Understanding terminology that describes Gothic architecture - AP Art History

Gothic architecture, particularly in the building of churches and cathedrals, featured a number of ornate features. One of the most peculiar was the use of gargoyles, small stone figures of grotesque characters that were placed on the sides of buildings. These figures would often be placed between sculptures of saints and kings, and were viewed as protective features. Some gargoyles also functioned as drainage pipes (through holes in their mouths).

Flying buttresses are ornate supports that stick outside the walls of Gothic church architecture, particularly cathedrals. Buttresses were necessary to keep the new, massive stone cathedrals of the middle ages standing. While they were originally functional, church builders made them reflect and enhance the design of their buildings.

A key feature of Gothic churches is their height. The supports on the sides were added to prevent structural problems. Known as "flying butresses", these supports were transformed from simple structural elements into elaborate ornamentation.

"Gothic" architecture describes the dominant forms in Western European architecture from about the twelfth century to the sixteenth century. Gothic cathedrals are monumental in scale and scope, structured around buildings that are cross-shaped when viewed from above, and feature lots of ornamentation and design elements, including vaulted arches, statuary, rose windows, flying buttresses, and grand columns.

The Flamboyant (or Late) period of Gothic architecture contains a combination of tracery and ogee arches. "Flamboyant," from the French word for flaming, denotes its highly decorative style.

The depressed arch was much different from the other arches found in Gothic architecture. It was designed to look as though it had been flattened by a great pressure, and was very wide. There is no such thing as an Italian arch.

Gargoyles, while used somewhat during the many centuries of medieval art and architecture, are most commonly thought of as a Gothic architectural attribute. While used for decoration, they also commonly had the function of diverting water from the building. Gargoyles were frequently monstrous and grotesque, because they were meant to strike fear into the peasants who saw them and motivate them to attend church.

The "rose window," as seen in Gothic architecture, is large, circular, often centralized window, that is divided by an intricate pattern. Sometimes the window looks like a wheel, and other times it seems to resemble a flower; however, the window is never flower-shaped. It is always circular, but sometimes has a visible flower within.

Although arches, and, to come extent, columns and the use of gold were all stylistic choices of the Gothic period, the answer is "light," because light was more than a simple stylistic choice. Light was a representation of divinity, and the large amounts of interior light were important for worship.

The Flamboyant arch, known as such because it resembles the shape of a flame, was a commonly used feature in Gothic architecture. It is made from four original points, where each large arc turns upward into a smaller arc, all meeting at one sharp point.

The Lancet arch is the simplest of all Gothic arches. It is simply composed of a vertically long opening with a pointed tip. Although the Flamboyant, Equilateral, and Depressed arches follow a similar pattern, they all have more complicated designs than the simple Lancet arch, which really is just a long opening ended with a point.

The flying buttress is both decorative and architecturally essential for Gothic-style buildings. It is used to support the walls of the building by resisting the force of the sides under the weight of the ceiling. As such, the walls do not need to be as thick, and there is more material that can be used for decorative measures, rather than reinforcement. The flying buttress came to be used heavily during the Gothic period, and is nearly an essential piece of any large building built between the 12th and the 16th centuries, and beyond.

Although arches are decorative and tend to be elongated in nature, the towers and spires of Gothic buildings add real height, and contributed to those buildings having been called the skyscrapers of their time.

Although different types of arches were often included in ribbed vaults as a decorative measure, the actual architectural element of ribbed vaults was developed to support the weight of the ceiling, and allow for larger and higher windows to be built, which had the effect of brightening the buildings a great deal.

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When Chartres Cathedral was first built between 1194 and 1250 it was a highly representative example of the Gothic architectural form then in vogue in Western Europe. As such, it included a stained glass rose window above its entryway, flying buttresses along its side, and a wide variety of statues depicting theologically important figures such as saints or Biblical characters. Today, an obvious anachronism exists in the form of a Flamboyant steeple rising to a striking point on one tower, which comes from the early sixteenth century and looks out of place on the more rigid and ornate Gothic building

The choir of a church is the area reserved for singers and clergy; sometimes it is also called a chancel. The choir is usually located in the east end of the church, between the main altar and the apse. It is separated from the nave so that the members of the clergy could remain separate from the rest of the congregation.

Gothic architecture, particularly in the building of churches and cathedrals, featured a number of ornate features. One of the most peculiar was the use of gargoyles, small stone figures of grotesque characters that were placed on the sides of buildings. These figures would often be placed between sculptures of saints and kings, and were viewed as protective features. Some gargoyles also functioned as drainage pipes (through holes in their mouths).

Flying buttresses are ornate supports that stick outside the walls of Gothic church architecture, particularly cathedrals. Buttresses were necessary to keep the new, massive stone cathedrals of the middle ages standing. While they were originally functional, church builders made them reflect and enhance the design of their buildings.

A key feature of Gothic churches is their height. The supports on the sides were added to prevent structural problems. Known as "flying butresses", these supports were transformed from simple structural elements into elaborate ornamentation.