Abstract
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)."

Tags:middle, ages, architecture, ornate, christianity, church

Abstract
This paper discusses how the St. Sebald Church, the Florence Cathedral and the Cathedral of Milan each balances the physical forces required to build looming buildings of stone and glass. It explores how with the desire of architects, builders, and patrons to create works that simultaneously demonstrate their own piety and impeccable taste.

From the Paper
"Every Christian church that has ever been built, and this is arguably true of the places of worship of every faith, is an amalgam of the pragmatic and the idealistic of earthly concerns and divine ones. Each church lies in the borderlands defined on one side by ..."

Tags:Gothic, Romanesque, church, architecture, Renaissance

From the Paper
"Architecture has always been a reflection of the significant influences and objectives of a society at a given time. The development of the gothic cathedral manifests the changes in creative thought and techniques of the medieval architect. "

Tags:cathedral, gothic, history

From the Paper
"The great cathedrals which are the high points of any cultural tour of Europe are almost all the product of a single century. In the space of about 100 years, beginning about the middle of the 12th century, medieval artisans succeeded in developing the Gothic style from the Romanesque style, and began building some of the noblest testimonials to the human spirit ever created. This effusion was most clearly marked in France, probably because it was the first part of Europe to achieve a national identity and a stable government.

The first Gothic cathedral is generally considered to be that at St. Denis, begun by the Abb? Suger in 1137. Within the next half-century, other notable French cathedrals were begun: St. Etienns at Sens in 1140, Noyon in 1150, Laon in 1160, Notre Dame de Paris in 1163, Bourges in 1199, Rouen in 1202, Rheims in ... "

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that the Middle Ages gave rise to several schools of thought after the fall of the Roman Empire, schools of thought that would shape how Christianity would be represented and worshipped. The writer points out that as a result, Gothic architecture was born, with markedly different characteristics than its predecessors. The writer discusses that the Gothic architectural style had one central theme in mind: to display the glory of God while demonstrating the smallness and insignificance of man, a mortal being. In doing so, new methods of construction were implemented to give the structures a more intense assertion of grandeur. The writer concludes that each cathedral has a story to tell, and the Gothic method of architecture allowed them to tell their story in a unique and grandiose fashion.

Outline:
The European Middle Ages and the Gothic Cathedral
Notre-Dame D'Amiens
Other Influential Biblical References
Bibliography

From the Paper
"One characteristic of the Gothic cathedral that separated it from its predecessors was its use of the "flying buttress". Historically, cathedrals had been built in such a manner that its sheer size called for thicker walls to support the tremendous weight bearing down from the top of the structures. In Gothic cathedrals, the flying buttress was initiated. Bearing the weight of the structure from an angle, the flying buttress allowed for the walls of the cathedrals to have cut-outs, which allowed for much larger windows, allowing light to pour into the interior, illuminating the structure while adding to its spiritual ambience.
"While the Gothic cathedral boasted several new forms of design, there was an adherence to tradition in part of its construction: the floor plan. The floor plan of the Gothic cathedral was designed in the same "cross" patterns of previous cathedrals, with each section having a different function for biblical reference."

Tags:buttress, Notre, Dame, arch, structure

Abstract
This paper describes the famous stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral in France. The paper describes the cathedral's gothic style, the set of windows in the west facade, the rose windows that can be found in different parts of the cathedral, and the Blue Virgin Window in the ambulatory area. The paper also describes the guilded windows in the cathedral, noting that, more than with most cathedrals, Chartres Cathedral's windows area often marked to show the donor, and this is true of the so-called guild windows, or windows donated by the trade guilds.

From the Paper
"The South Rose is seen with five lancet windows and dates from the 1230s. The Rose Window itself shows the Glorification of Christ, with Christ blessing surrounded by Four Evangelists and angels, then the elders of the Apocalypse, then the arms of donors to the cathedral. The left lancet shows Evangelist Luke over Prophet Jeremiah. The second lancet shows Evangelist Matthew over Prophet Isaiah. The central lancet shows the Virgin and Child."

Tags:illiterate, light, grisaille, rose, donor

From the Paper
"The word "cathedral" comes from the Latin root "cathedra," literally, a bishop's throne (King 105-107). The Middle Ages in France, particularly the latter days of the medieval era, were virtually rife with cathedrals and religious architecture. This was the era of the Roman Catholic Church, a time when God was with mankind everywhere; when king and peasant alike acknowledged the religious authority of the Pope (albeit sometimes grudgingly); when "the history of the world is the history of the Lord extended through the lengthy annals of human life" (Focillon, Gothic 75). Miracles, angels and saints were a literal part of a medieval Frenchman's worldview. So were demons, devils, Apocalypse and Last Judgement. The cathedral, the bishop's "throne," in its art and architecture was the "encyclopedia in stone" of that worldview (Mirsky 140). More.."

From the Paper
"The purpose of building Gothic cathedrals was to build a temple worthy of God. In the twelfth century, bishops became independent of the secular power and took their destiny, and that of the Church, into their own hands. The growing power and prestige of the bishops combined with the architectural development of the flying buttress and rib vaulting enabled the building of the great Gothic Cathedrals. Stained glass work attained its epiphany in the windows of these Gothic cathedrals. The stained glass windows constructed during the thirteenth century are considered some of the finest examples of this art..."

Abstract
The paper is on the history and design of St. Etienne Cathedral in Bourges, France, which is a good example of gothic church architecture. The constuction of the cathedral is examined and the paper discusses typical French Gothic style.

From the Paper
"St. Etienne Cathedral in Bourges, France is a good example of gothic church architecture. This edifice, along with Cathedral Chartres, is the first cathedral of the high-Gothic era and was the starting point for the typical French Gothic style. Construction on the cathedral began in 1195, and the choir was completed in 1214, the nave between 1225-1250, and the west facade sometime in the 1270's. The north tower fell in 1505 and was rebuilt in 1542 ("Cathedral, Bourges No. 1" paras. 1-2). The plan of the cathedral is simple and was derived from the plan for Notre-Dame de Paris. At least, the exterior is so derived, while the interior is quite different from that more famous cathedral. The basic structure involves double-sided aisles, and it is double ambulatory and has no transept. The volume of the nave is the same as the cathedral at Chartres, with a width of 15 meters and a height of 37.."

Tags:cathedral, design, history

Abstract
A study of the Chartres Cathedral in France which creates a ideal depiction of the gothic form of architecture and is shown in reference to the same.

Tags:chartres, gothic, cathedral