Gothic Cathedrals

Paper Summary:

The writer of this paper identifies the key aspects of Gothic cathedrals with a few examples and comparisons of the cathedrals. The paper explains how Gothic cathedrals are some of the most beautiful and enduring buildings in Europe. It looks at how they have survived for centuries as testaments to the workmen who created them and the architects who designed them. The ornate buildings are as impressive today as when they first grew on the skyline, and they represent a high point in the culture and society of the Middle Ages.

From the Paper:

"Gothic architecture, perhaps one of the most famous and ornate forms of architecture of any period, began in northern Europe as early as the twelfth century, and spread throughout Europe. It gradually replaced the Romanesque Style of architecture, which had grown in popularity throughout Europe beginning at about the millennium year of 1000. Romanesque buildings offered many of the same intricate details as the Gothic cathedrals, because building practices had evolved, and better tools, such as the stone saw (Calikins 100). Romanesque buildings incorporated intricate arches and vaulting, along with repetitive bay systems, flat and round ribs, but they did have their limitations. One architect historian wrote, "Reliant on the sheer power of mass to abut and restrain the tremendous outward thrust of thick nave barrel vaults, Romanesque architecture could not open up to the light" (Roth 288)."

More papers on Gothic Cathedrals:

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• Essay # 17204 : " The Design of Early Gothic Cathedrals"

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