Gothic

Gothic architecture arose  in Western Europe in the Middle Ages. It came after Romanesque architecture and before Renaissance architecture. Gothic started in France in the 12th century and lasted into the 16th century..

Gothic architecture is best known as the style of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe. It is also the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls, universities, and also some houses.

Many church buildings still remain from this period. Many are listed with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as World Heritage Sites.

In the 19th century, the Gothic style became popular again, particularly for building churches and universities. This style is called Gothic Revival architecture.

 

Gothic architecture was at first called "the French Style" (Opus Francigenum). The word Gothic was used later during the Renaissance.  In fact, the architecture had nothing to do with the real Goths, a tribe of people who attacked Rome in the early Middle Ages.

An Italian writer named Giorgio Vasari used the word "Gothic" in the 1530s, because he thought buildings from the Middle Ages were not carefully planned and measured like Renaissance buildings or the buildings of ancient Rome. So the word Gothic was a little bit derrogative.

 

Themes: the God, biblical motifs

 

Buildings:

France: Notre Dame de Paris, St. Denis, Chartres Cathedral, Reims Cathedral (Remeš), Amiens Cathedral, Sainte Chapelle

Italy: Milan Cathedral, Siena Cathedral

England: Westminster Hall, Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, York Minster, Gloucester Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral

Czech Lands : St. Vitus Cathedral, Plzeň Cathedral, Kutná Hora Cathedral (St. Barbara Cathedral), Charles Bridge, Petrov, St. James Church, The Church of Assumption of Our Lady

Name your own examples

 

Prague Cathedral: Charles the Fourth ordered to build this beautiful cathedral. The first architect was Matyas from Arras who died so the second one was young Petr Parler who designed the Charles Bridge as well. Nevertheless, the cathedral was completely finished at the beginnign of the 20th century. The Chapel of Saint Wenceslas holds a 14th century tomb with the saint's holy relics. There is also the Crown Chamber containing the Bohemian Crown Jewels. It is not open to the public and its seven keys are kept by seven different people (one of whom is the Czech president). 

 

Artists: we do not many names because majority of artists remained anonymous. They did not sign their works because they did not want to be famous. They wanted to celebrate the God

Painters:

Master Theodoric (many altar pieces, the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Charles' newly-completed Karlštejn Castle-   containing a large series of panel portraits of saints and other notable figures on a gold ground. Master Theodoric was the first Czech painter whose works are confirmed by archived documentation.

Master of Vyšší Brod

Master of Třeboň

Architects: Matyas from Arras, Petr Parler

 

Features:

Pointed arches

Very high towers and spires and roofs

Clustered columns: tall columns that looked like a group of thin columns bundled together

Ribbed vaults: arched ceilings made of stone. In the Gothic style they were held up by stone ribs.

A skeleton of stonework with great big glass windows in between.

Tracery: carved stone lace in the windows and on the walls

Stained glass: richly coloured glass in the windows, often with pictures telling stories

Buttresses: narrow stone walls jutting out from the building to help hold it up

Flying buttresses: buttresses that help to hold the vault up. They are made with an arch that jumps over a lower part of the building to reach the outside wall.

Statues: of Saints, Prophets and Kings around the doors

Many sculptures, sometimes of animals and legendary creatures. 

Gargoyles spout water from the roof. 

 

 

English Gothic: 

Gothic was brought to England by means of the Cistercian Order in the 12th century

It has three phases: the Early English style which is not very decorated

                               The Decorated Style – as the name suggests it used a lot of decorations. It is characterised with richly decorated traceries

                                Perpendicular - it is characterised by an emphasis on vertical lines, geometry