Pointed arches The defining characteristic of the Gothic style is the
pointed arch, which was widely used in both structure and decoration. The pointed arch did not originate in Gothic architecture; they had been employed for centuries in the
Near East in pre-Islamic as well as
Islamic architecture for arches, arcades, and ribbed vaults. In Gothic architecture, particularly in the later Gothic styles, they became the most visible and characteristic element, giving a sensation of verticality and pointing upward, like the spires. Gothic
rib vaults covered the nave, and pointed arches were commonly used for the arcades, windows, doorways, in the
tracery, and especially in the later Gothic styles decorating the façades. They were also sometimes used for more practical purposes, such as to bring transverse vaults to the same height as diagonal vaults, as in the nave and aisles of
Durham Cathedral, built in 1093. The earliest Gothic pointed arches were lancet lights or
lancet windows, which are narrow windows terminating in a lancet arch. A lancet arch has a radius longer than their breadth (width) and resembles the blade of a
lancet. In the 12th-century
First Pointed phase of Gothic architecture (also called the
Lancet style) and before the introduction of tracery in the windows in later styles, lancet windows predominated Gothic building. The
Flamboyant style of Gothic architecture is particularly known for lavish pointed details such as the
arc-en-accolade, where a pointed arch over a doorway was topped by a pointed sculptural ornament called a
fleuron and by pointed pinnacles on either side. The arches of the doorway were further decorated with small cabbage-shaped sculptures called
chou-frisés. File:Wells-Cathedral 9762.jpg|Eastern end of Wells Cathedral (begun 1175) File:Reims Cathedral, exterior (4).jpg|West front of
Reims Cathedral, pointed arches within arches (1211–1275) File:Catedral de Salisbury, Salisbury, Inglaterra, 2014-08-12, DD 35-37 HDR.JPG|Lancet windows of
transept of
Salisbury Cathedral (1220–1258) File:Lincoln, Cathedral 20060726 015.jpg|Pointed arches in the arcades,
triforium, and
clerestory of
Lincoln Cathedral (1185–1311) File:Cathedrale-de-Strasbourg-IMG 4235.jpg|A detail of the windows and galleries of the west front of
Strasbourg Cathedral (1215–1439)
Rib vaults ) The Gothic
rib vault was one of the essential elements that made the great height and large windows of Gothic architecture possible. Unlike the semi-circular
barrel vault of
Roman and
Romanesque buildings, where the weight pressed directly downward, and required thick walls and small windows, the Gothic rib vault was made of diagonal crossing arched ribs. These ribs directed the
thrust outwards to the corners of the vault, and downwards via slender
colonnettes and bundled columns, to the pillars and columns below. The space between the ribs was filled with thin panels of small pieces of stone, which were much lighter than earlier
groin vaults. The outward thrust against the walls was countered by the weight of
buttresses and later
flying buttresses. As a result, the massive, thick walls of Romanesque buildings were no longer needed, as since the vaults were supported by columns and
piers, the walls could be made thinner and higher, and filled with windows. The earlier Gothic rib vaults, used at
Sens Cathedral (begun between 1135 and 1140) and
Notre-Dame de Paris (begun 1163), were divided by the ribs into six compartments. They were very difficult to build and could only cross a limited space. Since each vault covered two bays, they needed support on the ground floor from
alternating columns and piers. In later construction, the design was simplified, and the rib vaults were divided into only four compartments. The alternating rows of alternating columns and piers receiving the vaults' weight were replaced by simple pillars, each receiving the same weight. A single vault could cross the nave. This method was used at
Chartres Cathedral (1194–1220),
Amiens Cathedral (begun 1220), and
Reims Cathedral. The four-part vaults made it possible for taller buildings to be constructed. Notre-Dame, which had begun with six-part vaults, reached a height of . Amiens Cathedral, which had begun with the newer four-part ribs, reached a height of at the transept. File:Sens - Cathédrale 09.jpg|Early six-part rib vaults in
Sens Cathedral (1135–1164) File:Canterbury Cathedral Choir 1, Kent, UK - Diliff crop.jpg|Rib vaults of choir of
Canterbury Cathedral (1174–77) File:Reims Cathedral, interior (4).jpg|Stronger four-part rib vaults in nave of
Reims Cathedral (1211–1275) File:Salisbury Cathedral Interior 01.jpg|A rectangular four-part vault over a single
bay in
Salisbury Cathedral (1220–1258)
Later vaults (13th–15th century) In France, the four-part rib vault, with two diagonals crossing at the center of the traverse, was the type used almost exclusively until the end of the Gothic period. However, in England, several imaginative new vaults were invented which had more elaborate decorative features. They became a signature of the later English Gothic styles. The first of these new vaults had an additional rib, called a
tierceron, which ran down the median of the vault. It first appeared in the vaults of the choir of
Lincoln Cathedral at the end of the 12th century, then at Worcester Cathedral in 1224, and then the south transept of
Lichfield Cathedral. The 14th century brought the invention of several new types of vaults which were more and more decorative. These vaults often copied the forms of the elaborate tracery of the Late Gothic styles. These included the
stellar vault, where a group of additional ribs between the principal ribs forms a star design. The oldest vaults of this kind were found in the crypt of Saint Stephen at
Westminster Palace, built about 1320. A second type was called a reticulated vault, which had a network of additional decorative ribs, in triangles and other geometric forms, placed between or over the traverse ribs. These were first used in the choir of
Bristol Cathedral in about 1311. Another late Gothic form, the
fan vault, with ribs spreading upwards and outwards, appeared later in the 14th century. An example is the cloister of
Gloucester Cathedral (). Another new form was the skeleton vault, which appeared in the English
Decorated style. It has an additional network of ribs, like the ribs of an umbrella, which criss-cross the vault but are only directly attached to it at certain points. It appeared in a chapel of
Lincoln Cathedral in 1300. and then several other English churches. This style of vault was adopted in the 14th century in particular by German architects, particularly
Peter Parler, and in other parts of central Europe. Another exists in the south porch of the
Prague Cathedral Elaborate vaults also appeared in civic architecture. An example is the ceiling of the
Vladislav Hall in
Prague Castle in
Bohemia designed by
Benedikt Ried in 1493. The ribs twist and intertwine in fantasy patterns, which later critics called "Rococo Gothic". File:Perpendicular Vaulting.JPG|Lierne vaults of
Gloucester Cathedral (Perpendicular Gothic) File:Aisle.bristol.cathedral.arp.jpg|Skeleton-vault in aisle of
Bristol Cathedral (–1340) File:Lincoln cathedral 13 Nave vault.jpg|Lincoln Cathedral – quadripartite form, with tierceron ribs and ridge rib with carved bosses File:Bremer Dom Juli 2009 PD 060.JPG|Bremen Cathedral, Germany – north aisle, a reticular (net) vault with intersecting ribs File:Wolfsberg Sankt Marein Pfarrkirche Mariae Himmelfahrt Netzrippengewoelbe 03092014 742.jpg|Church of the Assumption,
St Marein, Austria – star vault with intersecting lierne ribs File:Bóvedas catedral Salamanca 40.jpg|Salamanca Cathedral, Spain Flamboyant S-shaped and circular lierne ribs. (16th–18th century) File:Toulouse-Jacobins-voûte.jpg|
Church of the Jacobins, Toulouse – palm tree vault (1275–1292) File:Peterborough Retrochoir fan vaulting.JPG|Peterborough Cathedral, retrochoir – intersecting fan vaults File:Prag Vladislav-Saal.jpg|"Rococo Gothic" vaults of
Vladislav Hall of
Prague Castle (1493)
Columns and piers In early French Gothic architecture, the capitals of the columns were modeled after Roman columns of the
Corinthian order, with finely-sculpted leaves. They were used in the ambulatory of the Abbey church of Saint-Denis. According to its builder, the Abbot Suger, they were inspired by the columns he had seen in the ancient baths in Rome. They were used later at Sens, at Notre-Dame de Paris and at Canterbury in England. In early Gothic churches with six-part rib vaults, the columns in the nave alternated with more massive piers to provide support for the vaults. With the introduction of the four-part rib vault, all of the piers or columns in the nave could have the same design. In the High Gothic period, a new form was introduced, composed of a central core surrounded several attached slender columns, or colonettes, going up to the vaults. These clustered columns were used at Chartres, Amiens, Reims and Bourges, Westminster Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral. Another variation was a quadrilobe column, shaped like a clover, formed of four attached columns. In England, the clustered columns were often ornamented with stone rings, as well as columns with carved leaves. Later styles added further variations. Sometimes the piers were rectangular and fluted, as at Seville Cathedral, In England, parts of columns sometimes had contrasting colours, using combining white stone with dark
Purbeck marble. In place of the Corinthian capital, some columns used a stiff-leaf design. In later Gothic, the piers became much taller, reaching up more than half of the nave. Another variation, particularly popular in eastern France, was a column without a capital, which continued upward without capitals or other interruption, all the way to the vaults, giving a dramatic display of verticality. File:Intérieur cath de Sens.jpg|Early Gothic – Alternating columns and piers,
Sens Cathedral (12th century) File:ReimsCattedraleInternoPareteNavataCentrale.jpg|High Gothic – Clustered columns of
Reims Cathedral (13th century) File:Salisbury Cathedral Nave, Wiltshire, UK - Diliff.jpg|Early English Gothic – Clustered columns in
Salisbury Cathedral (13th century) File:Canterbury Cathedral Nave 1, Kent, UK - Diliff.jpg|Perpendicular Gothic – Columns without interruption from floor to the vaults.
Canterbury Cathedral nave (late 14th century). File:Navata certosa pavia.jpg|Late Gothic - Clustered columns in
Certosa di Pavia (15th century). File:Bueckeburg Stadtkirche n O1.JPG|Post-Gothic - Columns with Renaissance capitals in the city church in
Bückeburg (17th century)
Flying buttresses An important feature of Gothic architecture was the
flying buttress, a half-arch outside the building which carried the thrust of weight of the roof or vaults inside over a roof or an aisle to a heavy stone column. The buttresses were placed in rows on either side of the building, and were often topped by heavy stone pinnacles, both to give extra weight and for additional decoration. Buttresses had existed since Roman times, usually set directly against the building, but the Gothic vaults were more sophisticated. In later structures, the buttresses often had several arches, each reaching in to a different level of the structure. The buttresses permitted the buildings to be both taller, and to have thinner walls, with greater space for windows. They also had a practical purpose; they often served as
bell towers supporting
belfries, whose bells told the time by announcing religious services, warned of fire or enemy attack, and celebrated special occasions like military victories and coronations. Sometimes the bell tower is built separate from a church; the best-known example of this is the
Leaning Tower of Pisa. In Normandy, cathedrals and major churches often had multiple towers, built over the centuries; the
Abbaye aux Hommes (begun 1066), Caen has nine towers and spires, placed on the façade, the transepts, and the centre. A
lantern tower was often placed the centre of the nave, at the meeting point with the transept, to give light to the church below. In later periods of Gothic, pointed needle-like
spires were often added to the towers, giving them much greater height. A variation of the spire was the flèche, a slender, spear-like spire, which was usually placed on the transept where it crossed the nave. They were often made of wood covered with lead or other metal. They sometimes had open frames, and were decorated with sculpture. Amiens Cathedral has a flèche. The most famous example was that of Notre-Dame de Paris. The original flèche of Notre-Dame was built on the crossing of the transept in the middle of the 13th century, and housed five bells. It was removed in 1786 during a program to modernize the cathedral, but was put back in a new form designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. The new flèche, of wood covered with lead, was decorated with statues of the Apostles; the figure of St Thomas resembled Viollet-le-Duc. The flèche was destroyed in the
2019 fire, but is now restored in the same design. File:Abbaye aux Hommes 02.jpg|
Abbaye aux Hommes, Caen (tall west towers added in the 13th century) File:Facade cathedral.jpg|Towers of Chartres Cathedral;
Flamboyant Gothic on left, Early Gothic on the right File:Spire of Notre-Dame de Paris, September 2013.jpg|The 13th century flèche of Notre Dame, recreated in the 19th century, destroyed by fire in 2019, now restored In English Gothic, the major tower was often placed at the crossing of the transept and nave, and was much higher than the other. The most famous example is the tower of
Salisbury Cathedral, completed in 1320 by William of Farleigh. It was a remarkable feat of construction, since it was built upon the pillars of the much earlier church. A crossing tower was constructed at
Canterbury Cathedral in 1493–1501 by
John Wastell, who had previously worked on King's College at Cambridge. It was finished by
Henry Yevele, who also built the present nave of Canterbury. The new central tower at
Wells Cathedral caused a problem; it was too heavy for the original structure. An unusual double arch had to be constructed in the centre of the crossing to give the tower the extra support it needed. England's Gothic parish churches and collegiate churches generally have a single western tower. A number of the finest churches have masonry spires, with those of
St James Church, Louth;
St Wulfram's Church, Grantham;
St Mary Redcliffe in
Bristol; and
Coventry Cathedral. These spires all exceed in height. Westminster Abbey's crossing tower has for centuries remained unbuilt, and numerous architects have proposed various ways of completing it since the 1250s, when work began on the tower under
Henry III. A century and half later, an octagonal
roof lantern resembling that of Ely Cathedral was installed instead, which was then demolished in the 16th century. Pointed arch windows of Gothic buildings were initially (late 12th–late 13th centuries)
lancet windows, a solution typical of the
Early Gothic or
First Pointed style and of the
Early English Gothic. Plate tracery, in which lights were pierced in a thin wall of ashlar, allowed a window arch to have more than one light – typically two side by side and separated by flat stone
spandrels. The spandrels were then sculpted into figures like a
roundel or a
quatrefoil. Plate tracery reached the height of its sophistication with the 12th century windows of Chartres Cathedral and in the "Dean's Eye" rose window at Lincoln Cathedral. At the beginning of the 13th century, plate tracery was superseded by bar-tracery. Bar-tracery divides the large lights from one another with moulded
mullions. Stone bar-tracery, an important decorative element of Gothic styles, first was used at
Reims Cathedral shortly after 1211, in the chevet built by Jean D'Orbais. It was employed in England around 1240. After 1220, master builders in England had begun to treat the window openings as a series of openings divided by thin stone bars, while before 1230 the apse chapels of Reims Cathedral were decorated with bar-tracery with cusped circles (with bars radiating from the centre). Bar-tracery became common after , with increasing complexity and decreasing weight. The lines of the mullions continued beyond the tops of the window lights and subdivided the open spandrels above the lights into a variety of decorative shapes.
Rayonnant style () was enabled by the development of bar-tracery in
Continental Europe and is named for the radiation of lights around a central point in circular rose windows.
Rayonnant also deployed mouldings of two different types in tracery, where earlier styles had used moulding of a single size, with different sizes of mullions. The rose windows of Notre-Dame de Paris (c.1270) are typical. "Dean's Eye" rose window (c.1225) The early phase of
Middle Pointed style (late 13th century) is characterized by
Geometrical tracery – simple bar-tracery forming patterns of
foiled arches and circles interspersed with triangular lights. The mullions of
Geometrical style typically had
capitals with curved bars emerging from them.
Intersecting bar-tracery (c.1300) deployed mullions without capitals which branched off equidistant to the window-head. The window-heads themselves were formed of equal curves forming a pointed arch and the tracery-bars were curved by drawing curves with differing
radii from the same
centres as the window-heads. The mullions were in consequence branched into Y-shaped designs further ornamented with cusps. The intersecting branches produced an array of
lozenge-shaped lights in between numerous lancet arched lights.
Y-tracery was often employed in two-light windows c.1300.
Second Pointed (14th century) saw
Intersecting tracery elaborated with
ogees, creating a complex reticular (net-like) design known as
Reticulated tracery.
Second Pointed architecture deployed tracery in highly decorated fashion known as
Curvilinear and
Flowing (
Undulating). These types of bar-tracery were developed further throughout Europe in the 15th century into the
Flamboyant style, named for the characteristic flame-shaped spaces between the tracery-bars. These shapes are known as
daggers,
fish-bladders, or
mouchettes.
Third Pointed or
Perpendicular Gothic developed in England from the later 14th century and is typified by
Rectilinear tracery (
panel-tracery). The mullions are often joined by
transoms and continue up their straight vertical lines to the top of the window's main arch, some branching off into lesser arches, and creating a series of panel-like lights.
Perpendicular strove for verticality and dispensed with the
Curvilinear style's sinuous lines in favour of unbroken straight mullions from top to bottom, transected by horizontal transoms and bars.
Four-centred arches were used in the 15th and 16th centuries to create windows of increasing size with flatter window-heads, often filling the entire wall of the bay between each buttress. The windows were themselves divided into panels of lights topped by pointed arches struck from four centres. The transoms were often topped by miniature
crenellations. The windows at Cambridge of King's College Chapel (1446–1515) represent the heights of
Perpendicular tracery. Tracery was used on both the interior and exterior of buildings. It frequently covered the façades, and the interior walls of the nave and choir were covered with blind arcades. It also often picked up and repeated the designs in the stained glass windows.
Strasbourg Cathedral has a west front lavishly ornamented with bar tracery matching the windows. File:Ripon Cathedral - central part of main facade.jpg|
Lancet Gothic,
Ripon Minster west front (begun 1160) File:Chartres Cathedral clerestory exterior.jpg|
Plate tracery,
Chartres Cathedral clerestory (1194–1220) File:Ripon Cathedral (7557362580) crop.jpg|
Geometrical Decorated Gothic,
Ripon Minster east window File:Straßburger Münster, Große Fensterrose.jpg|
Rayonnant rose window,
Strasbourg Cathedral west front File:Amiens France Cathédrale-Notre-Dame-d-Amiens-03d.jpg|
Flamboyant rose window,
Amiens Cathedral west front File:Limoges curvilinear tracery.JPG|
Curvilinear window,
Limoges Cathedral nave File:Kings College Chapel Cambridge west window.jpg|
Perpendicular four-centred arch, King's College Chapel, Cambridge west front File:Cathédrale de Tours - détail de la tour nord.jpg|Blind tracery,
Tours Cathedral (16th century) == Elements of Romanesque and Gothic architecture compared ==