How to Identify the Characteristics of Gothic Cathedrals

The common characteristics of the Gothic Cathedrals are the flying buttress, copious amounts of stained glass windows, vast amounts of statuary, and many vaulted roofs.

The Flying Buttress was innovated to help reinforce the walls which had a tendency to lean outward under the weight of the cathedrals massive vaulted ceilings. If the buttresses had not been used the cathedrals would have eventually come tumbling down under the pressure of there own mass. The other notable characteristic of these grand old buildings was the "Rose Window" (Stokstad, Marilyn, 2006).

These buildings had a lot of stained glass which had been in use for many hundreds of years, but it wasn't until the western Europeans of France and Germany began adding these complex patterns to their churches that the art form was to reach its creative zenith in the Rose Window. Rose windows were commonly located over the entry portals, usually above the facial gables. They get there name from the flower like patterns formed by the complex stain glass arrays creative by the artists and crafts people who erected and laid them out. This kind of craftsmanship and intense devotion to an art is rare in today's society. For one the skills are dying out and another strong point to consider is that the costs are prohibitive.

As far as the statuary of these magnificent buildings, it ranges from beautiful depictions of Mother Mary, Jesus Christ, and the multitude of canonized Saints to the horrid and the grotesque, most notably the Gargoyle. Gargoyles served a twofold purpose, first as a ward against evil spirits and secondly as the more practical water spout for the many gutters that lined the quite often huge vaulted ceilings.

The Vaulted Ceilings of these behemoths of the middle ages were some of the most profound endeavors of mankind up to that point. Not only were they a representation of the power of the church and the local bishop that patroned their erection, but they also were a direct homage to the relatively recently accepted God for the pagan Europeans. These vaults also represented a great deal of innovation from the older style temples in the form of the "Ribbed Vault" (Stokstad, Marilyn, 2006) these were a variation of the older Roman style "Groin Vaults" (Stokstad, Marilyn, 2006) used in many of their temples and public buildings.

For a magnificent example of this architecture I chose to depart Western Europe and travel even further west to visit upon one of, if not the truly greatest example, of English Gothic Architecture and home to one of the last original copies of the Magna Carta, the Aged and Storied Cathedral at Lincoln. This Cathedral is unique to the Gothic's in that it actually started out nearly 300 years prior in 1072 as a church in the Romanesque style. This cathedral kind of grew into a gothic over time. In 1121, the old, low, Romanesque roof was damage by a fire and was replaced with stonework vaults and some of the first of the carved stone friezes depicting damnation were added over the entrances. In 1185, after major damage from an earthquake, the cathedral began its transformation into a properly "Gothic" style cathedral. The construction of the Nave (The "Nave" is the main part of the church from the chancel to the entrance.) proper was completed in the mid 13^th century and another unique feature of the Early English Style the "Syncopated Arcade" (www.lincolncathedral.com) or "Double Arcade" (www.lincolncathedral.com) was added as well. This feature basically lends the illusion of a passageway over the choir aisles. It was during this time that the distinctively Gothic Flying Buttresses, Ribbed Vaulting, and a good deal of the Intricate Statuary were added. Another point of interesting note is that at one point during the 14^th century the addition of its high central tower actually made it the tallest building in Europe. (www.lincolncathedral.com)

References

Stokstad, Marilyn (2006). Art: A Brief History, 3^rd Ed., Pearson Prentice Hall

http://library.thinkquest.org/10098/cathedrals.htm

http://www.lincolncathedral.com/

http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/UK/Britain_Centre/Lincoln_Cathedral/Lincoln%20Cathedral%20Exterior.htm

http://www.heureka.clara.net/lincolnshire/lincoln-cathedral.htm