a building in which — parts have been built, re - built, modified, repaired, added, demolished or collapsed, — Sculptures, paintings, glass windows etc. have been added, demolished, re-added in phases for almost thousand years So it is not possible to assign a certain period to a complete structure. The window and column may be have been re - built 300 years after the Church was first built and consecrated.Why a new style ?...1 * Changing times : * Economy flourishing because some peace and political stability has been established Urban centres emerging based on trade and sometimes on manufacture Standardised liturgy and church administration Cathedrals becoming the status symbol and icon for cities Churches becoming rich with people’s donation, taxes, offerings and free labour. Influence of Christianity at its highest and increasing. * Changing demand from architecture : * Bigger churches, Grander churches More permanent churches Shift of theme of church — from death and afterlife to the glory of God. Religious education was the only kind of education and it was imparted by only the institution of church. Churches are the used to teach common people (99% of whom are illiterate) about human values.Why a new style ?...2 % Structural failure of Romanesque : * Round arch and barrel vault unsuitable for large and tall buildings. Side aisles had to increased in number to support taller naves. * Small and few openings led to dark interiors. Walls became thicker. * Two layers of side aisles made interior even more gloomy “ Architectural failure of Romanesque: * Groin vaulted interior restricted plan of bay to squares. Larger vaults were too heavy to be stably supported by walls. Solutions to vault non-square spaces were neither structurally stably not lead to a pleasing interiors. > Domical vault (similar to pendentive dome, sail vault) > Cloister vault a.k.a. Segregated dome on square plan the > want tmgemer, win he /ing) butivess allowed shearer ‘pened wpFirst Gothic Structure Choir of Basilica of St. Denise, near Paris Carolingian period church Royal Church — coronation and burial Abbot Suger was influential with the Monarch. He was a visionary. Took up major repair and re-modeling of church in 1140s Equated brightness and light with God’s glory and divinity Wanted the visitor to feel enlightened upon entering the church and by encountering God’s glory rather than be threatened. The _1140 reconstruction of the choir is generally accepted as the first_Gothic construction _and_the year is taken as the birth of Gothic ArchitectureFirst Gothic structure Choir of Basilica of St. Denise, near Paris Romanesque version Modified version - nowCompare : A Romanesque Church Choir St. Barthomomeu, London, 1123The nave is of a design First Got 12 1 }ath Century th Century ic Structure Choir of Basilica of St. Denise, near Paris ey Bs a Sl e, ERYFirst Gothic structure ummm The nave is a late Gothic design2 > 2 wn 2 = S ° oO = po x= I Nave interiorHi \ 4 ro aie — High Gothic styleFeatures of the Gothic Cathedral_schematic_section Pinnacle Flying Buttress Gargoyle Gargoylé*Gothic architecture : Main characteristics 1. Pointed arch — span of arch and rise of arch became independent of each other. The same nave could be made taller by reconstructing the ceiling with a more vertical vault 2. Ribbed vault — skeletal structure made of strong massive load -bearing ribs. The intermediate spaces were filled up with thinner webs which were structurally independent of each other. 3. Flying buttresses (i.e. exposed quadrant arches resting on piers outside the building) : by removing the wooden ceiling or vaults between the quadrant arches, the clerestory level became the external wall. As a result clerestory windows receive natural light. Their sill level was lowered increasing window area. Asa result, a. Verticality kept increasing. b. Churches were better lit by larger clerestory windows c. Better ventilated since windows can be openable because there are new supports that are not glued to the wall. d. Windows can be decorated with glass since they are nol onger load bearingBefore ~ =< After = PP SA Poitiers cathedral : increase of nave height by reconstructing the vaulting with a more pointed variantA flying buttress where piers are completely detached from the structure Lincoln cathedralCathedral of Notre Dame of Paris The construction of the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris began between 1150 and 1155. Despite the fact that construction required many decades under supervision of a succession of master-builders the basic plan was implicit in the work done by the first builder who directed work on the chevet from around 1155 until perhaps 1170. He designed one of the strictest floorplans of his time. He excluded all apsidal chapels or additional spaces. Instead, he created a cruciform main space with a uniform character. The transepts, as so often in the Paris region, did not project beyond the aisle wall at the ground level. Patrons: 1160 : Maurice de Sully (named Bishop of Paris) orders the original cathedral demolished. 1845: Extensive restoration by Eugéne Viollet-le-Duc began20m? GrpatBulidings.com 19 0 Be 4 eg Xx axl Pex x! ol bry Da pay py Dx] pd J b xP

im ANI nT \ sree-DAME. Upper half: existing plan, Lower half: original plan Cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris i= first aisle econd aisle hapel Sections 1,3,5 : earlier Sections 2, 4,6 : present section at the same partCathedral of Paris heCathedral of Paris First ever structure from 1163, choir Quadrant arch pro\des insufficient horizSotal thrust of 1 (earliest) Outside InsideCathedral of Paris Portions now demolished 178. PARIS, NOTRE-DAME, reconstructed original sections of first aisle Choir began 1163 NAVE, began 1175 S=sky aisle external wall chapel | = Window on New FBto fpport lerestory _, Vaulting > changed to introduce bigger external window Gallery ceiling is higher, pointed arches Thicker & introduced taller buttress te support d additional 1 (2° stage) oy 39D FBCathedral of Paris 1170-1220 i ca 1840 Buttress further thickened to carry the load to the clerestorey Chapel created in each bay, between buttresses3 (This pinnacle isnow r redundant, hence Cathedral of Paris was demolished, {{ leading to version 4) PARIS: NOTRE DAMECathedral of Paris Section 3 ~ (This pinnacle is now redundant, hence was = VE BAYS (ext)Cathedral of ParisCathedral of Paris 19* C reconstruction of the Nave section, today original 4-level nave elev. (West of crossing, 2"! bay onwards) 19" C changes Nave transverse section Nave elevation : drawing and photoChoir section, today (3rd bay onwards from LL. crossing) Compared with Romanesque wooden roofed church (much shorter) Paris cathedralo a € S a g 5 3 2 sS eg 3 o s S| ©) olSF fz 5 £ 2 SE 2S = 3 6 £ = = DDI DDN x TOPE PRR PKLIncreasing verticality : Nave elevation Nave Elevation Comparison for Earpigligh Gothic Cathedrals : — : — High Gothic 144 fi EarlyGothic High Gothic Early Gothic Height of nave vaults 118 ft. (Nave span 10-12m in 107 ft. all four ) TA i ih d Amiens. oe Figure 189. Nave eeratons of fave French Gothic cathe tthe me al (fer Lois Gree} fe Cuaron 2) Laon, (b) Paris, () Chartres, () Amiens.INCREASING VERTICALITY : Section of churches Earliest Churches : 1 = early Christian Church & early PRE-ROMANESQUE wooden church 2 = Romanesque Pilgrimage church (full masonry) 3 = transitional church between Romansque & Gothic Gothic Churches : 4= Early Gothic 5,6,7 = High Gothic i CHARTRES. AMIENS: BEAUVAISINCREASING VERTICALITY : sculpture follow the form of architectural member “Jamb people” — sculpture of individual saints in each jamb of the portalEarly Gothicoe #29 Es =e aE cs — a] ee) eer ee | 8 Early & high Gothic coexisting Same cathedral showing characters from ] | different Gothic styles : * Vaulting - six parted (Early Gothic eo |e character), leading to double arcade in ji Te aisle level and alternation of column | Verticality - Very high with no gallery and | tall clerestory (High Gothic character) Bourges cathedral interior view of crossing area 1195-1214s 3 3 2 a S 4 & Early Gothic Pe = a ee = Shaw = a oe — — Ph yao = rN Tis iNave section - before Nave elevation - evolution Increasing verticality in Early Gothic Paris Cathdral Nave section - later 1170-1220 ca1840INCREASING VERTICALITY : Evolution of west facade from transitional (St. Etienne) to Gothic and the change in flying buttresses5 £| 3 3 | Z| 3 9 5 Paris Cathdral]Photo July 20, 2013 4:01 AM High Gothic West front Reims Cathdral)Change in priority in Gothic Initially all French Gothic cathedrals were built to surpass its earlier ones in height. After the collapse of the nave of Beauvais Cathedral (there was no support provided at the top of the nave), the Parisians turned their full attention from height to ornamentation The ornamental styles were based on the style of rose window traceries : Rayonnant (=Radial) , Flamboyant (Flame-like) These ornamentations were seen in the window Tracery. To accommodate increasing area of tracery work, window area was being increased in new and even old churches. Intricate Rose windows, tracery windows were built in these periods. However, For French Gothic, architectural & ornamentation style is not a strict character of a particular time period.Sainte Chapel, Paris (plan dimension 45m x 15m) considered among the highest achievements of the Rayonnant Gothic PLAN atlvi1 PLAN at Ivl2 4 a se | my | | > a =a iy r<] >Sainte Chapel, Paris (plan dimension 45m x 15m) West PortalSainte Chapel, Paris (plan dimension 45m x 15m)Sainte Chapel, Paris i (plan dimension 45m x 15m) West PortalIntroduction * Gothic Art is the expression of the new city life * It is going to have to different areas: Civilian ReligiousArchitectonical elementsArchitectonical elements 2. Gable 4. CapitalRose window Example : Paris Cathedral , south transept Detail : Saint LaurentRose window Example : Paris Cathedral , south rose window (dia 12.9m) — Rayonnant styleOculus (=eye) —a circular window but without tracery | Found in abundance in Italian Gothic pn ie Florence cathedralRose window Example : Paris Cathedral , south transept (dia 10m) — Flamboyant styleTracery O w& 5 a os) s rd ° oORomanesque Gothic Portal Portal oa 1— Ssencrel => Achivolt J SA OW | — Iyer — tile donb fue Jon’ = Colonnere Romanesque Portal Gothic PortalRomanesque Plan & vault Gothic plan & vault n ee hy, df oy oe ‘ase e@ @eiee 1 Pa see ee ee sete eae lprFrench Gothic The Birthplace of Gothic, home to the most ambitious and experimental buildings. The chronology and evolution of Gothic architecture is most completely present here. The first flying buttress was seen in Paris Cathedral, i.e. Notre Dame of Paris. The distinctive characteristic of French cathedrals, and those in Germany and Belgium that were strongly influenced by them, is their height and their impression of verticality. They are compact, with slight or no projection of the transepts and subsidiary chapels. The west fronts have three portals surmounted by a rose window, and two large towers. The east end is polygonal with ambulatory and sometimes a chevette of radiating chapels. In the south of France, many of the major churches are without transepts and some are without aisles Labyrinth, Gargoyls, stained glass windows, bible stories depicted in detail Crossing is surmounted by elaborate multipartite vaulting or spire. Reims cathedral west endplans in same scale French Gothic Pe Kerra terBeauvais +4 +s teers tage ei Amiens > French Gothic — plans & elevations in same scale Reims ChanresEnglish Gothic The distinctive characteristic of English cathedrals is their extreme length (150-200m) and their internal emphasis upon the horizontal. Many Norman churches were converted in Gothic style. It is not unusual for every part of the building to have been built in a different century and in a different style, with no attempt at creating a stylistic unity. English cathedrals sprawl across their sites, with double transepts projecting strongly and Lady Chapels tacked on at a later date. In the west front the doors are not significant The West window is very large and never a rose, which are reserved for the transept gables. The west front may have two towers or none. There is nearly always a tower at the crossing and it may be very large and surmounted by a spire. The distinctive English east end is square plan. The east most chapel is dedicated to Mary. It is known as Lady Chapel. Choir is very long, creating a retrochoir between east-end and crossing. Every new king wanted a new chapel for himself and that new chapel had to be at the east end,i.e. the most important chapel. The church thus kept extending towards the east. Common vaultings are Fan vaulting, stellar vaulting Home to Perpendicular (Rectilinear) and Decorated styleEnglish cathedrals were built over centuries by demolishing earlier portions and replacing them with new form and designs ® & oo 000 EIncreasing length of English churches ... Example of Canterbury Cathedral : Plans from three periods... SoA a a Rm, 1. Norman (1070) a 2. Early English Gothic (1076) 3. Late English Gothic (1175 plan by William of Sens) ... the plan of today Pos | PME i jEnglish cathedrals : some typical plansItalian Gothic Cathedral at Sienna * Does not bear the typical “Gothic” massing. Its design and decorations are mostly classically influenced. Milan cathedral is most famous and has a “Gothic” appearance achieved by installing embedded vertical members and pinnacles in profusion. Buildings are more short and squat than in other regions Flying buttress consciously avoided because it did not fit with the Italian aesthetic preference It uses polychrome decoration, both externally as marble veneer ‘on the brick facade and also internally where the arches are often made of alternating black and white segments. The plan is usually regular and symmetrical and have few and widely spaced columns. The proportions are generally mathematically simple, based on the square, the arches are almost always equilateral. It may include mosaics in the lunettes over the doors. The facades have projecting open porches and occular or wheel windows rather than roses, and do not usually have a tower. The crossing is usually surmounted by a dome, often added later. http://www.madeinsouthitaly today.com/medieval-gothic- There is often a free-standing tower and baptistry. artin-ttaly.php + The windows are not as large as in northern Europe and, although stained glass windows are used, the decoration is fresco or mosaic takes precedence.Italian GothicItalian Gothic Milan cathe dalItalian GothicItalian Gothic Milan cathedral© £ < 2 a * c £ 3 a £ &German Gothic It is characterised by huge towers and spires. * The west front generally follows the French formula, but the towers are taller, and if complete, are surmounted by enormous openwork spires. + The eastern end follows the French form. * The distinctive character of the interior of German Gothic cathedrals is their breadth and openness. * Cathedrals tend not to have strongly projecting transepts. * There are also many hallenkirke without clerestorey windows. * Most famous, Cologne Cathedral, is built in Rayonnant style but still was built very high. It was being built for centuries Cologne CathedralSpanish Gothic Spanish Gothic cathedrals are of spacial complexity. They are comparatively short and wide, and are often completely surrounded by chapels. Spanish Cathedrals are stylistically diverse. Influences on both decoration and form are Islamic architecture, and towards the end of the period, Renaissance details combined with the Gothic in a distinctive manner. The West front resembles a French west front, There are spires of German style. Few pinnacles. There are often towers and domes of a great variety of shapes and structural invention rising above the roof.Civilian Architecture Its development is consequence of — trade renaissance — development of cities government Main buildings are — Palaces — Town halls — Markets Castle of Gold : A wealthy merchant's house, Venice (Italian Gothic 15** C)Civilian Architecture ° Markets were the places for keeping the products and to sell them Big rooms with this purpose The spaces are clearly articulated, with high and stylised columns