NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF UCAYALI

FACULTY OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING

“BYZANTINE” Architecture

COURSE: ARCHITECTURE

TEACHER: ARCH. JOEL VICTOR QUISPE AUCASSI

MEMBERS:
CASTANGNE CASTLE, KENJI
MEZA ROJAS, QUEVIN
GOMEZ MEJIA, FRANCISCO
GUIMAZ DIAZ, GUSTAVO
PEREZ ESPEJO, SANTIAGO
WATANABE SANDY, JORGE

2013
 INTRODUCTION

Byzantine architecture is part of the framework of Byzantine art , and

therefore covers a long period of time, which begins in the 4th century and
which ends abruptly with the fall of Constantinople into the hands of the
Ottoman Turks in 1453, already in the XV century.
Due to its long duration in time, it is usually divided for study into three
different periods: an initial period, an intermediate period and a final period.
 BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

Byzantine architecture is the architectural style that was in force during the
Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) since the fall of the Western Roman
Empire in the 5th century. The capital of the Eastern Empire was Constantinople
(Constantinopolis or city of Constantine), whose previous name was Byzantium
and, currently, Istanbul , and this since the year 330, a moment that other authors
establish as the beginning of Byzantine architecture.

Basilica of Saint Sophia in Constantinople , a masterpiece of Byzantine

architecture.
Byzantine architecture is part of the framework of Byzantine art , and therefore
covers a long period of time, which begins in the 4th century and which ends
abruptly with the fall of Constantinople into the hands of the Ottoman Turks in
1453, already in the XV century. Due to its long duration in time, it is usually
divided for study into three different periods: an initial period, an intermediate
period and a final period.
Regarding the geographical framework in which the Byzantine architectural style is
produced, it broadly coincides with the geographical extension of the Byzantine
Empire, which changed over time due to the historical and political circumstances
of said kingdom. throughout the more than ten centuries of validity of said style.
However, the areas with the greatest presence of Byzantine architecture
correspond to the territories of modern-day Turkey and Greece , without forgetting
Bulgaria , Romania and large parts of Italy , along with Syria and Palestine.
Furthermore, as a result of the expansion of Christianity among the Slavic peoples
carried out from the 8th century onwards by the Byzantine Orthodox Church ,
Byzantine architecture spread throughout present-day Ukraine , Russia and
Belarus , passing some of its architectural elements (such as example the bulging
domes ) to become a hallmark of the Orthodox churches, which have been
maintained to the present day.
Some of the distinctive characteristics of Byzantine architecture are, in addition to
the already indicated shape of the domes, the use of brick as a construction
material to replace stone , the massive use of mosaics as a decorative element to
replace sculptures , the greater elevation of the buildings as a result of the
elevation of the domes , and the discovery of a system that allows combining the
constructive use for said domes, of a support with a square plan , but that allows
the finishing with a drum in a round dome, in many times with extension of a wavy
eave .

Periods

Although in the first moments of its existence Byzantine architecture was not
particularly distinguished from Roman architecture , of which in its first stammers it
constituted only a mere regional derivation, its long evolution over time allowed for
its consolidated emergence. of a distinctive architectural style, which was
otherwise very permeable to the influences it received from oriental architecture.
One of the features that were maintained throughout the entire period of its
existence was the use of brick for the architecture of the churches , which replaced
stone, which was the construction material used in its predecessor Roman
architecture; to which is added a freer interpretation of the classical orders , the
replacement of sculptures as decorative elements of the buildings with mosaics or
the enhancement of the domes, which rise to a higher height than in other previous
architectural styles.
The period covered by Byzantine architecture can be divided for the purposes of its
study into three clearly differentiated subperiods: an initial period (or First Golden
Age), an intermediate period (or Second Golden Age) and a final period (or Third
Age). of gold).
Intermediate period
The intermediate period, or Second Golden Age of Byzantine art, is characterized
by the predominance of churches with a Greek cross plan with a roof of domes
raised on a drum and with a prominent undulating cornice at the outer base.
To this compositional scheme correspond, for example, the cathedral of Athens ,
the church of the monastery of Daphni , which uses horns instead of pendentives ,
and the monastic complexes of Mount Athos in Greece.
This new type of church is reflected in the missing church of Nea in Constantinople
(881), built by Basil I.
For this period in Byzantine architecture we are faced with the problem posed by
iconoclasm , which ruined many of the buildings from the beginning of the period.
Thus, as far as major buildings from the early days of the intermediate period are
concerned, in Greece only the Basilica of Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki remains.
Another important building, the church of the Assumption of Nicaea , survived until
the 20th century, although it was destroyed in the 1920s in the fighting during the
Greco-Turkish War ; However, at least various photographs of the temple have
reached us.
Columns of the upper gallery of the Hagia Sophia church .
Regarding the era of the Macedonian dynasty , which is traditionally considered the
compendium of Byzantine art , it has not left us great achievements either. It is
presumed that the missing Theotokos Panachrantos, or votive church of the
Immaculate Mother of God, in Constantinople, the work of Basil I, which
corresponds to the remains under the modern Fenari Isa Camii mosque, has
served as a model for many buildings with a plan in the shape of a cross inscribed
in a circle, such as the Monastery of Ossios Loukas (in Greece, year 1000), the
Monastery of Néa Moní (island of Chios , a project long cherished by Constantine
IX ) or the Monastery of Dafni ( Chaidari , locality in Attica near Athens).
Final period
The final period or Third Golden Age covers the period of time between the 13th
and 15th centuries, coinciding with the dynasties of the Komneni and the
Paleologues ; It is dominated by church floor plans covered by bulging domes on
circular or polygonal drums.

Characteristics of Byzantine Architecture

Byzantine architecture maintained several elements of Roman and Eastern Early
Christian architecture, such as materials (brick and stone for exterior and interior
mosaic coverings), semicircular arches , classical columns as supports, etc. But
they also contributed new features, among which the new dynamic conception of
the elements and a new spatial sense stand out and, above all, their most
important contribution, the systematic use of the vaulted roof , especially the dome
on pendentives , that is, spherical triangles . in the angles that facilitate the
transition from the square to the circular plan of the dome. These hemispherical
vaults were built using concentric courses of brick, like crowns of decreasing radius
reinforced externally with mortar , and were conceived as a symbolic image of the
divine cosmos.
Another contribution of great importance was the decoration of capitals , of which
there were several types; Thus, the Theodosian type is a Roman heritage, used
during the 4th century as an evolution of the Corinthian and carved with a trephine,
resembling wasp nests; Another variety was the cubic capital with flat faces
decorated with two-plane reliefs. In both cases, it was mandatory to place a
cymatium or truncated-pyramidal piece decorated with various Christian motifs and
symbols on them.
In the typology of the temples , according to the plan, there are many with a
centralized plan, undoubtedly consistent with the importance given to the dome,
but the churches with a basilica plan and the cruciform ones with equal sections
(plan) are not inferior in number. Greek cross).
In almost all cases, it is common for temples, in addition to the main nave, to have
an atrium or narthex , of early Christian origin, and the presbytery preceded by an
iconostasis , so called because the painted icons were placed on this openwork
enclosure.
 EXAMPLES OF BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE

Constantinople
As the capital of the Byzantine Empire and place of residence of the Byzantine
emperors , as well as the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Orthodox
Church, the city of Constantinople (modern Istanbul, in Turkey), concentrates a
large number of temples, churches , cathedrals and other religious or civil buildings
belonging to Byzantine architecture, and this throughout the three periods of said
style, from its birth to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 into the hands of the
Ottoman Empire .

Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus

The first work of Byzantine architecture, dating from the first third of the 6th
century, is the church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, in Constantinople (527-536).
It is a building with a square central plan with an octagon in the center,3 covered
by a gallon dome on eight pillars and a nave in its surroundings.
Church of Saint Irene
The rectangular church with two domes of the Holy Peace or Saint Irene (in Greek
Αγία Ειρήνη, Hagia Irene) corresponds to the same period as the previous one, the
first half of the 6th century, also in Constantinople, and which is currently destined
for a museum. It is located between the Church of Saint Sophia and the much later
Topkapi Palace.

Hagia Sophia Church

But the crowning work of Byzantine architecture is the Church of Saint Sophia
(Church of Divine Wisdom), dedicated to the Second Person of the Holy Trinity,
built by the architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus (both from Asia
Minor, where the church predominated, built on a basilica plan with a dome),5
between the years 532 and 537, following the direct orders of Emperor Justinian I.
It is considered one of the most beautiful and magnificent architectural works of
universal art,6 and Justinian intended to erect a monument that, since the time of
Adam, had not had an equal nor could ever have one.
It was built to replace a previous basilica, destroyed in the year 532, during the
Niká rebellion in Constantinople. The church was solemnly consecrated in 537,
although its original dome collapsed in 558. The one that replaced it, taller but
smaller, suffered partial collapses in the 10th and 14th centuries. Nor is its narthex
original, since it was restored after a fire in 564, while the vaults were restored in
740, after an earthquake. It still underwent a new alteration after the fall of
Constantinople in 1453 and its conversion into a mosque, since its decoration was
covered by stucco.
Church of the Holy Apostles
Also important was the disappeared church of the Holy Apostles of Constantinople,
planned as Constantine's mausoleum. Renovated during the time of Justinian I, it
was a model for the church of Saint John of Ephesus (completed ca. 565) and that
of San Marcos in Venice,10 a work from the 11th century. Like the latter, it offered
a model of a Greek cross with five domes, widely imitated throughout the
Byzantine world.
The church was built on a hill in the city, designed to house the body of Emperor
Constantine, 11 being the oldest in Christianity to be consecrated to the Holy
Apostles, and dating from the times of the founding of the city itself. city of
Constantinople above ancient Byzantium.
Italy
The Italian peninsula was widely linked to the Byzantine Empire, which established
the city of Ravenna as the capital of one of its exarchates, while controlling large
parts of the peninsula, incorporated into its empire at the risk of war and political
events.

On the other hand, the prestige inherent to Byzantine architecture deeply marked
the buildings in other parts of the peninsula or Sicily, radiating its influences from
there to the rest of Western Europe.

Ravenna

Constantinople was not the only important focus in this first Golden Age of
Byzantium, it is necessary to remember the nucleus of Ravenna (capital of the
Byzantine Empire in the West from the 6th century to the 8th century), the western
exarchate located in the northeast of the peninsula Italian, on the shores of the
Adriatic Sea, next to Venice. In addition, Ravenna was a naval base for the Roman
Navy, which allowed it control of the Adriatic.

Mausoleum of Gala Placidia

The Mausoleum of Gala Placidia (it is known as this, although it is actually the
chapel of San Lorenzo) was erected by order of Gala Placidia, the widow of
Constantius III and regent of the Roman Empire on behalf of her son Valentinian
III, at her returned to Italy after the death of her husband, so it can be deduced that
it is very little after 421, the date of Constantius's death.14 Some claim that it is the
mausoleum of Galla Placidia herself, but documentary sources indicate that she
She died and was buried in Rome, although her remains currently rest in Ravenna,
in the very nearby church of San Vital.
Saint Vital
As another example of the link between political and religious power, and its
influence on Byzantine art, the representative governors of the Byzantine Empire in
Ravenna were the city's own archbishops. It was the bishops Maximian and Victor
who, in the middle of the 6th century, consecrated the church of San Vitale, built
with the financial help of the Greek banker Julian Argentarios, like other
monuments in the city. The peculiarity of the church is that it is the only octagonal
church preserved in the West.

Venice

St Mark's Basilica
In Italy, the aforementioned Basilica of San Marcos in Venice stands out, from the
year 1063, with a Greek cross plan inscribed in a rectangle and covered with five
main domes, 22 on a drum , one on the transept and four on the arms of the cross,
resembling in its structure to the disappeared church of the Holy Apostles of
Constantinople.
The work for its construction began in 1063, on top of a previous church, from the
9th century, which housed the body of Saint Mark , patron saint of Venice, a temple
destroyed in riots in 916. The works were completed in 1093, beginning the work of
decorating its interior, for which various ancient temples in the vicinity were
stripped. 11 Not only Byzantine artists participated in the works, but materials from
Byzantium were also imported, especially capitals.
Russia
In this Second Golden Age, Byzantine art spread to the Russian area of Armenia ,
in Kiev the church of Saint Sophia was built in the year 1017, faithfully following the
influence of the architecture of Constantinople, it was structured in a basilica shape
with five finished naves. in apses, in Novgorod there are the churches of Saint
George and Saint Sofia , both with a central plan. It must be kept in mind that the
current Ukraine and Russia had converted to Christianity through the action of
missionaries of Bulgarian origin belonging to the Orthodox Church . To this must
be added the marriage that occurred in 989 between Prince Vladimir I of Kiev and
Princess Anne, sister of Emperor Basil II .

Construction process of Hagia Sophia (Istanbul)

 The architects were Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus , but they were at
the same time geometers, mathematicians and scientists. The plan is inscribed in a
rectangle in the center of which four large pillars appear that support the high
central dome on four pendentives . On two opposite sides of the central dome
there are a series of semi-domes and apses, which descend in height and act to
support and guide the weight of the central dome, so that the drum can be
dispensed with and create an open interior space that it seems to dilate. The
weight is also lightened by the use of not very heavy materials: brick and porous
tiles from Paros. On the other two sides there are two stands from where you can
observe the liturgical ceremony. In front there is an atrium.
The height of the central dome is 55 meters, an achievement that exceeds the
43.20 meters of the Roman Pantheon and will only be equaled by the technical
revolution that Gothic architecture brought about six centuries later.
Inside, the decoration is very luxurious (in contrast to the sober exterior and
similarity of later Islamic constructions). The forty windows in the dome provide the
interior with great luminosity that contributes to the feeling of lightness - of little
heaviness - that we perceive. The mosaic-based decoration reinforces this feeling.
The dome, on the other hand, has a clear symbolism: it represents the sky, the
Universe; while the prayer room is an image of the Earth. The origin of these
centralized constructions is found in the martyria of the Holy Land , to which we
have already referred.

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF UCAYALI

 FACULTY OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING

Roman architecture"

COURSE: ARCHITECTURE

TEACHER: ARCH. JOEL VICTOR QUISPE AUCASSI

MEMBERS:
CASTANGNE CASTLE, KENJI
MEZA ROJAS, QUEVIN
GOMEZ MEJIA, FRANCISCO
GUIMAZ DIAZ, GUSTAVO
PEREZ ESPEJO, SANTIAGO
WATANABE SANDY, JORGE

2013
INTRODUCTION
 ROMANIC ARCHITECTURE
BACKGROUND

Romanesque architecture had its origin in Cluny (France). recent, during the 19th century.
Romanesque architecture was the most prominent artistic manifestation at the end of the Middle
Ages in Western Europe.

CHARACTERISTICS

Basically the characteristics are the following:

a) Use of the semicircular arch.

The semicircular arch actually describes half a
circumference, starting from the capitals of the
jambs. The arch is made up of ashlar stones called
voussoirs, of which the central one is called the
keystone.

b) use of the barrel vault.

Barrel vault with exterior buttresses or abutments.

The mission of the buttresses is to serve as
reinforcement for the walls, thus counteracting the
weight that the vault exerts on them.

When two barrel vaults intersect perpendicularly, they give rise to a groin vault.
 c) Plan of the temples in the shape of a Latin cross.

Regardless of the number of naves in the building, both the main one and those parallel to
it are crossed by another one called a transept with its arms shorter than the main body of
the building. In the case of this image it is a building with a floor plan

The head of the temples is called the apse and in the Romanesque it usually has a
semicircular shape. Normally the central apse is accompanied by two lateral apses in
temples with three naves.

In the image you

can see the three
levels of the
temples

D) capitals:
It is an architectural element that is arranged at the upper end of the column , pillar or pilaster to
transmit to these vertical structural pieces the loads it receives from the horizontal entablature or the
arch that rests on it. In addition to this structural mission, it fulfills another compositional mission,
since it acts as a transition piece between two constructive parts as different as those between
which it is interposed.

Anomalistic scenes with zoomorphic beings are represented, as well as religious scenes and scenes
of daily life. Less frequently, they are decorated with plant images. The body of the capital
resembles that of an inverted bell.

E) The porch is made up of:

• archivolts: each of the arches that overlap at the top.

• Tympanum or semicircular space that is below the smallest archivolt.

• Lintel: horizontal piece on which the eardrum rests.

• Jambs: Lateral columns that frame the porch and on which each of the archivolts rest.
These columns are replaced, in the most decorated porticos, by sculptures of religious
figures.

• Mullion: Dividing element of the door into two parts, which descends from the central
part of the lintel to the floor.
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF UCAYALI
FACULTY OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING

Gothic architecture"

COURSE: ARCHITECTURE

TEACHER: ARCH. JOEL VICTOR QUISPE AUCASSI

MEMBERS:
CASTANGNE CASTLE, KENJI
MEZA ROJAS, QUEVIN
GOMEZ MEJIA, FRANCISCO
GUIMAZ DIAZ, GUSTAVO
PEREZ ESPEJO, SANTIAGO
WATANABE SANDY, JORGE
2013
 HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION
Gothic developed between the mid-12th century and the beginning of the 16th century,
except in Italy, where the Renaissance began at the beginning of the 15th century. The
12th century involves important transformations: there is an increase in agricultural
production thanks to technical advances and the extension of plowing.

The generation of agricultural surpluses reactivates commerce and the growth of cities
(burgs). Europe is once again populated with cities.

The Gothic is favored by intense urban and commercial activity, which will turn cities into
powerful cultural centers. It is here that universities will appear that little by little will be
freed from the tutelage of the Church and will be opened to all citizens. Commercial
activity is enhanced from the 13th century onwards, after the Crusades that opened new
trade routes to the east until then in Muslim hands.

A growing trade and a craft industry is developed that is concentrated in the cities. In
them the guilds and towns are being configured. An urban bourgeoisie appears, a new
triumphant class that will develop urban art, with a more realistic and naturalistic
sensibility. The most emblematic building will be the cathedral. With the development of
cities, civil architecture appears.
 GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Gothic architecture was born in Paris, with the Saint Denis Cathedral, ordered to be built by Abbot
Suger, advisor to King Louis VII; Soon the new style spread to the rest of France and from there to
all of Europe. Likewise, far from being limited to religious buildings, little by little, it made its way
into the profane world, building magnificent civil palaces. However, it is the cathedral where
Gothic reaches its greatest expressiveness.

THE GOTHIC CATHEDRAL is the representative building of the new urban society: it is the church of
the city. It is characterized by its verticality and its luminosity. In cathedrals the columns gain
height thanks to new technical advances. These new construction techniques allow the walls to be
torn down and replaced with colored stained glass windows. The stained glass windows have a
double function: to isolate and illuminate, replacing the wall. A colored and symbolic light is
created that contributes to creating an unreal and strange atmosphere that accentuates the effect
of elevation and weightlessness of the cathedral. The opening prevails over the wall. Gothic is
above all the architecture of light. Thus the mural painting characteristic of the Romanesque
disappears and in its place panel painting and tapestries are developed.
GOTHIC STYLES
The general causes of this style must not only be sought in the need for larger churches due to the
growth of cities and the number of their inhabitants, nor in the natural development of the
techniques of Romanesque architecture; but in the need to capture the theological concept of
light, prevailing at the time.

Thus, Abbot Suger, a decisive figure in the formation of Gothic, ordered the construction of his
church in accordance with the ideas relating to the supremacy of the spiritual over the material, of
light as an essential element of divine symbology. Consequently, it was up to Gothic architects to
formalize the idea of the Celestial City or New Jerusalem, contained in the Apocalypse of Saint
John.

This worldview was manifested in the construction of elevated cathedrals with large windows and
filled with light. Thus the silhouette of a Gothic cathedral reflects the concept of the triumphant
church, of the New Jerusalem, where the material is integrated with divine light, seen as another
architectural element.

RELIGIOUS GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

The cathedral is the building where Gothic reaches its fullest expression, in which the effort and
contribution of an entire city is reflected. The brotherhoods and guilds usually collaborate in its
construction, which usually have their manifestation in the side chapels.

Religious sentiment was an important element during the Middle Ages and the Late Middle Ages,
although it underwent a series of modifications as a consequence of the rise of the bourgeois class
and the impulse of Neoplatonic currents. These events made possible the opening of a more
human and closer religious sensitivity: from now on, all artistic expression, even when it is about
the most transcendent, the most ideal and the most divine, depends on it broadly corresponding
with reality. natural and sensitive” (Hauser, 1979: 294).

Buttresses in St. Peter's

Church in Ostend,
Belgium

CIVIL
ARCHITECTURE
Civil architecture shows the consolidation of municipal forms in the face of lordly or ecclesiastical
power with the construction of large buildings intended to serve as the headquarters of their
municipal institutions and governments, among which those of the Italian cities of Florence and
Siena stand out and also those of the region of Flanders. In Catalonia, the City House and the
Generalitat Palace in Barcelona stand out. The construction of commercial markets, urban palaces,
universities, hospitals and private homes was also developed for the new urban bourgeoisie that
displaced the nobility, highlighted during the 15th century, in the last Gothic period, all civil
architecture in Flanders.

1.- HISTORICAL FRAMEWORK

Gothic art extends into the general framework of spirituality that characterizes the Middle Ages,
but in no way can it be considered a continuation of the Romanesque spirit. From philosophical
thought to new socioeconomic situations, the necessary conditions are raised for the appearance
of a new man and therefore a new art, back at the end of the 12th century.
The main conditions that lead to the new style will be:

a) The Cistercian reform. Against the relaxation of the Church, Saint Bernard undertakes a sharp
reform, founding the Cistercian Order. Among several innovations of a spiritual order, the new
Constitution of the Order contains very precise instructions on the new temples, stripping them of
all types of decoration and limiting the architecture to its structural elements. This new situation
allows architects to not worry about decoration and focus only on technical issues. In this way,
architectural engineering takes gigantic steps in the second half of the 12th century until it reaches
maturity in the 13th century.

b) The awakening of Humanism.

Saint Francis of Assisi, in the 13th century, conveys to us a new dimension of the human being.
From now on the body will not be a miserable support for the soul, but a wonderful work of God
that must be respected. The Late Middle Ages has left the terror of the millennia far behind and
opens towards an era of love, of love of God and nature, of spiritual love and courtly love.

c) A new social structure.

From the 13th century and after the Crusades, new routes were opened and growing trade
developed. This brings with it the need for new labor and technical schemes for the provisioning
of merchants. An incipient artisanal industry appears and with it human concentration in large
cities. In them the guilds and towns are being configured. A new figure appears in History: the
bourgeoisie.
EXPANSION OF GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
The diffusion of Gothic architecture was very wide, from its birth in France it fully reached
England, Spain, Italy and Germany and with it the entire Holy German Empire; One of the
great elements that contributed to its spread was the expansion of the order of Cluny. It
reached points as far away as the Nordic European countries and places in the eastern
Mediterranean such as Rhodes, Cyprus and Syria where it would arrive hand in hand with
the crusaders.
FRENCH GOTHIC
France is the point of origin of the Gothic style and the place from where this architecture
was created to spread throughout Europe.

 Preclassical Gothic , Early Gothic , Early Gothic , or First Gothic ; The first temples
built are the Abbey of Saint Denis in 1144 and the Cathedral of Sens in 1140. The
Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris stands out.
 Classic Gothic , also called High Gothic (1190–1240), in this period the last vestiges
of the Romanesque style disappear, the temples have three floors, arcades,
clerestory and clerestory. A good example of this period is Chartres Cathedral ,
which served as a model for other great cathedrals of the time such as Soissons
Cathedral and Reims .
 Radiant (rayonnant) Gothic (1240–1350), so named because of the design of large
rose windows, which constitute one of its main features. These windows are part
of the evolution of the size of the openings in general, their tracery and the role
they played in the articulation of the buildings. Tracery becomes increasingly
important and reveals a change in points of interest. The Sainte Chapelle in Paris,
considered one of the jewels of Gothic art, can be highlighted within the evolution
of this style.
 Flamboyant Gothic (from 1350).
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Amiens —in French “NotreDame De Paris”

ENGLISH GOTHIC

English Gothic architecture

English Gothic architecture follows an evolution independent of the rest of the continent. At the
end of the 12th century it began to replace the reigning Norman style (the name given to the
Romanesque style in this country) and lasted until more than a century after the Renaissance style
was introduced in Florence at the beginning of the 16th century. Art historians have traditionally
divided English Gothic into three periods.

 First English Gothic or Early English Gothic constitutes the first phase, which begins
with the choir of Canterbury Cathedral , built according to the French model. In
1192, construction of Lincoln Cathedral began; work continued throughout the
13th century. The purest English Gothic of this period is represented by Salisbury
Cathedral , which was executed in one fell swoop.
 Curvilinear or decorated Gothic (Decorated Style), covers the period between the
end of the 13th century and the middle of the 14th century. Characteristic of this
period are the windows with tracery and polygonal chapter houses were also built.
 Perpendicular Gothic (Perpendicular Style): it developed from the middle of the
14th century and corresponds to the later Gothic phase that will be characterized
by fan vaults, the use of vertical moldings on walls and tracery, and the
generalization of the arch called Tudor.
 Canterbury Cathedral or Canterbury
Cathedral of Salisbury
SPANISH GOTHIC
Gothic architecture was introduced to Spain
through the monasteries of the Cistercian Order
and achieved wide dissemination throughout
the country.

Gothic architecture was introduced to Spain

through the monasteries of the Cistercian Order
and achieved wide dissemination throughout
the country.

In the 13th century, the peak of Gothic

architecture, the purest manifestations of this style in Spain were built: the cathedrals of Burgos,
León and Toledo. Two influences are present in the Meseta, the Burgundian, in the Kingdom of
León, due to the origin of the Leonese dynasty; and the English one, in the Kingdom of Castile,
arrived through the marital alliance of the Castilian kings with the House of Lancaster.

The 14th century represents the splendor of the Gothic in the area of Catalonia, Valencia and
Mallorca; They are constructions with sober and solid exteriors, the churches have the so-called
hall plan, with side naves of the same height as the central one, and absence of buttresses, with
little sculptural decoration, characterized by the influence of the churches of the south of France
and the almost null contribution of Mudejar art.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, while the Renaissance grew strongly in Italy, Gothic
construction activity was overwhelming in Spain, with numerous buildings of large proportions
emerging, characterized by the simplicity of construction and ornamental complexity. The great
cathedrals of Seville, Segovia and Salamanca are erected.

Santa Maria Del Mar

.
ITALIAN GOTHIC
Gothic arrived in Italy late and took little root. The Cistercians were the introducers of Gothic
architecture in Italy. Monks from France founded the Fosanova Abbey in the Lazio region, the first
Italian Gothic monument. In the 13th century the mendicant orders of Dominicans and Franciscans
adhered to the Cistercian style. The best Italian Gothic building of this century is the Siena
Cathedral, a marvel of marble. At the end of the 13th century there was great Gothic activity in
Italy and the construction of the communal palaces of Siena and the Palazzo Vecchio of Florence
began, characterized by the construction of high towers.

During the 14th century, Italian Gothic architecture continued to maintain its own peculiarities,
notably the cathedral of Orvieto, closely related to that of Siena. In Florence, the Church of the
Holy Cross, built by the Franciscan order, and the interior of the Church of Santa María Novella
stand out. Also in this city, construction began on the cathedral of Santa María del Fiore, which
would be completed in the new Renaissance style.

In the 15th century, the ends of Gothic began to merge with the beginnings of the Renaissance.
Numerous palaces continue to be built in Venice, and in this century the Doge's Palace is
completed, also highlighting the Contarini palace and Cà d'Oro. The magnum opus of Italian Gothic
is the Cathedral of Milan, which stands out for its ornate decoration and whose construction
lasted until the 19th century.
 Palazzo Vecchio in Florence Doge's Palace in Venice

GERMAN GOTHIC
Germany receives the Gothic through the Cistercian order, with delay. The style that comes from
France is already quite formed and will coexist for some time with the German Romanesque
forms, which resist the new style, thus the first pointed arches were not built until the first years
of the 13th century. The French influence was going to be very important and the French
architects of the 13th century traveled throughout central Europe, also spreading their techniques.
The most perfect work of German Gothic architecture, the Cologne Cathedral, construction began
in 1248, probably being designed by an architect from France who had taken part in the
construction of the Amiens Cathedral.

During the 14th century, the columns became extraordinarily thin, the ribs acquired very sharp
profiles, the vaults were flattened and covered with network-shaped combinations of ribs. In the
15th century, Germany, as with Belgium and Holland, was a prosperous country that produced rich
architecture of great interest. In central Europe, the main building is St. Stephen's Cathedral in
Vienna, completed during the 15th century.

Strasbourg Cathedral St. Stephen's Cathedral Vienna

BELGIAN - DUTCH GOTHIC

Due to their geographical location, these territories received the early and direct influence of
French Gothic art. During the 15th century, economic power was transmitted to the architecture
that was built during this period, full of sumptuousness.

Civil architecture predominates, in which a wealthy bourgeoisie, grouped in guilds of arts and
crafts; Corporate houses are built and superb town halls like those of Leuven, Bruges or Brussels
are built in the city squares; and recruitment markets, among which the Halle des Drapiers in
Ypres, rebuilt after the First World War, stands out. There are also many private homes, which are
characterized by the so-called piñon finish, a high-rise, stepped and triangular shape; The roofs are
usually high and steep.

Examples of homes and neighborhoods from the period that have come down to us in good
condition are the Grasslei or Grass Dock in Ghent, the central square in Delft or the Grand Place in
Brussels.

Grasslei or Ghent grass spring

 Construction of the
Fouquet cathedral.

GOTHIC
Architecture
 Gothic architecture
 Born in France
 Chronology: from the end of the 12th century to the 15th century.
 The main of the arts will be Architecture.
 Most representative building: the cathedral.

 Two basic characteristics:

 Religious art: expression of Christianity that occurs throughout Europe.
 Urban art: expression of the emerging force of the city.

 Secondary features:
 Idea of space: ascensionist. It is an architecture that points and leads us
to Heaven, to God. It impresses with its greatness and majesty.
 Construction aspects: new techniques that allow walls to be freed from
their supporting function.
 The light.

Elements of Gothic architecture

1. Supported elements:
–Pointed or ogival arch. Clue.
–Ribbed or pointed vault. Nerves.

2. Supporting elements:
–Inside:
Composite pillar.
-To the exterior:
Buttress and buttress. Pinnacle. Needle or spire.

3. The covers.
–Flared: archivolts.
–Sculptural decoration.
–Gables and rosettes.

4. Plant:
»Latin cross.
»Living room.
 CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, we can say that the Gothic cathedral not only reflects the vitality of the
cities, the wealth and prestige of its bishops; but also and very especially the faith of that
time.

In truth, the ideal of the Gothic architects was to express in stone and glass the mystical
conception of the Church Triumphant; so that all believers waiting for the New Jerusalem,
a city of unimaginable beauty as befits the home of God, built with gold, pearls and
precious stones, the abode of angels and righteous souls, could here on Earth enjoy a
vision similar.