Many designers of Gothic structures believed that light was a divine force that could connect worshippers to their creator.
Gothic interiors were designed to incorporate light and to test structural ideas to create taller and more advanced buildings.
These cathedrals and churches embodied the intense Christian beliefs of the medieval period in Europe.
From left to right: Notre Dame, Notre Dame Interior, Milan Cathedral, Milan Cathedral Interior, Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral Interior, Santa Maria del Fiore, Cologne Cathedral
The style was popular across Europe from the late 12th century to the 16th century.
New innovations in masonry quickly spread as architects and craftsmen learned new tools and techniques.
This important icon of Gothic architecture later led to the rib vault.
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It also allowed for cathedrals to use taller windows and thinner general walls.
Spires and Bell Towers
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Gothicspiresare another recognizable characteristic of Gothic architecture.
They also often held functions like a bell tower, which announced when mass or other services were beginning.
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Notre Dame is also well-known in part because of Victor Hugos novelThe Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Unfortunately, tourism to the structure is indefinitely halted following adevastating firein April 2019.
Reconstruction is slated for 2021 in the hopes of reopening Notre Dame by 2024 for the Paris Summer Olympics.
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It is describedsometimes lovingly and sometimes with disdainas a mixture of many architectural styles.
This can be expected as construction spanned from 1386 until 1965.
However, Renaissance ideas were not always smoothly adopted and Gothic andneo-Gothicdetails would continually be reintroduced.
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Over the course of many years, construction would halt and start up again.
Many redesigns of varying styles were proposed from Italian Renaissance to Baroque, and back to Gothic.
Some of these influences, like theBaroquefacade, were even reverted back to the Gothic style.
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Oscar Wilde once wrote of it, The Cathedral is an awful failure.
Outside the design is monstrous and inartistic.
It is a perfect example of the light and dimension of Gothic architecture.
Notre Dame in Paris, France (Photo:Stock Photosfrom anastas_styles/Shutterstock)
Arnolfo de Cambio provided the general design for the cathedral which was done in the contemporary Gothic style.
It includes a wide central nave with an aisle on each side separated by the classic Gothic pointed arches.
This victory marked an important win for Brunelleschi in his life-long feud with rival goldsmithLorenzo Ghiberti.
Notre Dame in Paris, France (Photo:Stock Photosfrom TTstudio/Shutterstock)
Instead, Brunelleschis dome was more similar to the Pantheon and other Mediterranean domes.
Italian architect Emilio De Fabris designed the facade of Florence Cathedral in the Gothic Revival style in the 19thcentury.
His design finalized the project with the same Gothic influences with which it was conceived.
Notre Dame in Paris, France (Photo:Stock Photosfrom DiegoMariottini/Shutterstock)
It includes five aisles and boasts one of the highest Gothic vaults in the world.
It is perhaps most recognizable by the towering twin structures that reach over 500 feet tall.
Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Beautiful landscape/Shutterstock)
Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Renata Sedmakova/Shutterstock)
Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Pawel Kowalczyk/Shutterstock)
Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Philip Bird LRPS CPAGB/Shutterstock)
Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Andy Gin/Shutterstock)
Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Felix Lipov/Shutterstock)
Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (Photo:Stock Photosfrom freedom100m/Shutterstock)
Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (Photo:Stock Photosfrom travelview/Shutterstock)
