The Wider Aspects of Gothic Architecture

Anthony P. Stone A paper read to a Society at my school when I was about 16 or 17 years old. I have left most of the text in its original form in order to preserve my youthful thoughts, and added a few notes. It is my intention to give a general outline of the origin and development of the style of architecture known as Gothic, together with its implications and the part it played in the Romantic movement which began in the eighteenth century. The most obvious distinguishing feature of Gothic architecture is the pointed arch, the origin of which is doubtful, although it was used in Asia Minor long before its introduction into Europe. One thing, however, is certain, and that is that it did not come through Rome. The Roman method of building, with massive pillars and semi-circular arches, spread throughout Europe; in England it is more often seen in the later form of Romanesque, which was brought from France at the Norman conquest. But the Gothic style was born in Northern Europe, and is totally different from that of a Southern country like Italy. Of course it spread there, but the Gothic cathedrals of Italy and Spain cannot compare, as Gothic, with those of France and England. The Roman influence was always felt, and it was in Italy that Renaissance architecture, which was a revival of Roman, first appeared. The pointed arch was evolved as the solution of a purely structural problem. The height and span of a semicircular are interdependent, but they can be varied independently if the arch is formed by intersecting arcs of circles, giving greater freedom of design. There was a transitional period of some years, during which the two forms of arch were used together. After this the Gothic style was firmly established. It is now necessary to consider the general form of early religious buildings. The Egyptian temples are all built on very similar lines. An avenue of sphinxes leads up to the entrance which is flanked by twin pylons, one on each side. These pylons are fairly low broad towers which are the highest part of the building, although they are not much higher than the walls of the adjacent court. Next comes a hall, again slightly lower, followed by the sanctuary and rooms used by the priests, which are lower still. The whole building has a horizontal direction, that is to say, it builds up to something along a horizontal line. In the early Christian churches this line was given an Eastwards direction towards the Holy Land, the direction being carried on inside the church by an unbroken succession of pillars. Anglo-Saxon and Norman churches usually have two parts, one smaller than the other, for a similar reason. This idea, then, was a very old one when the Gothic style appeared. It was also well developed in Romanesque cathedrals. The salient feature of Gothic however, is the fact that it has a vertical direction, which obviously originated in the pointed arch, the important thing about which is that it is not flat at the top. The result is that the eye, instead of being immediately cast down once it reaches the highest point, is arrested, and then can go still higher. This is an important fact, but although it gives the style part of its characteristic verticalness, it is not itself a characteristic: it is used exclusively in the earlier periods but not always in the later ones. Also, a large number of skyscrapers are described as Gothic because of their unbroken vertical lines between lines of windows; but there is no pointedness. The Church of Rome, which was the only form of Christianity in the Middle Ages [note: if we concentrate on Europe!], uses symbols extensively in its churches and services. It will be seen

later that a Gothic ecclesiastical building is itself one large symbol; although there is the danger that meanings will be seen where none was intended. It was thought at one time that because churches were built on a cruciform plan they were symbols of the Cross. This is not so: the Middle Ages saw a great development of ritual, and churches were built accordingly. The transepts, which some saw as the arms of a cross, were introduced for processions, and for this reason also a semicircular passage was left behind the High Altar. The chantry chapels which are found at the Eastern end of a French cathedral, and which help to produce such a beautiful effect there, arose from practical considerations. The buttresses which add to this effect are a structural necessity - they support the roof by taking the thrust. Everything has some use. Towers were used as look-outs and carry the bells. The spire is the only feature without a strictly utilitarian purpose, but from a symbolic point of view it is almost perfect. It was also used in France to complete the artistic balance of cathedrals when a central tower would have been too heavy for the high roof to support. The vertical direction was imposed on everything, except circular windows, and was used to express the highest religious aspirations of the age. The pointed windows were first tall and narrow, the sole idea being that of verticalness. In the Decorated period they became wider and more ornate, with flatter arches; and then developed into the Perpendicular style with vertical lines right through them. They were flatly pointed, and in some cases square-headed. Stained glass was used in increasing quantities, to portray sacred persons and events. The use of rectangular windows foretold the reintroduction of Roman ideas in the architecture of the Renaissance. During the Gothic period the plan had numerous additions, such as aisles, made to it, with the result that it became more or less rectangular in churches to which these additions had been made, and so new churches were built on a rectangular plan. Secular buildings such as schools were naturally built in the current style; when the number of churches erected decreased, the Renaissance period, in which more great houses were built, began. After the fire of London churches were built in the new style and the vertical direction was no longer used. The horizontal direction is also present in Gothic architecture. Continuous horizontal lines, which would interfere with the vertical ones, were not used, but a succession of vertical pillars or buttresses has the same effect. While vertical lines symbolised Mans reaching out to God, the horizontal direction symbolised exactly the same thing. The West front of a cathedral seems to have been thought of as representing the earth. This is most fully developed in those cathedrals such as the French one, which have two Western towers, giving a more restful sight than a single tower. The whole Faade appears massive and somewhat overwhelming when its full extent is seen at once. Large circular rose windows are often used here, with the same restful effect due to their symmetrical design. It has often been said that the West front is merely a screen for supporting sculpture and has no relation to the rest of the building. This is not quite correct: it is more a base and starting point for the Eastward direction. There is a pause at the transepts with reinforcement from the sides - the ends of the transepts often have rose windows, and diminutive towers, similar to the main faade. The horizontal and vertical directions combine to give a gradual rising towards the East, where the absence of heavy masonry allows the spirit to soar upwards past the buttresses around the apse which seem to have a fairy-like lightness, although the typical English cathedral has a square East end with no buttresses. The central tower or spire is prevented from becoming overbearing by reason of it greater height by the fact that its base cannot be seen, and so its true height is not apparent. It is therefore purely an expression of verticalness, unlike the other towers which are only partly so. If these arguments are correct, the best position for the main entrance is in the West front, where every cathedral and nearly every church has a door, the unfortunate thing being that few are in use. Another possible position is in the transepts, where several cathedrals have entrances; or into the nave which is the usual position for the porch of a parish church.

When the space under the tower is used as a general store room, as has happened in many churches, and the West door is never opened, then part of what the church can give is being missed. This door was originally used for processions, a High Church institution, and it is a matter of opinion whether the extensive use of symbolism is to be desired. Nevertheless the churches are definitely built for it. The mediaeval builders followed ritual and structural necessities, modified by artistic requirements like proportion, and symbolic considerations such as have been mentioned. And it is true that many churches are not built on the straightforward plan with a tower at the Western end, but have them in various positions; this does not lessen their value but rather demonstrates that Gothic was a living style and did not degenerate into a fixed and static form. Chichester cathedral has a detached bell-tower, but it is still part of the main building. In the Middle Ages the church was the centre of the communal life. Everyone attended the services and was connected with the church which was the counterpart of the modern community centre. They were built as an expression of the people as a whole, by the people themselves to a large extent. Many of the English cathedrals were built by monks, but this was not so in France. Such a project required skilled workers and planners, but every one of the men involved was an artist. Gothic architecture attained a remarkably high degree of ornament, and was connected with a fine style of sculpture. The number of men engaged in this sort of work was quite large. [Two misguided sentences omitted] The name Gothic was first used in a scornful manner, when the style had fallen into disrepute. It was not until the eighteenth century that it was considered seriously. The Romantic movement was a movement away from everyday things and circumstances, and it had various effects. It produced a peculiar form of poetry, of which one example is this extract from a poem called The pleasures of melancholy [Thomas Warton the younger, 1728-1790]:
Beneath yon ruind abbeys moss-grown piles Oft let me sit, at twilight hour of eve, Where through some western window the pale Moon Pours here long-levelld rule of streaming light; While sullen sacred silence reigns around, Save the lone screech-owls note, who builds his bowr Amid the mouldring caverns dark and damp, Or the calm breeze, that rustles in the leaves of flaunting ivy, that with mantle green Invests some wasted towr.

Or this from Ode to Fancy [Joseph Warton, 1722-1800]

Let us with silent footsteps go To charnels and the house of woe, To Gothic churches, vaults and tombs, ...

and so on. These were the popular verses of the day. It is no wonder that there were crazes of mock Classical, Chinese and Gothic architecture. They even went as far as building mock ruins for picturesque effects. Gothic churches were built in the Early English and Geometrical Decorated styles; because they regarded the later ones as being decadent, whereas in reality they were far superior. The results were [not so good] at first ,[some further complaints omitted]. Today we realise that it is impossible to build Gothic as it was in mediaeval times. We cannot put the clock back. Gothic remains the supreme style of ecclesiastical architecture, but we must learn from the mistakes of our predecessors, and look forwards rather than backwards in our building.