HI

STORYOFARCHI
TECTURE

ROMANESQUEARCHI NEUROPE9TH –12TH CENTURY

TECTUREI

I
NFLUENCES
GEOGRAPHI CAL
- Stylewhichgr ewupont hedecayoftheRomanEmpi r
e,t
heRomanesque
- Car r
iedthroughoutwhol eofwester
nempi re
GEOLOGICAL
- Roughuseofmat eri
alathandcharacteri
zesthest
yleineachcount
ry
- Stone, br
icks,marble,l
i
mest one
CLI
MATE
- Local sty
lesweref avoredbythevari
ationsofcl
imat
enor t
handsouthoft
heAl
ps,
as
referredineachcount r
y

HISTORI
CAL
Charl
emagne
 -
- Fi
rstel
ectedFrankishKi
ng,i
n800AD, hewascrownedemper
orbypopel
eoI
II
- Wasbar bari
anEurope’
smosteffect
iver
uler
- Restor
edt hear
tsandcivi
li
zat
iontoWesternEur
ope

RELI
GION
 - Christianchurch,t
heci vi
l
izi
ngandeducati
ngagencyoftheperi
od
- Erectionofachur ch,thefoundati
onofacit
y
- Existenceofmonast i
ccommuni ties
- Science, l
ett
ers,artandenli
ghtenmentwerethemonopolyofr
eli
giousbodi
es
- Architectur
ewasgener al
lypract
icedbyt
heclergy

MONASTICORDERS
THEBenedi
cti
neOr
der

t
h
- SouthItaly,6 cent ur
y,bySt .Benedict
- Taughtdecr eeofar chit
ect ur
e,painti
ng,mosaic,andal lbr
anchesofart
- Oldermonast eri
esinEngl and(e.g.Canter
buryandWest minsterabbey)
- Arrangementconsi st
edofasquar ecloi
sterhavingononesi deachurchofcr
uci
for
m
planwithai sles, t
hetranseptformi ngapartofonesi deoft hecloi
ster
s
- Ther ef
ector ywasusual l
ypar all
eltothenave
- Wi t
hdor mitor iesonanot herside
TheCl
uniacorder
- Foundedi nA. D.910,byAbbotOdo
- Thecelebr atedAbbeyatCl unybeingtheheadquar t
ers
- Useofdoubl et r
ansepts,adoptedt omanyEngl i
shcat hedrals
TheCi
sterci
anor der
 - Foundedi nA. D.1098atCi t
eaux, BurgundybySt ephenHardi
ngandatClai
rvauxbyST.
Ber nar d
- Inpl an, churchdi vi
dedintothreepar tsbyscreens,wall
sorsteps
- Noi sles,thet ranseptswer eshor t
, asalsowast heeaster
narm oft
hecr
oss
- Choi rext endedwest wardoft hetransepts
- Absenceoft ower sandpai ntedglass
TheAugust inianorder
- Differ edlit
tl
ef r om theBenedi cti
neor der
- Int
r oducedi nA. D.1105
- Brist ol,Carl
isle, oxfor
dcathedr al
s
TheCart
husi anorder

- FoundedbySt .Bruno,A.D.1080
- Typi
cal f
eaturewast hegreatrectangularcl
oist
er,sur
roundedbyanarcade
- Notablysevereandunador ned
- Thecharterhouse,oftenremot el
ysitedprovi
dedsepar at
ecell
sforthemonks,
general
lygroupedaroundt hecloist
ergar t
handt hecommunityserv
edasimple
pl
annedchur ched
MILITARYORDERS
Knight
sTempl ar
- Foundedi n1119,t
oprotecttheHolyPlacesi
nPal
est
ineandt
osaf
eguar
dthepi
l
gri
m
routestoJerusal
em
- Templ archur
cheswerecirculari
nplan
- Er ectedinimit
ati
onoftheRot ondaoftheHol
ySepul
chre

-
Kni
ghtsofhospit
all
ers
- Organizedin1113,butdev elopnochar
act
eri
sti
car
chi
tect
ureofi
tsown
Themendicantorder
soffriar
s
- Foundeddur i
ngthe13thcent ury
- Franci
scansandDomi nicans
- Houseswer eusuall
ysi t
edi ntowns
ROMANESQUEARCHI NEUROPE9TH –12TH CENTURY
TECTUREI

ARCHI
TECTURALCHARACTER

DESCRI
PTION
- Reli
giousfer
vorexpr
essedinart
,cathedr
alsandmonast
icbuil
dings
- Archi
tectur
espreadthr
oughoutEuropebutgover
nedbyclassi
cal t
radi
ti
ons–
“Romanesque”
-

- Anewst y
lewasevolvedfort
heper
iod10th–12thcent
ury
-empl
oymentofnew
const
ruct
ivepr
inci
pleandnewuseofmat er
ial

PLANS
- Dev
elopmentder
ivedf
rom t
het
ypeofear
lyChr
ist
ianchur
ches
- Developmentderi
v edf r
om thetypeofearl
yChri
sti
anchurches
- Transeptswereadded, chancelprol
ongedfur
thereast–partaki
ngi
ntoawel
ldef
ined
cr
osspl an(e.
g.St.Mi chel
e,Pavi
a)
- Thetranseptweret hesamebr eadthasthenave

-
PLANS
- Choirwasrai
sedbymeansofsteps
- Vault
edcry
ptsuppor
tedonpier
sliesunder
neat
hthechoi
r
- Cl
oister
sconnect
edtothechur
ch

PLANS
- Towerswereaddedasspecialf
eat
ures,ei
thersquar
e,oct
agonal
orcir
cul
arinpl
an
withwell
-mar
kedstor
eys,havi
ngwindowseachandar epl
acedatthewestandeast
ends
- Crossi
ngofnavethetr
ansepts
Tower
s
- Mar
iaLaachAbbey
,Ger
many

Wal
l
s
- Coar selybui
lt
- Exteriorhavebuttressesf
ormedaspil
ast
erst
ri
psofsl
ightproject
ion,connect
edat
thetopbyhor i
zontalmouldi
ngs,
orbyarowofsemi
cir
culararchesrestingonacor
bel
tableproject
ingfrom thewall

-
Openi
ngs
- Character
isti
cdoorandwi ndowopeni ngs
- Jambswer eformedi
nr ecedingplanes,orr
ectangul
arr
ecesses,
knownas“
order
s”,
in
whichwer eplacedci
rcularcolumnsorshafts
- Thear chesfoll
owssamemet hodbui
ltonconcentr
icr
ings

Openi
ngs
- Pri
nci
paldoorwaysusuall
yplacedint
ransepts
- Romanesquechurchesgenerall
yhaveasi ngl
eport
alcentr
all
ypl
acedont
hewest
fr
ont,
thefocusofdecorat
ionforthefaçadeofthebuil
ding
- Roseorwheelwindowplacedof t
enov ert
hewestdoor
 - I
ff
leychur
ch,
oxon

ROMANESQUEARCHI TECTURE
•Cat
hedralsarepopulari
zed,andbecomesy mbol
s
ofci
vi
cprideandr el
igi
ousdevoti
on
- Muchl argerthanprevi
ouschurches
- Veryexpensiveandt i
me-consumingtobui
ld.
especiall
ybecauseconcretetechnol
ogywas
al
l butforgot
ten

•Transiti
onf rom woodt ost oneroofsli
mitsfir
e
hazardsandr educedmai ntenance(stoneisfarmor e
durable),butcausesnewst ruct
uraldil
emma: r
oof
weight
- Ev olutionOft hickerwalls
- Fewerandsmal l
erwindows•dar kerspaces
- Ri bv aults:supportsomewei ghtoft heroof
andopenupcei li
ngspace
- UseOfSt onecarriessound,soservicescan
behear dev eni
nt hebackOft hecongr egat
ion
ROMANESQUEARCHI TECTURE
•Featur
esoft heapsear er et
r ofi
ttedtoaccommodat e
l
argercrowdswi thouti nterr
upt i
ngt heservi
ce
- Ambul atory: walkwayar oundapse
- Chapel (s)
: nichesr adiati
ngof fofthe
ambulatoryt hatsomet imescont ai
nedreli
cs
(whichwer et hemedi ev alequival
entOftouri
st
att
racti
ons, andpi ll
agedf r
om neighbor
s
duri
ngt heCr usades)

•Bay:
basic,thr ee-partunitofmedi ev
al const
ruct
ion
- Wasr epeat edt hroughoutabuildingli
kea
r
olli
ngr ubberst amp
- Firstfloor :
ar ches
- Secondf l
oor: t
rif
orium wit
hsmal l
erar
ches
- Thi r
df loor:clerestorywindows

ROMANESQUEART: c.1000- 1200CE

•Cal l
ed' Romanesque' becauseal otoft he
architect urer esembl edRomanbui ldings( butwer e
actuallyqui tedi fferent)
•Thecommot ionoft heDar kAgeshadf i
nallybegun
toset tledown, andf orei
gni nvaderswer econv ert
ed
toChr istiani t
y
•West ernEur oper espondst opressur ef r
om I slamic
i
nv asionst hrought heCr usades
•Lot soff i
ght i
ngamongstt hemsel ves,butt hi
ngs
wer emor eorl essst ableenoughf ort r
adeand
commer cet ot hriveandf orcit
iestoexpand
•Feudal i
sm: r elati
onshi pbet weenl ordsandser fs
- Ar ti
stsoccupi edami ddleclass.andwer e
commi ssionedbyweal t
hypat r
onsand
pat ronessest ocreat ebothsecul arand
religiousar t
•Womenar tistsemer ge, thoughthei rartistypically
femini ne' (cer ami cs,embr oi
dery,manuscr i
pt
i
lluminat ion)
Chur
chofSaint
e-Foy
-
1050-1130CEStone.ConquesFr
ance

- Locatedonthepil
gri
mager oadt oSantiagode
Compostela(i
nnorthernSpai
n)andi ntended
toaccommodat el
argenumber s:wide
tr
anseptsandambul at
orywit
ht hreechapels

- I
nteri
orisheavy,notwell
il
lumi
nated,and
l
argelyunadornedduetolackofcl
erestor
y
windows( wi
ndowsar eoversi
deaisl
esand
notverylar
ge)

- Cr
uci
for
m(cr
oss-
shaped)gr
oundpl
an

- Likemanybui
ldi
ngsfr
om t
hisperi
od,
hasv
ery
thickwal
l
stosuppor
theav
yceil
ing

- Separ
atecampani
l
ebel
ltowersummons
peopl
etopray
er

Nav
eofchurchofSai
nte-
Foy
- Noticehowthehalli
sfl
ankedbybarr
elv
aul
ts,andhowt
hemaj
ori
tyoft
hel
i
ghti
s
comi ngf
rom wi
ndowsintheapseandsi
deaisl
es

LastJudgment .1107-1125CE.Pai ntedstone

- Ahi ghlydecor atedty
mpanum ( semi -
cir
cularstoneoverapor t
al,ordoor )
- Por tray sChr i
stasast ri
ctjudgeofsoul s,deter
mi ni
ngwhoget stoent erHeav en(on
thelef tsi
de, wherepeopl eexitthechurch)andwhogoest oHel l(onrightside.Where
peopl eent erchurch)
,remi ndingpilgr
imsoft hereasonsoftheirpilgr
image
- Inscr ipti
on: "OSinner
s, changey ourmor al
sbef oreyoumightfaceacr ueljudgment"
- Cl earhi erarchyofscale.wi t
hf i
guresseparatedintoandoftenti
mesmol dedbyframes
- Fl at
t enedf igur
es.withdr aperythatconcealsmostoft heform oft hebody
Plan,
chur
chofSai
nteFoy
,Conques,
France,
c.10250-
1130C.E.

ROMANESQUEARCHI NEUROPE9TH –12TH CENTURY

TECTUREI

ARCHITECTURALCHARACTER
Roof
s
•empl oymentofv aulti
ng, overt
heai sles(11thcentury)
•useofsemi ci
rculararches,oftenraisedorst i
lt
ed
•ribmoul dingi
nv ault
swasi ntr
oducedabout1100A. D.
,
•i
nt er
sectingbarrelvaults,l
edtouseofpoi ntedarches
•crossingwer ecrownedbyoct agonaldome, foursi
deswer
ecar
ri
edon"
squi
nch"
arches
•used" fl
yingbuttr
esses"undert heaislesroof
VAULT-Anar chedstructure,usuall
ybuil
tof
stonemasonr y,bri
ckorconcr ete,serv
ingto
coveraspace.
- bar r
el vault—simpl esttypeof
vaultedr oof
- gr oinv ault-somet i
mesknownasa
doubl ebar r
elvaultorcrossv aul
- r i
bbedv ault–
- poi ntedar chedv aul
t-

ARCHI
TECTURALCHARACTER
- RomanesqueVaul
ti
ng

ARCHITECTURALCHARACTER
Columns
•useoffl
utings( v
er t
ical,
spiral
,ortrell
i
swork
form)
•wholeshaftiscov eredwi t
hsculptured
ornaments
•cushi
on(cubiform)shapedcapi tal
, wit
h
l
owercornersr oundedof fandnocar vi
ng,or
someti
mesr ichlycarv edandscolloped
ARCHITECTURALCHARACTER
❑PiersandColumns
■Api er
,inarchi
tecture,i
sanuprightsuppor
t
forastr
uctur
eorsuper st
ruct
uresuchasan
archorbri
dge
■generall
y,muchl argerthanacolumn
ARCHITECTURALCHARACTER
Capit
als
•Cori
nthi
anorI oni
ccapi
talswereused
•useofabacusov ert
hecapi t
al—higher,
but
proj
ectslessthani
ntheClassical
,and
mouldedwi t
halter
nat
efi
lletsandholl
ows

D
ARCHI TECTURALCHARACTER
❑Moul dings
•elabor atelycarved
•useofat ticbase—adapt edfr
om old
Classical form,resti
ngonasquarepli
nth,at
theangl esofwhi chfl
owersorani
malswer e
occasional lycarvedtofi
l
lupthetr
iangular
part,andt hel owercir
cul
armouldi
ngof t
en
overhangst heplint
h

ARCHI TECTURALCHARACTER
❑Or naments
•der iv
edfr
om manyanimal
sandvegetabl
e
ki
ngdom andt r
eatedi
nconv
enti
onalwaybut
oft
enr udel
ycarved
•frescoinint
eri
ors
•stainedgl
ass
ROMANESQUEARCHI
TECTUREI
NITALY

CENTRALI
TALY

I
NFLUENCES
❑Geogr aphical
•extendedt oFl
orenceandPi saonthenor
th
andwest ,andtoNaplesont heSouth
•Pisawasbyposi ti
onamar i
timepower
•Florencelayonthegreatroutefr
om sout
h
tonor t
h,commandi ngthepassageofthe
Arno
CENTRALI TALY
I
NFLUENCES
❑Geol ogical
•mi neralfrom Tuscany&abundanceof
bui
ldingst one
•bri
cks; l
ocalv ol
canicst
one( t
ufa/
peperino)
•tr
av ert
inestonef r
om Tiv
oliandmar bl
ef r
om
Carr
ar aorPar os,&otherGreekisl
ands

❑Cli
matic
•br
il
li
antsunshi
nedemandedsmallwindows
andthi
ckwallsbot
hincit
iesoft
heplai
nand
i
ncit
iesbuil
tonthehi
ll
tops
CENTRALITALY

I
NFLUENCES
Religi
ous
•Pippin,
kingoft heFranks,defendedPope
StephenIIfrom theLombar ds—andgav e
l
andsandt hechiefcit
yofExar chat
e
(Ravenna)tothePope
•775,CentralIt
alysevereditsconnect
ion
withtheempi r
e, becameindependent
•Charl
emagne, invit
edbyPopeAdr i
anI,
advancedintoItalyin773;enteredRomefor
thefir
stti
mei n774
CENTRALI TALY

I
NFLUENCES
❑Social&Pol
it
ical
•art
isti
cmovement(ar
chi
tect
ure)wasmost
prominent
•painti
ngandscul
ptur
ebecamei dl
e

•growthofi ndustri
alpopul ati
on,i
ncreaseof
commer ce,independentv iewscausedby
educat i
on
CENTRALI TALY
INFLUENCES
❑Hi stori
cal
•Pisa-gr eatcommer cialandnav alpoweri
n
theMedi terranean
•Florence-i nhabit
antswer epeopleof
Fiesole
•Lucca-r epubl i
ccity
; archit
ectur
ewas
i
nf l
uencedbyPi sa
CENTRALI TALY
❑Ar chitecturalChar acter
•basi li
cant ypeofchur ch
•beaut yanddel i
cacyofor namentaldetai
l
•strongBy zantinei nfl
uence—Veni ce,
Ravenna, Pisa
•ornament al arcades, whi
chr i
sesatopthe
other•useofar cadedgaller
iesasa
decor ati
v efeatur e•useofmar bl
eforfacing
walls
•nav esar edividedbyant i
quecolumns, t
he
choirwasoccasi onal
lyrai
sedabov ethecr y
pt
reachedbyst epsf rom thenave

CENTRALI TALY
❑Ar chitectural Character
•door sandwi ndowsar esmalland
uni
mpor tant•wi ndowt r
acerywasnotused
togreatext ent,wheel wi ndowshavesimple
patt
erns
•ti
mberr oofs,openbasi li
cant
y pewi
thraf
ter
andtiebeamsdecor atedincolor
•ai
sleshav egr oinedvaul t
sofsmallspan
•Christi
ansy mbol i
sm usedasdecor ati
ve
car
vingsandmosai cs
CENTRALI TALY

examples:
❑Pi saCathedral•f
inestexampleofI
tal
ian
(Pi
san)Romanesque
•Pisacathedral
,wit
hBapt i
ster
y,campanil
e
andcamposant o
CENTRALI TALY
examples: (
PiazzadelDuomo)Pi saCathedr
al
❑TheCampani le(bel
ltower)
•circul
arstruct
ure16met er(
52ft.
)in
diameter,ornamentedwitheightst
ori
esof
arcades
•LeaningTowerofPi sa

❑TheBapt i
stery,Pi
sa
■byDi oti
Salvi-cir
cularplanwi t
hacent ral
nave18.3indiamet er,
separatedbyf ourpier
s
andeightcol
umnsf rom thesurroundingtwo-
stor
eyedaisl
ewhi chmakest hebuildi
ng
nearl
y39.3meters( 129ft
.)i
ndi ameter
CENTRALI TALY
EXAMPLES:
- S.Mi chele,Lucca

CENTRALI TALY
examples:
SanMi ni
ato,
Flor
ence-
fi
nestexampleofTuscan
Romanesquest y
leof
archi
tect
ure
Nor
thI
tal
y

INFLUENCES
Geogr aphical
•Mi l
an—capi t
alofLombardy-enjoyedgr
eat
prosperityonaccountofit
sproximit
yto
severalAlpinepassesanditssi
tuati
onint
he
fert
il
epl ainsofLombardy
•VeniceandRav enna—fel
lunderthe
i
nfluenceofBy zanti
neart

Geologi
cal
•br
ickwast hegr
eatbui
l
dingmat
eri
alused
Nort
hI t
aly

INFLUENCES
Cli
mat e
•Milanisneart
heAlps,
toexper
iencet
he
coldin
winter
,whil
eheati
sexcessi
veinsummer

Reli
gion
•attheendof4t hcentur
y,Theodosi
us,
barr
edf rom t
hedoorsoftheChurch,bySt.
Ambr ose,becauseoft
hemassacr eofthe
peopleofThessaloni
ca
NorthItaly

INFLUENCES
Social&Poli
tical
•ri
seoft heVenet i
anstat
e—thefi
rstf
orm of
governmentbei ngRepubl
ican
•oli
garchy-aDukeorDogewasi nvest
edwi t
h
supremeaut horit
y

Historical
•Veni cekeptupcl osealliancewi t
h
Const antinopl ebymeansofbot hnaval
i
mpor tanceandcommer ce
•Mi l
anbei ngasmuchGer manasI tal
i
an
NorthI taly
Architectur alChar act
er
•arcadespl acedont opofgabl esandapses
•char acteri sl essref
inedbecauseoft heuseofbr
ickandstonei
nst
eadofmar
ble
•typical wide, f l
atandsev erefacades
•rosewi ndowandapor chr est
ingonl i
ons
•sculpt uredesi gns
•useofBasi l
icantypechur ches—v aultedandr
oof
ed,2-st
oreysi
deaisl
es,
omi
tt
edcl
erest
ory
,
wall
sbetweenthesidechapelsf
ormingbut
tresses
NorthIt
aly
examples:
Campanili
•orbellt
owers
•notjoi
nedstr
uctur
all
ywiththechurcht
o
whichtheybel
onged
•ascivi
cmonument s
•squareinpl
an,noproj
ecti
ngbuttr
esses

Nort
hI t
aly
examples:
Sant'
Ant onino,
Piacenza
S.Ambr ogio,Mil
an
S.Michele,Pavi
a

Nor
thI
tal
y

Sant
'Ant
oni
no,
Piacenza

NorthIt
aly
S.Ambr ogi
o,Mi
l
an
-basil
i
caofSant'
Ambr
ogi
o
Nor
thI
tal
y
- Thepalazzi
far
set
tiandpal
azzi
l
oredan

ROMANESQUEARCHI
TECTTUREI
NITALY
SOUTHI
TALYANDSI
CILY

I
NFLUENCES

GEOGRAPHICAL
- Si
cil
y–situat
edcent
ral
l
yint
he
Medit
err
aneansea

SOUTHI TALYANDSI CILY

I
NFLUENCES
Geologi
cal
•depositsofsulfurcontri
but
edt ot
he
wealthandpr osperi
tyoftheisl
and
•mount ainsaff
ordedanabundantsuppl
yof
acalcareousandshel lyli
mestones

SOUTHI
TALYANDSI
CILY

I
NFLUENCES

CLI
MATE
- Sub-
tr
opi
cal
cli
mat
e

RELI
GION
- Mahomet
ani
nfl
uence
SOUTHITALYANDSI CI
LY
I
NFLUENCES
Soci
al&Poli
ti
cal
•Mahometaninf
luence,i
ntroducedint
oSici
l
yvaluabl
ecommerci
alpr
oduct
s
•ci
vi
li
zat
ionwasaidedbyt hepr ev
iousBy
zanti
neinfl
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 History of
Architecture 2
Gothic Architecture
in England
 Gothic Architecture
in England
Periods:

oEARLY ENGLISH
• 13th century
• equivalent to High Gothic in France
• also called "Lancet" or "First Pointed" style, from
long narrow pointed windows
 Gothic Architecture
in England
Periods:

o EARLY ENGLISH
• The pointed arch became permanently established, surmounting all the
difficulties of difference in span, and enabling vaults of varying sizes to intersect
without stilting or other contrivances.
• The plain four-part rib (quadripartite) ribbed vault, primarily constructed as a
skeleton framework of diagonal and transverse ribs was chiefly used in this
period.
• Later in the century, intermediate ribs known as tiercerons, were introduced
between the transverse and the diagonal ribs. They were especially needed to
strengthen the vaulting surfaces by decreasing the space between the ribs.
Gothic Architecture
 Gothic Architecture
in England
Periods:
o EARLY ENGLISH
• The pointed arch is known as the lancet.
• Through the employment of the pointed arch, walls could become less massive and
window openings could be larger and grouped more closely together, so architects
could achieve a more open, airy and graceful building.
• The high walls and vaulted stone roofs were often supported by flying buttresses:
half arches which transmit the outward thrust of the superstructure to supports or
buttresses, often visible on the exterior of the building.
• The barrel vaults and groin vaults characteristic of Romanesque building were
replaced by rib vaults, which made possible a wider range of proportions between
height, width and length.
 Gothic Architecture
in England
Periods:
o EARLY ENGLISH
• The arched windows are usually narrow by comparison to their height and are
without tracery .
• For this reason Early English Gothic is sometimes known as the "Lancet" style.
• Although arches of equilateral proportion are most often employed, lancet arches of
very acute proportions are frequently found and are a highly characteristic of the
style.
• A notable example of steeply pointed lancets being used structurally is the apsidal
arcade of Westminster Abbey.
• The Lancet openings of windows and decorative arcading are often grouped in
twos or threes. This characteristic is seen throughout Salisbury Cathedral where
there are groups of two lancet windows lining the nave and groups of three lining the
clerestory.
 Gothic Architecture
in England
Periods:
o EARLY ENGLISH
• Instead of being massive, solid pillars, the columns were often composed of clusters
of slender, detached shafts surrounding a central pillar, or pier, to which they are
attached by circular moulded shaft-rings.
• Characteristic of Early Gothic in England is the great depth given to the hollows of
the mouldings with alternating fillets and rolls, by the decoration of the hollows
with the dog-tooth ornament and by the circular abaci of the capitals.
• The arches of decorative wall arcades and galleries are sometimes cusped.
• Circles with trefoils, quatrefoils, etc., are introduced into the tracery of galleries and
large rose windows in the transept or nave.
• At its purest the style was simple and austere, emphasizing the height of the
building, as if aspiring heavenward.
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Salisbury Cathedral
▪ formally known as the Cathedral Church of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican
cathedral in Salisbury, England.
▪ regarded as one of the leading examples
of early English Gothic architecture
▪ its main body was completed in 38 years,
from 1220 to 1258
▪ This cathedral features a tower of 69-
meters in height, being the loftiest in
England.
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Salisbury Cathedral

transept
transept
➢ Plan showing the
double transepts with aisles
and extended east end.
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Salisbury Cathedral quadripartite

➢ lancet windows
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Lincoln Cathedral

▪ construction commenced in 1072 and

continued in several phases throughout
the High Middle Ages
▪ like many of the medieval cathedrals of
England, it was built in the Early Gothic
style
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Lincoln Cathedral
▪ The central spire collapsed in
1548 and was not rebuilt.

➢ model illustrating the

cathedral's former
spires
 Gothic Architecture
in England
Periods:

oDECORATED
• 1307 to 1377 (14th century)
• window tracery is "Geometrical" in form,
and later, flowing tracery patterns and
curvilinear surface pattern
• also called "Second Pointed", equivalent to
French "Flamboyant" style
 Gothic Architecture
in England
Periods:
o DECORATED
• Decorated architecture is characterized by its window tracery.
• Elaborate windows are subdivided by closely spaced parallel mullions (vertical bars
of stone), usually up to the level at which the arched top of the window begins.
• The mullions then branch out and cross, intersecting to fill the top part of the window
with a mesh of elaborate patterns called tracery, typically including trefoils and
quatrefoils.
• The style was geometrical at first and flowing in the later period, owing to the
omission of the circles in the window tracery.
• This flowing or flamboyant tracery was introduced in the first quarter of the 14th
century and lasted about fifty years. This evolution of decorated tracery is often used
to subdivide the period into an earlier "Geometric" and later "Curvilinear" period.
 Gothic Architecture
in England
Periods:

o DECORATED
• Interiors of this period often feature tall columns of more slender and elegant form
than in previous periods.
• Vaulting became more elaborate, with the use of increasing number of ribs, initially
for structural and then aesthetic reasons.
• Arches are generally equilateral, and the mouldings bolder than in the Early English
Period, with less depth in the hollows and with the fillet (a narrow flat band) largely
used.
• The foliage in the capitals is less conventional than in Early English and more
flowing.
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑York Cathedral

▪ The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint

Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is
the cathedral of York, England, and is one of the
largest of its kind in Northern Europe.
▪ The present Gothic-style church was designed to be
the greatest cathedral in the kingdom. It was built
over 250 years, between 1220 and 1472.
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑York Cathedral

➢ The Great West Window (1338–39), known as

"The Heart of Yorkshire", with curvilinear tracery
in the Decorated style
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑York Cathedral

▪ the structure was built across two and a half centuries

▪ it embodies all the major stages of Gothic
architectural development.
o the north and south transepts were built in the
Early English style
o the octagonal Chapter House and nave were
built in the Decorated style
o and the quire and central tower were built in
Perpendicular style.
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑York Cathedral

➢ The cruciform plan

of York Minster
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑York Cathedral

the nave
➢ The cruciform plan
of York Minster
 in England
Chapter
❑York Cathedral house

north
Vaulting transept

• the cathedral
was employed nave crossing chancel
with different
types of rib
vaulting south
transept
 in England

❑York Cathedral
north
Vaulting transept

nave crossing chancel

south
transept
➢chapter house
▪ chancel
▪ lierne vaulting
 in England

❑York Cathedral
north
Vaulting transept
▪ lierne vaulting

nave crossing chancel

south
➢nave transept
 north
in England
transept
❑York Cathedral

Vaulting
▪ lierne vaulting

➢north transept
 in England

❑York Cathedral

Vaulting
▪ lierne vaulting

➢south transept

south
transept
 Gothic Architecture
in England

* vaulting
Other types of vaults were decorative, such as the star vaults
used to decorate the lantern tower on the roof or the ribs on the
interior of the dome.
 in England

❑York Cathedral
crossing

▪ crossing
 in England

❑York Cathedral
crossing

▪ lantern vaults used to

decorate the lantern
tower on the roof
 in EnglandChapter
house
❑York Cathedral
north
Vaulting transept

nave crossing chancel

south
transept
➢chapter house
 Gothic Architecture
in England
Periods:

oPERPENDICULAR
• 1377 to 1485
• also called "Rectilinear“ or "Third Pointed“
• characterized by a predominance of vertical
lines in the stone tracery of windows, an
enlargement of windows to great proportions,
and the conversion of the interior stories into
a single unified vertical expanse
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Westminster Abbey
▪ complex of church, royal palace and burial grounds
▪ most important medieval building in Britain
▪ widest (32 m) and highest vault in England (102 ft)
▪ founded as a Benedictine monastery over a
thousand years ago, the church was rebuilt by
Edward the Confessor in 1065 and again by Henry III
between 1220 and 1272
 Gothic Architecture
in England

** ABBEY

• An abbey (from Latin abbatia, abba, "father”) is a Christian monastery or

convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the
spiritual father or mother of the community.
• The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function
as an abbey, but continues to carry the name — in some cases for centuries (for
example, Westminster Abbey).
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Westminster Abbey

➢ The Nave of
Westminster Abbey

➢ Western façade
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Westminster Abbey

• Westminster Abbey is one of the most famous religious buildings in the world, and it
has served an important role in British political, social and cultural affairs for more
than 1,000 years. In spite of its name, the facility is no longer an abbey, and while it
still hosts important religious activities, it no longer houses monks or nuns.
• Westminster Abbey has been the site of royal coronations since 1066, and has been
a working facility for religious services since the 10th century.
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Westminster Abbey

• Legend relates that Saberht, the first Christian king of the East Saxons, founded a church on a small
island in the River Thames, then known as Thorney but later called the west minster (or monastery),
and that this church was miraculously consecrated by St. Peter. It is certain that about 785 CE there
was a small community of monks on the island and that the monastery was enlarged and remodeled
by St. Dunstan of Canterbury about 960.
• St. Edward the Confessor built a new church on the site, which was consecrated on December 28,
1065. It was of considerable size and cruciform in plan.
• In 1245 Henry III pulled down the whole of Edward’s church (except the nave) and replaced it with the
present abbey church in the pointed Gothic style of the period. The design and plan were strongly
influenced by contemporary French cathedral architecture.
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Westminster
Abbey (plan)
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Westminster
Abbey

➢ North entrance of
Westminster Abbey

➢ Flying buttresses lining the south facade

of Westminster Abbey, London.
© Ron Gatepain (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Winchester Cathedral

▪ a cathedral of the Church of England in Winchester

▪ one of the largest cathedrals in Europe, with the
greatest overall length of any Gothic cathedral
 Gothic Architecture
in England

❑Winchester Cathedral

➢ West façade at dawn,

with the war memorial at right

➢ The nave looking east towards the choir

 Gothic Architecture
in England

• Winchester Cathedral stands on a site that has been a place of Christian worship for
over a thousand years.
• In the 1000s, the old Minster was destroyed to make way for the new cathedral. This
is one of the largest medieval churches in the world thanks to a nave of over 160
metres long and provides a fitting home for the Bishops of Winchester, some of
whom weren't just the wealthiest men in England but in Europe as well. The Bishops'
power and affluence is indicated by the many grand memorial chapels in the
cathedral which house their tombs. Among these luminaries are Stephen Gardiner
who officiated at the wedding between Mary Tudor and Phillip of Spain in 1554 and
Henry Beaufort, half brother to Henry IV and banker to Henry V.
Gothic Architecture
in Spain
 Gothic Architecture
in Spain

o strong Moorish influences

• the use of horseshoe arches and rich surface decoration of intricate
geometrical and flowing patterns
o churches had flat exterior appearance, due to chapels inserted between
buttresses
o excessive ornament, without regard to constructive character
 Gothic Architecture
in Spain

❑Seville Cathedral (1402 to 1520 AD)

▪ largest Medieval church in Europe

▪ according to UNESCO, the largest
Gothic religious building

➢ View of the southeastern side of the Cathedral

 Gothic Architecture
in Spain

❑Seville Cathedral

• The interior has the longest nave of any cathedral in Spain. The central nave rises to a height of 42 m
(138 ft).
• In the main body of the cathedral, the most noticeable features are the great boxlike choir loft,
which fills the central portion of the nave, and the vast Gothic retablo of carved scenes from the life
of Christ. This altarpiece was the lifetime work of a single craftsman, Pierre Dancart.
• The builders preserved some elements from the ancient mosque. The mosque's sahn, that is, the
courtyard for ablutions for the faithful to conduct their ritual cleansing before entering the prayer hall
is known today as the Patio de los Naranjos. It contains a fountain and orange trees. However, the
most well known is its minaret, which was converted into a bell tower known as La Giralda, and is
now the city's most well-known symbol.
 Gothic Architecture
in Spain

➢ The Giralda - is the bell tower

of the Cathedral of Seville

➢ Interior of the cathedral

 Gothic Architecture
in Spain

❑Burgos Cathedral (1221 - 1457 AD)

▪ irregular in plan
▪ most beautiful and poetic of all
Spanish cathedrals
 Gothic Architecture
in Spain

➢ Overview from the north

(left to right): Chapel of the
Constable, the octagonal
tower and the two western
Flamboyant Gothic spires
 Gothic Architecture
in Spain

❑Burgos Cathedral

• Our Lady of Burgos was begun in the 13th century at the same time as the great cathedrals of the Ile-de-
France and was completed in the 15th and 16th centuries. The entire history of Gothic art is summed up in
its superb architecture and its unique collection of works of art, including paintings, choir stalls, reredos,
tombs and stained-glass windows.
• The plan of the Cathedral is based on a Latin Cross of harmonious proportions of 84 by 59 metres. The
three-story elevation, the vaulting, and the tracery of the windows are closely related to contemporary
models of the north of France.
• The portals of the transept (the Puerta del Sarmental to the south and the Puerta de la Coronería to the
north) may also be compared to the great sculpted ensembles of the French royal domain, while the
enameled, brass tomb of Bishop Mauricio resembles the so-called Limoges goldsmith work. Undertaken
after the Cathedral, the two-storied cloister, which was completed towards 1280, still fits within the
framework of the French high Gothic.
 Gothic Architecture
in Spain

❑Burgos Cathedral

➢ Door del Sarmental

(13th century)

➢ Door of the Coronería (13th century)

Gothic Architecture
in Italy
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

o led the way in Europe, in terms of art, learning and commerce

o cultural revival was taking place in Italy in advance of northern Europe
o Roman tradition remained strong
o verticality of Gothic is generally neutralized by horizontal cornices and
string courses
o absence of pinnacles and flying buttresses
o small windows without tracery
o characterized by projecting entrance porches with columns on lion-like
beasts
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

❑Florence Cathedral (S. Maria del Fiore)

▪ one of the finest Gothic-style
churches in the world
▪ designed by Arnolfo di Cambio
▪ essentially Italian in character,
without the vertical features of
Gothic
▪ peculiar Latin cross plan with
campanile and baptistery
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

❑Florence Cathedral

➢ Baptistery of St. John,

next to the cathedral

➢ Interior of the cathedral

 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

❑Florence Cathedral

• The cathedral of Florence is built as a basilica, having a wide central nave of four square
bays, with an aisle on either side. The chancel and transepts are of identical polygonal
plan, separated by two smaller polygonal chapels.
• The whole plan forms a Latin cross. The nave and aisles are separated by wide pointed
Gothic arches resting on composite piers.
• The dimensions of the building are enormous: building area 8,300 square metres (89,340
square feet), length 153 metres (502 feet), width 38 metres (125 feet), width at
the crossing 90 metres (300 feet). The height of the arches in the aisles is 23 metres (75
feet). The height of the dome is 114.5 metres (375.7 feet). It has the third tallest dome in
the world.
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

** Basilica

• “basilica”, in the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, a canonical title of honor given
to church buildings that are distinguished either by their antiquity or by their role as international centers
of worship because of their association with a major saint, an important historical event, or, in
the Orthodox Church, a national patriarch. The title gives the church certain privileges, principally the right
to reserve its high altar for the pope, a cardinal, or a patriarch, and special penitential privileges that
remove the basilica from local geographical jurisdiction and give it international status.
• In architecture, “basilica” in its earliest usage designated any number of large roofed public buildings
in ancient Rome and pre-Christian Italy, markets, courthouses, covered promenades, and meeting halls.
Gradually, however, the word became limited to buildings of a more or less definite form: rectangular
walled structures with an open hall extending from end to end, usually flanked by side aisles set off by
colonnades (in large buildings often running entirely around the central area), and with a raised platform
at one or both ends.
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

❑Milan Cathedral
▪ Duomo di Milano in Italian
▪ a vast Gothic-style cathedral,
located in the heart of Milan
▪ It is 515 ft (157 metres) long and
302 ft (92 m) wide. It can house
up to 40,000 people.
▪ Il Duomo di Milano is one of the
largest Catholic churches in the
world.
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

❑Milan Cathedral

• The plan consists of a nave with four side-aisles, crossed by a transept and then
followed by choir and apse. The height of the nave is about 45 metres (148 ft), the
highest Gothic vaults of a complete church (less than the 48 metres (157 ft) of Beauvais
Cathedral, which was never completed).

• The cathedral's five broad naves, divided by 40 pillars, are reflected in the hierarchic
openings of the façade. Even the transepts have aisles. The nave columns are 24.5 metres
(80 ft) high, and the apsidal windows are 20.7 by 8.5 metres (68 by 28 ft). The huge
building is of brick construction, faced with marble from the quarries which Gian
Galeazzo Visconti donated in perpetuity to the cathedral chapter.
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

➢ Milan Cathedral (plan)

 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

➢ interior view of the Duomo di

Milano
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

❑Milan Cathedral

• Aside from being one of the Gothic architecture in Italy, one of the main characteristic of
the cathedral is the presence of thousand’s of spires.
• The cathedral has about 135 spires, each mounted with a statue depicting important
people in Milan’s history and different characters in the bible.
• The highest spire and the tallest part of the cathedral measures up to 357 foot tall and
holds the most important symbol of Milan the Madonina or Little Madonna.
• It took five centuries to complete the cathedral, from 1386 until the 19th century when
Napoleon Bonaparte ordered to finish the cathedral’s façade.
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

➢ Milan Cathedral (spires)

 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

• The roof of the cathedral is renowned for the forest

of openwork pinnacles and spires, set upon
delicate flying buttresses.

*The roof is open to tourists (for a fee), which allows many a

close-up view of some spectacular sculpture that would
otherwise be unappreciated.
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

❑Siena Cathedral
▪ one of most stupendous undertakings
since the building of the Pisa
cathedral
▪ outcome of civic pride - all artists in
Siena contributed their works to its
building and adornment
▪ cruciform plan
▪ zebra marble striping on wall and pier
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

❑Siena Cathedral
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

❑Siena Cathedral
• The cathedral was designed and completed between 1215 and 1263 on the site of an earlier structure.
It has the form of a Latin cross with a slightly projecting transept, a dome and a bell tower. The dome
rises from a hexagonal base with supporting columns. The dome was completed in 1264. The lantern
atop the dome was added by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The bell tower has six bells, where the oldest one
was cast in 1149. The nave is separated from the two aisles by semicircular arches.
• The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes,
with the addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white are the symbolic colors of
Siena, etiologically linked to black and white horses of the legendary city's founders, Senius and
Aschius.
• There are thirty-five statues of prophets and patriarchs grouped around the virgin. The finest Italian
artists of that era completed works in the cathedral. These artists were Nicola and Giovanni Pisano,
Donatello, Pinturicchio, Lorenzo Ghiberti, and Bernini.
 Gothic Architecture
in Italy

➢ Nave and dome

➢ Façade
REFERENCES
Milan Cathedral
https://www.duomomilano.it/en/infopage/the-cathedral/53/

A history of architecture on the comparative method for the student, https://famouswonders.com/milan-cathedral/

craftsman, and amateur
Duomo @ 360° - Duomo di Milano OFFICIAL SITE (duomomilano.it)
By Fletcher, Banister, 1833-1899; Fletcher, Banister F
https://archive.org/details/historyofarchite00flet/page/266/mode/2up
Siena Cathedral
https://www.discovertuscany.com/siena/siena-churches/duomo.html
A Visual Dictionary of Architecture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siena_Cathedral
by Francis D.K. Ching

Florence Cathedral
Westminster Abbey (Abbey Church)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2014/02/Il-Duomo/
A royal church | Westminster Abbey (westminster-abbey.org)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral
Westminster Abbey - HISTORY

Seville Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/383/
https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Cathedral
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/architecture_cathedral_01.shtml

Burgos Cathedral
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/316/