Gothic Design

The gothic design period was a bridge between the Romanesque period and the Renaissance Period. During this period, religious expression was the heart of the design and churches were the center of city life. The Gothic world is centered in Paris.

Cathedrals were really the most important elements of this period. They were constructed to make the structures appear weightless. They had really tall walls with a lot of use of stain-glass windows, and rib vaults.
 (example of the rib vaults)  

These Cathedrals/Churches were modified from the original church plans. These cathedrals had longer isles, and an emphasis on the choir. They also had these shared chapel areas where travelers could come to worship.






Some of the most important cathedrals were....

1. St. Denis Cathedral (this cathedral was an attempt to recreate "Heaven".)
 

2. Notre Dame at Chartes

..... and Notre Dame at Paris

 

3. Wells Cathedral (in England)



 
 
 

 






























Some current applications of this design period are shown below...

 

   













I reviewed John's blog for the Gothic Period. From his blog, I learned about the gargoyles, which were an important feature from this design period. The gargoyles were more than just highly ornamented decoration, they were actually serving an important purpose. These gargoyles are actually a way for water to drain from the building.

I also reviewed Natalie's blog and from her blog I learned more about the black and white columns in the cathedral in Italy. The columns had polychrome decoration, meaning that the columns were alternating black and white stripes. The importance of the black and white colors are they are the symbolic colors of Siena, because they were the color of the horses that the founder of the city owned.