ARQUITECTURA GOTICA

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 People's University of Nicaragua

Faculty of Engineering

Career:
Engineering in Design and Construction

Subject:
History Ancient Architecture

Teaching:
Arch. Esriel Mairena Rivas

Title of the Work:

GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Student Name:
Luis Rafael Hernandez

Juigalpa, July 30, 2016

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 INDEX

YO. PRESENTATION………………………………………………………….. 5

II. GOALS………………………………………………………………. 6

III. DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………………….. 7

IV. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………… 31

V. BIBIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………. 32

VI. ANNEXES…………………………………………………………….33

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 I. PRESENTATION

Gothic art emerged at the end of the 12th century in France and developed throughout
Europe during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.

The emergence and development of Gothic coincides with notable changes in Europe:
Decline of the pure feudal system in favor of monarchies and rise of trade after the
Crusades, which favored the development of cities and the emergence of a new social class:
the bourgeoisie.
The renewal of knowledge in universities and the emergence of a new spirituality that is
more humanized and closer to nature, which is expressed in the new mendicant religious
orders (Franciscans and Dominicans). The Cistercian Order, reformed by Saint Bernard of
Clairvaux, was the promoter of the development of the Gothic style, favoured by new
scientific and technical advances.

The most characteristic building of the Gothic style is the cathedral, the temple of the
episcopal see, which becomes the symbol of the economic power of the city and the
prestige of its inhabitants. The urban world defended its independence from the decadent
feudal-rural world, which was reflected in the appearance of other emblematic civil
buildings, such as town halls, commercial markets, hospitals, guild houses, etc.

In this document we will thoroughly explain the elements, function and concept of Gothic
architecture.

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 II. GOALS

2.1 General Objective:

 Investigate the elements and characteristics of Gothic architecture.

2.2 Specific Objectives:

 Analyze the concept of Gothic architecture.

 Mention the classification of this architecture.

 Identify each part of the elements of Gothic architecture.

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 III. DEVELOPMENT

3.1 Gothic Architecture

According to Wikipedia (2016), Gothic architecture is the artistic form on which the
definition of Gothic art was formed, the artistic style between the Romanesque and the
Renaissance, which developed in Western Europe - Latin Christianity - in the Late Middle
Ages, from the end of the 12th century to the 15th century, although beyond Italy the
Gothic survivals continued until the beginning of the 16th century.

The word "Gothic" is the adjective corresponding to Gothic and was used in this context for
the first time by the Italian writer Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), who in his famous work of
biographies of Tuscan painters includes several chapters on art in the Middle Ages. In a
pejorative sense he used this term to refer to the architecture prior to the Renaissance,
typical of barbarians or Goths, whose components seemed confusing, disordered and
undignified to him, in contrast to the perfection and rationality of classical art. In its own
time, it was often referred to as opus francigenum (French style), in reference to the origin
of the innovation. Paradoxically, in 16th century Spain, late Gothic (Isabelline or
Plateresque) was considered the modern way of building, while the classicist architecture
introduced by the Italian Renaissance was seen as an ancient or Roman way of building.

3.2 Classification

3.2.1 Religious architecture

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

Also noteworthy is the monastic architecture, among which the following can be
distinguished:
 Cistercian architecture, with monasteries located in the countryside, disconnected
from civil life, which developed a proto-Gothic style and which served to spread the
Gothic style throughout Europe. Although not all the components of this
architecture will serve as the foundation for Gothic.
 The Carthusian Order
 Dominicans and Franciscans.

3.2.2 Civil architecture

The civil architecture shows the economic boom in the Late Middle Ages, the rise of
commercial and craft activities, the opening of new trade routes and the upcoming

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discovery of America. In military architecture, the construction of castles and walls is
developed and perfected; bridges are fortified with doors at the ends and in the middle.
Civil architecture shows the consolidation of municipal forms against the power of the
lords or the churches with the construction of large buildings intended to serve as the
headquarters of their institutions and municipal governments, among which those of the
Italian cities of Florence and Siena and also those of the region of Flanders stand out. In
Catalonia, the City Hall and the Palace of the Generalitat in Barcelona stand out. The
construction of commercial exchanges, urban palaces, universities, hospitals and private
homes for the new urban bourgeoisie that displaced the nobility also took place. Likewise,
during the 15th century, specifically during the late Gothic period, all civil architecture in
Flanders (wikipedia, 2016) stood out.

3.3 Features of Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture uses well-hewn stone ashlars.

Its essential elements are the pointed arch and the ribbed vault, composed of arches that
cross diagonally. This type of vault concentrates the forces on four specific points where
the crossed ribs rest, which makes it possible to do away with the solid walls of the
Romanesque style, replaced by large stained glass windows for greater luminosity
(Martín, 2016).

The use of lighter vaults allows for taller buildings with a tendency towards verticality.

As the Gothic style evolved, other types of arches were used: ogee, basket-shaped and more
complex and decorative vaults: sexpartite, tierceron, fan, star-shaped, etc.

The thrusts are transferred by means of external arches called flying buttresses to
counterforts located outside the building that end in pinnacles, which accentuates the
verticality.

The vault rests on the inside on very tall fasciculated pillars, with columns or baquetones
(round mouldings)

The Gothic cathedral's floor plan follows the Romanesque layout, although the number of
naves is increased (3, 5 or 7 naves).

Head with ambulatory, single or double, to which the polygonal chapels open.
The choir is larger than in the Romanesque style and is the centre of all light and attention.

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The transept is almost in the centre and barely marked; if it stands out, it is in the shape of a
Latin cross.

In elevation, the central nave stands out as higher than the side naves and the transept is still
marked in height, although on the outside the heavy Romanesque dome is replaced by a
graceful spire or arrow.

The typical tribune of Romanesque pilgrimage churches is replaced by the triforium.

Decorative elements
Pinnacles.
Openwork tracery on the windows.
Pointed and twinned openings, rose windows.
Gables.
Sculptures.
Stained glass windows.
Rosettes.
Gargoyles: roof drains sculpted into fantastic shapes.

3.3.1 The Gothic façade

The façade is divided into as many vertical zones (streets) as there are naves, generally
three, and into three horizontal bands or bodies. The one at the foot generally has three
splayed openings (doorways), with abundant sculptural decoration and is flanked by towers
with several bodies that end in a terrace or a spire. This construction system allows the

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horizontality of the Romanesque to be replaced by a verticality and an ascending sense
supported by all the elements of the cathedral.

Predominance of the span over the solid

Gothic is a reflection of a new spirituality. Stained glass windows distribute and regulate
the light inside the cathedrals, ending the Romanesque gloom and creating a transfigured,
idealized and much brighter space.

3.4 The Gothic in Europe

 12th century. It is actually Romanesque architecture with vaults and pointed arches.
 13th century. Classic Gothic
 14th century. Mannerist or lanceolate Gothic
 15th century. It is the baroque and decorative phase. Flamboyant Gothic.

France: In Ile-de-France, near Paris, the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Denis was built in
the first half of the 12th century. Its double ambulatory, with radial chapels and its open,
light and luminous head, already prefigure a new language that developed in the second
half of the century in cathedrals such as Notre Dame de Paris, which retains the 12th
century plan but the building is greatly modified.

The classical period corresponds to the 13th century, when the three great cathedrals of
Chartres, Reims and Amiens were built. In the second half of the century there was an
increase in decoration and the churches became more slender and decorative (radiant
Gothic). The most significant building would be the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, whose walls
have disappeared, replaced by immense stained glass windows that almost rise from the
ground.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Chartres Cathedral. Reims Cathedral

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England: The new style developed from the 13th century onwards, influenced by the
French model. We can speak of a decorative or ornamental Gothic style typical of the 14th
century, characterised by the use of curved and undulating ornaments: Wells Cathedral, and
a perpendicular Gothic style characterised by the predominance of vertical lines, the use of
large windows replacing walls, and fan or palmate vaults: The most significant works are
found at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Also noteworthy is Westminster Abbey.

Germany: In Germany, French influence was especially intense due to its geographical
proximity. German Gothic is characterised by the great height of its buildings, determined
by the spires or arrows of rich openwork tracery that crown their towers. The 13th century
Cologne Cathedral is considered the best example of this style.

Italy: The delay with which Gothic arrived in Italy and its limited diffusion favoured the
beginning of the new Renaissance aesthetic in the 15th century. Italian Gothic is
characterized by the persistence of classicism, the use of the slightly pointed semicircular
arch, the absence of flying buttresses, the importance of the gable, small windows, the
tendency towards horizontality, the use of colored marble and wooden roofs. Notable
examples are the cathedrals of Florence and Siena from the late 13th and early 14th
centuries.

The Duomo di Milano is a temple of great dimensions, it is the second largest Roman
Catholic cathedral in the world after the cathedral of Seville (the Basilica of Saint Peter in
Rome is not a cathedral). It is 157 metres long and can accommodate 40,000 people inside.
The main choir windows are reputed to be the largest in the world.

Portugal: In Portugal, the moment of maximum splendor of Gothic coincides with the 15th
century (Manueline style) and its most notable building is the Jerónimos Monastery of
Belem (Martín, 2016).

3.5 The Gothic in Spain

 the transitional or proto-Gothic phase,

 Classic Gothic,
 Mediterranean Gothic
 Flamboyant or Isabelline Gothic

Transitional or proto-Gothic phase. Last third of the 12th century.

The first pointed structures were built in a proto-Gothic period. Cathedrals of Ávila and
Sigüenza.

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3.6 Classic Gothic. 13th century

The second stage, in the 13th century, is the full Gothic period. It is fundamentally the
Gothic of Castile and León. The style has a strong French influence and all the elements
that define the Gothic style appear in it. The most important cathedrals are those of
León, Burgos and Toledo.

Burgos Cathedral, begun in 1221, during the reign of Alfonso III, by Master Enrique,
according to Cistercian models, but in 1245 the project was modified following French
taste.

It consists of three naves, a single-nave transept, a deep presbytery, an ambulatory and apse
chapels. Compared to the French ones, it is shorter.

The façade follows the layout of French churches with three bodies and three streets and
abundant decoration of niches and sculptures.

Burgos Cathedral.

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Toledo Cathedral, begun in 1226. The structure of the building is greatly influenced by the
best French Gothic of the 13th century but adapted to Spanish taste. It measures 120 m long
by 59 m wide. It consists of 5 naves plus a transept and a double ambulatory where
triangular and rectangular sections alternate (influenced by the French cathedral of Le
Mans). Among the clearly Hispanic elements would be: the less deep presbytery, the
increase in chapels at the head, towers attached to the naves (not above them) and the use of
lobed and crossed arches in the triforium (in the area where the ambulatory starts).

In 1226, during the reign of Alfonso III, work began on the Toledo mosque on the site of an
old mosque. This is the most Spanish of the cathedrals and its design is due to Master
Martín who conceived it with five naves. Compact plan (national style). Non-protruding
transept. Double ambulatory divided into rectangular and triangular sections, a system
inspired by the cathedral of Le Mans, which facilitates the distribution of thrusts and allows
for a greater number of chapels to be opened. Financed with the loot from Las Navas de
Tolosa, collected by D. Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada. It was built on the old main mosque of
the city. The vaults of the feet are from the 16th century. XVI (very slow construction).
Little difference in height between the central nave and the side naves. Triforium
throughout the nave: Multi-lobed arches at the head (converted into a clerestory in the S.
XVI)
Double stone lattice at the feet (stained glass on the inside)

The cathedral of León was started in the mid-13th century. It is the most French of the
Spanish cathedrals, as it incorporates large windows closed with stained glass that give the
interior great luminosity.

Divided into three naves, from the entrance to the transept, and five naves from the transept
to the main altar. The cathedral has macrocephaly, that is, a head that is larger than usual
(the width of the transept in this case) and that takes away some of its depth and perspective
but in exchange provides more space for the faithful (due to being on the Camino de
Santiago, its influx was greater).

The main façade stands out with five arches with three doors and a central rose window,
flanked by two Gothic towers. The plant is almost a replica of the Reims Cathedral,
although in a somewhat smaller format.

Its walls have 125 windows, with 1,800 m² of polychrome stained glass considered to be
among the best of its kind in the world.

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 Cathe
dral of Leon

3.7 Mediterranean Gothic. 14th century

In the 14th century the construction drive moved from Castile to the Levant and, above all,
to Catalonia. In their buildings we can see a tendency towards horizontality and a taste for
austerity that allows them to unload the ornamentation.

They are usually temples with three naves, the central one being wider and the side ones
almost the same height as it. The most notable examples are the cathedrals of Barcelona,
Palma de Mallorca and the temple of Santa María del Mar, erected by the guilds of
Barcelona.

The Barcelona Cathedral is a temple whose construction began in 1298 and was left
unfinished in 1420. It has three naves of similar height, the side ones being slightly lower.

The triforium is replaced by small windows. The side naves open onto multiple chapels
above which a gallery runs.

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The Barcelona Cathedral has a slightly pronounced transept with two towers at the ends of
its arms. A dome was planned for the western façade, but was not completed until the
present century.
3.8 Flamboyant or Elizabethan Gothic

The 15th century marks the maturity of Spanish Gothic, which with the reign of the
Catholic Monarchs will derive towards a decorative tendency that hides the architectural
structure and in which the use of star-shaped vaults and ogee arches is common. It is the so-
called Elizabethan or flamboyant style. This style came to Spain at the hands of the masters
of the Netherlands who came to Spain given the splendor of the Crown.

In Castile two schools appear: Toledo and Burgos.

In Toledo, Juan Guas built San Juan de los Reyes, with a simple structure (a single nave
with a choir at the foot) but rich decoration. Its cloister is one of the most beautiful in
Gothic architecture. It consists of two floors, with pointed arches on the lower floor and
mixed-linear arches on the upper floor. It is decorated with vegetal, geometric and
epigraphic elements.
The Lion Gate of Toledo Cathedral is also by Juan Guas.

In Burgos, Juan de Colonia, who introduced the international Gothic style to Spain, worked
and built the towers of Burgos Cathedral. His son, Simón de Colonia, would build the
Constable's Chapel: it is a large construction, an example of late Gothic and the transition
from Gothic art to early Renaissance: Colonia adapted the irregular site of the chapel to
build a single space covered with an octagonal, star-shaped vault, with its central area -
around the main keystone - openwork, in such a way that the light enters from above. He
also finished the Cartuja de Miraflores in Burgos, started by his father, and built the
façades of San Pablo and San Gregorio in Valladolid.

Also at the end of the 15th century, the Royal Chapel of Granada and the Cathedral of
Seville were built.

Gothic style persisted in Spain until the first quarter of the 16th century with the
construction of the cathedrals of Salamanca (1512) and Segovia (1525), although they
already foreshadowed the new spatial and decorative (Martín, 2016) Renaissance language.

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Star-shaped dome of the Constable's Chapel. Burgos Cathedral

Cloister of Saint John of the Kings. Toledo.

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3.9 Elements of Gothic architecture

3.9.1 Plant
The plan of the large Gothic churches corresponds to two main types:
 of Romanesque tradition. In it we can see almost the same forms as in the
Romanesque style and most commonly that of a Latin cross, with or without a
girder but with slightly protruding arms and with
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absidioloapsidioles or apsidal chapels that are
frequently polygonal. The abbey churches, especially the Cistercian ones, follow
this type with very protruding arms as in the Romanesque period. And in smaller or
popular churches the most common plan is that of a Latin cross or a rectangular one
with a single polygonal apse at the head;
 of living room. The floor plan lacks a transept with projecting arms (although the
symbolic cross in the middle is still more or less present), the hall temple has a
basilica layout and has, at least, three naves of equal height and, consequently, a
lateral lighting system. The interior spaces are spacious and airy, they can be taken
in with a single glance and are extremely cohesive, which is why they look or have
the appearance of a large living room.

In any case, the floor plan is divided into rectangular or square sections determined by the
columns and transverse arches, and on these, the ribbed vaults are supported. Since the
mid-13th century, it has become common to open chapels on the sides of churches, between
the buttresses, to satisfy the devotion of guilds or brotherhoods and the people in general,
since before this time it was rare to admit them outside the apses (wikipedia, 2016).

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Cross section of the general construction scheme of a Gothic cathedral (Julia, 2016)

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3.9.2 Pointed arch

The pointed arch is one of the most characteristic technical elements of Gothic architecture,
and came to replace the semicircular arch, typical of the Romanesque style. The pointed
arch, unlike the semicircular arch, is slimmer and lighter because it transmits less lateral
tension, allowing for more flexible shapes to be adopted. It is more effective because,
thanks to its verticality, the lateral pressures are less than in the semicircular arch, allowing
for larger spaces to be saved. Throughout the Gothic period, the pointed arch showed
variants such as the trilobed arch, the ogee arch used during the so-called Flamboyant
Gothic period or the Tudor arch, during the so-called English (wikipedia, 2016)
Perpendicular Gothic period.

(Julia, 2016)

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3.9.3 Ribbed or cross vault

The ribbed vault, made up of pointed arches, like a skeleton, is lighter than any other type
of vault built to that date. The use of this type of arch forming a unitary three-dimensional
skeleton reflects the high technical knowledge attained by the cathedral builders.

The first period is distinguished by the simplicity of the transept or diagonal arches, which
are simple and have few mouldings. In this same period, the so-called sexpartite vault
(divided into six floes) was also used for the vault sections of the central nave, when these
were made square, each of them corresponding to two of the side naves. In the second, the
cross vault is increased with secondary arches or ribs and the so-called tiercerons to support
the plementery icebergs since the vaults become wider. At the same time, all the arches are
moulded, mainly the diagonal ones, and these and other ribs receive more profiles and are
linked with transverse ribs. In the third period, new tiercerons and secondary ribs with their

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ties were added, even though they were not needed, and the so-called star-shaped vault
became widespread (due to the shape of the whole) and the ribs and arches were outlined
with more delicacy. In the first period, the sexpartite vault (divided into six floes) was used
frequently for the vault sections of the central nave when these were made square and each
of them corresponded with two of the side naves.

Since the end of the 15th century, the keystones of the cross vaults in many buildings were
decorated with wooden or metal, gilded or polychrome rosettes known as washers. But
since the beginning of the style, these keystones have been decorated with various reliefs.

Gothic apses are also covered with different ribbed vaults but in such a way that the arches
or ribs all converge at a central keystone forming a radiated ribbed vault and very often the
shell is given a ribbed shape or divided into compartments of more or less protruding or
deep partial vaults. This arrangement, while reinforcing and beautifying the apse,
contributes greatly to the sonority of the church, especially for the songs from the
presbytery (wikipedia, 2016).

Quadripartite vault (church of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul in Ablis, Yvelines, France).

Sexpartite vault (Laon Cathedral, France).

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 Star vault (Seville Cathedral, Spain).

Fan vault King's College Chapel, Cambridge, England.

During the Gothic period, the ribbed vault acquired greater structural and decorative
complexity, from simple or quadripartite vaults to fan vaults.

3.9.4 Buttresses and flying buttresses

To support the pressure of the weight of the vaults, instead of building thick walls as was
done in the Romanesque style, where the buttresses took the form of pillars attached to the
outside of the wall, with an increasing width at their base, Gothic architects devised a more
efficient system: buttresses with flying buttresses. The buttresses are separated from the
wall, and the thrust is exerted on them by means of a transmission arch called a flying
buttress. Even greater strength can be achieved by placing a second buttress next to it. The
flying buttresses also serve to house the channels through which water runs down from the
roofs and thus prevent it from slipping down the facades.

On the one hand, the arrangement of these transverse piers allowed for the creation of non-
load-bearing, slender facades with enormous openings. On the other hand, by connecting
the buttresses to the main structure by means of flying buttresses, leverage was gained and
space was freed up to place side naves, parallel to the main nave.

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The buttresses and other buttresses are decorated by mounting pinnacles on them to give
them more weight and resistance, thus achieving with these finishes the double constructive
and aesthetic purpose.

The system of flying buttresses and counterforts of Gothic churches is a characteristic

element that beautifies the exterior of the buildings, but at the same time, reveals the
structural fragility itself, since they support the building as external (wikipedia, 2016)
shoring.

(Julia, 2016)

3.9.5 Elevation

Elevation of Laon Cathedral, showing the quadripartite structure

(arcades, tribune, triforium and clerestory), and elevation of Langres
Cathedral, showing the tripartite structure.
The Gothic construction system, efficient and light as a whole, allowed
buildings to gain height. The elevation of Gothic temples presents
various alternatives that occurred over time:
 Quadripartite elevation: structured in four levels, it is used in the
early Gothic style, especially in the Normandy region, such as in
the cathedrals of Laon and
Noyonhttps://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?

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 title=Catedral_de_Noyon&action=edit&redlink=1. The four levels that make up this
mode are:5
 1st floor: arcades or archways
 2nd floor: tribune
 3rd floor: triforium
 4th floor: clerestory
 The tripartite elevation is structured on three levels and has been in use since the
end of the 12th century. There are two variants of this model: the first has a blind
triforium and the second has an openwork triforium. The different levels that make
up the tripartite mode are
 1st floor: archway
 2nd floor: triforium
 3rd floor: clerestory or large windows.
 The bipartite elevation: From 1300 onwards, a new elevation with only two floors
began to be used.
 1st floor: arches
 2nd floor: clerestory

3.9.6 Columns

Column with ribs from the Collegiate Church of Medina del Campo.

The supports or columns of Gothic art consist of the

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilarcomposite pillar which, during the transition period, is the
same Romanesque support although arranged for the latticework of transept arches.
However, in the perfect Gothic style the core of the pillar is cylindrical, surrounded by
semi-columns (pilasters) and supported on a polygonal plinth or on a moulded base, unlike

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the Romanesque style in which such a plinth was uniform and cylindrical (wikipedia,
2016).
These bases become more divided and moulded as the period of the style progresses, with
those from the Flamboyant period being particularly distinguished by the small partial
bases of different heights that stand out from them, corresponding to the small columns that
surround the core of the pillar. But in https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siglo_XVIthe 16th
century, the use https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C3%B3calo_(construcci%C3%B3n)of the
primitive prismatic or cylindrical plinth without divisions was frequently restored. The
small columns attached around the core correspond to the arches and ribs of the vaults, each
with its own, according to the principle followed in the Romanesque style that each
supported piece must correspond to its own support or support.

These small columns increase in number as the style progresses. Initially, there are usually
four or six of them in isolated pillars, so that the cross or horizontal section of these pillars
forms in most cases a kind of cross with a prismatic core. But then they began to multiply
in such a way in the new constructions, from the middle of the 13th century, that the central
core (which from then on was usually round) was barely visible. The entire support now
appears as a bundle of cylinders, which in the 15th century were reduced to simple
bulwarks or battens because their number had increased and they could no longer be
accommodated except in this form; not only was a small column assigned to each arch and
rib of the vault, but even the main mouldings of these had their corresponding small column
in the support (wikipedia, 2016).

3.9.7 Capitals

Gothic capital in the Doge's Palace in Venice.

The Gothic capital loses its importance as the period of the style progresses. After the
transition period in which the Romanesque capital was followed, it was presented as a
somewhat conical drum surrounded by foliage whose motifs were taken from the country's
flora (although sometimes, especially during the 14th century, it allowed figurines and
stories among the foliage, always with greater neatness than in the Romanesque style) and
was crowned by a circular or polygonal abacus with various mouldings.

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Later, the capital became smaller and more delicate and was finally eliminated when, in the
15th century, the bundle of reeds branched directly into the ribs of the vault without any
break in continuity in many cases or remained in the form of a simple ring.
3.9.8 Domes

Dome of the Burgos Cathedral.

The domes are formed by icebergs supported by radiating ribs that start from the octagon
formed by the transverse arches and by a kind of very artistic squinches located at the
angles determined by them, and are joined together at an upper and central keystone.

The dome appears on the outside in the form of an octagonal or hexagonal prism crowned
by a pyramid with more daring and elegance than in Romanesque art. Often, instead of a
dome, a simple prismatic lantern rises as a tower over the transept (wikipedia, 2016).

3.9.9 Windows and stained glass

Reducing the supporting structure to the bare minimum allowed for large openings in the
walls of the facades. The artists of the time were able to give free rein to their imagination,
creating art that was unknown until then.

The windows of the transition period are usually like the Romanesque ones with pointed
arches. But then there is the true wide Gothic window decorated at the top with beautiful
stone fretwork, which is formed by combined small rosettes, always supported by small
columns or mullions. In the 14th century, the tracery became more complicated and the
small rosettes were https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracer%C3%ADamultiplied, and in the
15th century, the lines were combined to form serpentine curves, constituting the
flamboyant openwork.

A similar thing can be seen in the large rose windows that are placed high on the facades: at
first, they take a radiant and simple form, although in sumptuous churches it is somewhat
more complicated. Rose decorations increased in the 14th century and in the 15th century
the tracery became a true labyrinth of intertwined curves. However, in all periods there are

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smaller windows of simpler design and small mullions. Windows and rose windows are
usually closed with magnificent polychrome and historical stained glass windows where, in
their own way, monumental pictorial art is exercised, since the few wall canvases between
the aforementioned openings in sumptuous churches barely leave any space for its
development.

Stained glass windows in Aachen Rose window in the Basilica of St.

Cathedral. Denis.

Window of St. Vitus Cathedral,

Prague. Rose window of Meaux Cathedral.

3.9.10 Doors

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 Sarmental Gate (1240). Burgos Cathedral
Cover of the Cathedral of León.
In the doors and the façade, Gothic art displays all its magnificence and theological
conception. The Gothic portal admits the same fundamental composition of a splayed shape
as the Romanesque one, but the archivolts are multiplied and a greater elevation of lines is
added with greater richness and sculptural finesse, always maintaining the shape of the new
style in the arches and decorations. A high gable ishttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gablete
usually placed above the door.

The most sumptuous doorways have images of apostles and other saints under canopies
between the small columns (and often also smaller ones between the archivolts) flanking
the entrance which is divided by a mullion that serves as a support for a statue of the Virgin
Mary or the church's patron saint.

The Cistercian churches and other smaller ones that are modeled after them lack imagery
on the doorway, which is composed of a large splayed
archhttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arco_abocinado decorated with simple mouldings and
some vegetal or geometric ornamentation. The delicacy in the execution of the sculptural
work and the progressive multiplication of the columns and mouldings, with their thinning,
reveal better than others the signs of the period in which the doorways were built. But those
from the last period from the middle of the 15th century are recognized above all by the
multitude and smallness of the details, the ogee archivolt, loaded with twisted fronds and
other ornaments of the period.

3.9.11 Secondary elements

Among the secondary members of a Gothic building, the following are notable for their
characteristic shape:

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 Corbel with musical angel, cloister of the church of Santa María la Real, Sasamón,
province of Burgos, Spain.

 supports, like a shelf, either alone or with a half column above it, attached at a
certain height to the walls, support the arches and ribs that start as if they were
coming from the wall, as can be seen especially in Cistercian architecture.
 ledges and canopies for statues that in the 12th and 13th centuries usually had
figures of small castles, in the 14th century they resembled small ribbed vaults with
small gables and in the 15th century they were decorated with flamboyant openwork
and ogee arches or ended with a high turret and high gables
 parapets for triforiumshttps://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triforio and galleries that
initially consist of pointed arches and then take the form of a railing with openwork
typical of the period
 pinnacles, spires, gargoyles, friezes, crests, etc., whose Gothic style design is
unmistakable with that of others.

3.9.12 Ornamentation

Details of Notre-Dame Cathedral.

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Gothic ornamentation is based on the construction and serves to further accentuate its
elements. The most common and characteristic motifs in the field of sculpture are, in the
early Gothic style, especially in the transition period, the geometric ornaments inherited
from the Romanesque style, mouldings and geometric openwork that emerge from the arch
itself. The use of the ogee arch in the 15th century allows for extensive use of curves and
counter-curves in ornamentation (wikipedia, 2016).

The most innovative part in terms of decoration comes from the local flora and fauna,
which is interpreted in a stylized form during the 12th and first half of the 13th centuries.
Nature is interpreted with a lot of realism and in this last century there is a tendency
towards twisted forms. Clover, twisted ivy, vine shoots, oak or holm oak leaves climb the
arches and spires of Gothic buildings, associating themselves with the new style. Later they
were abandoned to make way for fronds, thistle leaves,
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardoclovers, trefoils, quatrefoils, etc. In classical art, only
two or three plants, acanthus, ivy and laurel, had been accepted in the decorative repertoire,
but Gothic art makes use of all the species of the plant kingdom and also reproduces birds
and even fantastic beings, monsters that sometimes stand upright like guardians on top of
balustrades and other times crouching, condemned to serve as gargoyles to throw rainwater
collected on the roofs.

Decoration with tiles in La Seo de Zaragoza.

Gothic mouldings are distinguished from Greco-Roman mouldings in that they do not have
a circular cut or section like the latter, but rather a semi-elliptical, pear-shaped, heart-
shaped, etc. section, all so that the arches and other moulded members appear very tenuous
and almost aerial to the eye.

The pictorial decoration of several of the aforementioned elements must have been
common in time but little of it has survived to this day. The sculptures on doorways, tombs,
capitals, vault keystones, vault ribs and even the roof if it was made of wood were often
painted. And although there were few paintings of figures on the walls, they were largely
replaced by the polychrome stained glass windows. In many buildings in Spain,

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participating more or less in Mudejar architecture, tile decoration was used in
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azulejofriezes and baseboards (wikipedia, 2016)

IV. CONCLUSION

The Gothic period presents many changes in terms of the canons that were established in
the Middle Ages. The aim was not only to represent the images, but to make them more
expressive and, consequently, more real. Life revolved around the church at the beginning
of the Gothic period, but towards the end it became more centred on trade and commerce,
which resulted in the “universalisation” of the Gothic style. Not only churches were built,
but also palaces, bridges, city entrances and other buildings that had nothing to do with the
clergy, so art stopped revolving around the church. Painting found a new theme, the portrait
and the representation of nature as it is.

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In conclusion, Gothic art was a step towards a return to the realistic way of representing
things in Europe. The importance of volume, perspective, foreshortening and a little
proportion was regained. However, total realism was not achieved, but it was a great
advance.

V. LITERATURE

Julia, M. (2016). Obtenido de

http://www.educacion.es/exterior/centros/severoochoa/es/departamentos/historia/
material_julia/Arquitectura_escultura_pintura_gotica.pdf

Martín, M. (2016). Obtenido de

http://www.arteydibujo.com/arte/9-g%C3%B3tico/arquitectura-g%C3%B3tica/

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wikipedia. (6 de Junio de 2016). Obtenido de https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arquitectura_g
%C3%B3tica

VI. ANNEXES

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