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This Gothic Cathedral shows many examples of the traditional Gothic feel. This cathedral shows stained glass windows, painted and designed arches, ribbed vaults and buttresses. On the other hand there is no gargoyles or a oculus.

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The cathedral includes pointed arches and a very tall height. A unique aspect of this cathedral is that it is very dark in color.

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Gothic cathedrals represented heaven and divinity with it's intricate rose windows and stained glass windows that showed biblical stories.  This cathedral's brightly painted roof and stained glass show an uplifting  vibe.

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The things that look different about this is the big clock in the middle of it and the patterns/designs that are on it are not on churches today

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The stained glass windows were always incorporated into the design, and were used for lighting and decoration.

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This Gothic Church shows many pointed arches to portrayed biblical images in order to feel in a heavenly environment for the people.  On the far up the center its a mini Oculus that the Gothic use as a form of window design from the Gothics.

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This cathedral is unique to other cathedrals as it is more spread out than raised to increase height. The flying buttresses are also appearent as they circle the main pillar.

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The cathedral is more complicated than a modern church.  Most modern churches are simple. This church has pointed arches, flying buttresses, Spires, and pinnacles. A modern church wouldn't have all these details/structural elements.

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The cathedral is very grand compared to modern churches. It has extreme details on the outside walls, and lot's of repeated designs and windows. most modern churches do not have towers on the outside, like this cathedral does.

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Gothic architecture was heavily centered around the pointed arch. The pointed arch distributed the weight of the building easier and put less pressure on the walls.

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There are many features that stand out and makes different Gothic Cathedral similar. One example is its height. Most Gothic Cathedral's are very tall. Another example is the use of flying buttress. One last example is the paintings of animals.

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This cathedral is unique from other churches that i have seen because of itas special features. This cathedral includes a rose window and pointed arches. Also this gothic cathedral includes flying buttresses.

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In this picture of a Gothic Cathedral in Prague, there are many aspects of a Gothic Cathedral. For example on the side it shows the flying buttress which can stand lots of weight so the cathedral is very height which is another aspect of Gothic Cathedrals. Another aspect is the pointed arches which, like the flying buttress lets more height get held which also makes the cathedral taller.

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In the picture I chose the things that stand out to me are the spires and the flying buttreses. This type of archetechture was also known for its pointed arches and gargoyles

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The flower design in the middle. half of the church mirros the other half. Very small designs make of the church...kinda ig Lowkey tho

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One difference of the Gothic cathedrals are the pointed arches. They are normal arches but with a pointed top. This allows architects to build higher and they support more weight.

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The Gothic cathedral includes stained glass windows, pointed arches, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses. Ths cathedrial is very large is a very large cathedral.

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this cathedral is similar to other cathedrals because it has flying buttresses, pointed arches and large stained glass windows. It is different because there is no gargoyles or a oculus.

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The gothic cathedral is very big and is different from modern churches in many ways. The flying buttresses, large stained glass windows, gargoyles and pointed arches.

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The Buttress of the churches would help keep the weight of the church up, and not crumble into a pile of rubble. They were arches propped on the church to keep it stable. Most churches are made differently today, so you wouldn't really see them as often.

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This gothic cathedral includes pointed arches. Pointed arches provide more support than regular, rounded arches do. This gothic cathedral also includes rose windows.

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Unlike other churches, Gothic churches revolved around pointed arches. These arches are able to distribute the building's weight. The churches also consisted of gargoyles, which were sculpted creatures that scared people into going to church. Finally, the church is decorated with stained glass windows to let in light.

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In this picture of a Gothic Cathedral, you can see the pointed arch and the flying buttress. You can't see any stained glass or gargoyles, but they could be somewhere else outside or inside.

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See all the wonderful things Megan Sisk has made

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See all the wonderful things Megan Sisk has made

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This gothic cathedral displays several features of the typical gothic cathedral. It has large pointed arches to distribute the weight. This helped build cathedrals larger and taller. Also pictured is the oculous. It's located in the middle of the structure. It's a large circle, mainly used for decorative purposes.

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There are many aspects of gothic churches that are unique and different from other cathedrals. Pointed arches were prominent and used for support. Gargoyles were also present in many churches along with vaulted ceilings and a rose window.

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This image has many details of Gothic architecture. It has spires and pointed arches. Also, an Oculus can be found in the church.

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Gothic architecture was very advanced for their time because they were able to successfully improved upon other civilizations architecture. In the image below the pointed arch is used which is based on the round arch but more efficiently distributes weight. They also incorporated an oculus, and flying buttresses.

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Gothic architecture heavily revolved around pointed arch. The pointed arch made distributing the weight of the cathedral easier. Another difference of the gothic cathedral and any other cathedral is the design of the flying buttress. The design of the flying buttress helped the cathedrals become taller. lighter, and "afford a greater aesthetic appearance than before."

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After viewing the video, read the following articles about medieval art and architecture.  Use a photograph of a famous gothic cathedral to explain the features that stand out to you or look different from other churches or cathedrals you have seen.

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The Gothic technique - extending from the 12th to 16th centuries - was a predominant architectural style of the medieval era, bookended by the Romanesque and the Renaissance periods. It marks a definitive shift from the earlier 'dumpy' Romanesque churches to lighter, taller cathedrals - the changing socio-religious climate wrought structural innovations that revolutionized ecclesiastical architecture.

The name 'Gothic' is retrospective; Renaissance builders scoffed at the whimsical construction devoid of symmetry, and used the term as a derisive reference to the barbarous Germanic tribes that pillaged Europe in the third and fourth centuries - the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths. Gothic architecture was erroneously seen as the product of a largely uncouth, chaotic, and superstitious era, while the truth was very different. It has since come to be regarded as the ultimate icon of scholasticism - a movement which sought to reconcile spirituality and religion with rationality.

Gothic architecture is acknowledged for spawning new structural marvels, phantasmagorical plays of light and raising the bar for cathedral construction everywhere - even by contemporary standards. Here are some characteristics your standard Gothic cathedral will showcase.

Spires

These are tapering architectural elements that often replaced the steeple to lend an impression of loftiness. Gothic cathedrals often feature profuse spiring, giving the impression of battlements - symbolic of a religious fortress protecting the faith. Openwork spires are perhaps the most common; this elaborate spire consisted of stone tracery held together by metal clamps. It had the ability to achieve radical heights while lending a feeling of lightness through its skeletal structure.

Flying Buttress

Spider-leg like in appearance, a flying buttress was originally instated as an aesthetic device. Later, they were converted into ingenious structural devices that transferred the dead-load of the vaulted roof to the ground. To add a degree of stiffness to the structure, they were stepped back from the main wall and connected to the roof via arching supports. The buttress now 'carried' the vault, freeing the walls of their load-bearing function. This allowed the walls to become thinner or almost completely replaced by glass windows, unlike in the Romanesque where walls were massive affairs with very less glazing. The buttresses enabled Gothic architecture to become lighter, taller and afford a greater aesthetic experience than before.

Gargoyles

The gargoyle (derived from the French word gargouille, meaning gargle) is a sculptural waterspout, placed to prevent rainwater from running down masonry walls. These numerous grimacing sculptures divided the flow among them, minimizing potential water damage. Gargoyles were sculpted on the ground and placed as the building neared completion. St. Romanus is often associated with the gargoyle; legend speaks of him saving Rouen from a snarling dragon that struck terror even in the heart of spirits. Known as La Gargouille, the beast was vanquished and its head mounted on a newly built church, as an example and warning. While the gargoyle has been around since Egyptian times, prolific use of the element in Europe is attributed to the Gothic era. Profusely grouped upon several cathedrals, it heightens a sense of allegory and the fantastic.

Pinnacles

Unlike the flying buttress, the pinnacle started out as a structural element meant to deflect the pressures of the vaulted roof downward. They were imbued with lead, literally 'pinning down' the sideways pressures of the vault, served as counterweights to extended gargoyles and overhanging corbels and stabilized flying buttresses. As their aesthetic possibilities began to be known, pinnacles were lightened and the flying buttress was structurally developed to handle the vaulted roof. Pinnacles are profusely used to break the abrupt change in slenderness, as the church building gives way to the mounted spire, lending the building a distinctively Gothic, tapering appearance.

Pointed Arch

Recorded for the first time in Christian architecture during the Gothic era, the pointed arch was used to direct the weight of the vaulted roof downward along its ribs. Unlike the earlier Romanesque churches which depended solely on the walls to carry the immense weight of the roof, the pointed arches helped restrict and selectively transfer the load onto columns and other load-bearing supports, thereby freeing up the walls. It no longer mattered what the walls were made of, since (between the flying buttress and the pointed arch) they were no longer carrying any loads - thus the walls of Gothic cathedrals began to be replaced by large stained-glass windows and tracery.

Tracery

Tracery refers to a series of thin stone frames, inlaid in window openings to support the glass. Bar tracery found expression in the Gothic period, with its lancet-and-oculus pattern that aimed at conveying a slenderness of design, and increasing the amount of glass paneling. Unlike in plate tracery, thin stone mullions were used to divide the window opening into two or more lancets. Y tracery was a specific variety of bar tracery that separated the window head using thin bars of stone, splitting in the shape of a Y. These delicate web-like tracings helped increase the glass-to-stone ratio and grew into florid detail as Gothic architecture developed further.

The Oculus

Two specific window designs were established during the Gothic period - the narrowly pointed lancet reinforced height, while the circular oculus held stained-glass. As height grew less of an objective with Gothic builders, the latter half of the Rayonnant Gothic saw structures reduced to an almost-skeletal, diaphanous frame. Windows were expanded and walls replaced by traceried glass. An immense oculus on the triforium wall of churches formed a rose window, the largest of which is found at St. Denis. Divided by stone mullions and bars, it held radiating stone spokes like a wheel and was placed below a pointed arch.

Ribbed Vault

Gothic architecture replaced Romanesque groin vaults with ribbed vaults to counteract complexities of construction and limitations that allowed it to only span square rooms. Also known as ogival vaulting, ribbed vaulting developed with the need to transfer roof-loads better, while freeing up inner walls for tracery and glass. More ribs were added to the basic Romanesque barrel vault to increase the transfer of loads to the ground. As the Gothic era achieved its zenith, complex vaulting systems such as the quadripartite and sexpartite vaulting techniques were developed. The development of ribbed vaulting reduced the need for inner load-bearing walls, thereby opening up the inner space and providing visual and aesthetic unity.

Fan Vault

One of the most obvious distinctions between the English and French Gothic styles, fan vaulting was used exclusively in English cathedrals. The ribs of the fan vault are curved equally and equidistantly spaced, giving it the appearance of an open fan. The fan vault was also applied during the reconstruction of Norman churches in England, doing away with the need for flying buttresses. Fan vaulting was used profusely in ecclesiastical buildings and chantry chapels.

Statue Column

The Early Gothic era showcases some of the most detailed sculpture of the period. It was not uncommon to find statues that were of 'structural' nature, carved from the same stone as the column that held up the roof. Often depicting patriarchs, prophets, and kings, they were placed in the porches of later Gothic churches to lend an element of verticality. These larger-than-life depictions may also be spotted in the embrasures on either side of cathedral entrances. In France, column-statues often depicted rows of finely-dressed courtiers, reflecting the prosperity of the kingdom.

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10 Defining Characteristics of Gothic Architecture

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The Gothic technique - extending from the 12th to 16th centuries - was a predominant architectural style of the medieval era, bookended by the Romanesque and the Renaissance periods. It marks a definitive shift from the earlier 'dumpy' Romanesque churches to lighter, taller cathedrals - the changing socio-religious climate wrought structural innovations that revolutionized ecclesiastical architecture.

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Ancient art and architecture isn't only for historians, but for people like us who've always been interested in anything olden and periodic.
All through the medieval period, art largely consisted of the architectural design and construction of churches, monasteries, castles, and similar eclectic structures while homes and other types of buildings were given less attention.

Medieval artists and skilled craftsmen, including masons, carpenters, woodcarvers, sculptors, metal workers, and painters, applied the ornamental features of these structures into their own specific craft.

Artisans of the lesser arts, like locksmiths, blacksmiths, shoemakers, and weavers, were equally influenced by these features which were replicated, copied and applied to anything and everything they produced.

What Was Life Like in the Middle Ages?

Life in the Middle Ages was dominated by feudalism, a kind of system where the nobles practically owned and ruled all the land. Vassals, who held the land under feudalism, were tenants of the nobles who paid homage to the lords. They were indeed loyal and in return were guaranteed protection in return.

Serfs were the downtrodden and lowest social class during the Medieval Period. These peasants worked and laboured for the noble in a condition of bondage. Though they were not slaves - they were allowed to own property, however, in most serfdoms, peasants were legally part of the land, so, if the land was sold by the lords, the serfs were sold with it.

Due to the fact that the Middle Ages was dominated by the feudal system, there was a vast difference in the daily lives of peasants when compared to that of the noble. The daily lives of people were therefore dictated by power, wealth, and status in the society with the noble spending most of their time on entertainment, games, and sports while the serfs toiled on their fields to serve them.

Religion played a major part of daily life during the Middle Ages, reasons why the artists of the early Middle Ages were predominantly priests and monks who lived in monasteries. Their art became the primary method of communicating narratives of a Biblical nature to the people.

Medieval Art and Architecture - An Expression of the Spiritual

Medieval art illustrates the passionate interest and idealistic expression of the Christian and Catholic faith. Architectural designs and their interior décor showed avid expressions of the deep religious faith of the people of the Middle Ages.

This was an era when political order was almost non-existent, and every common man or woman had no hope in life and little to live for, except the hope of happiness and peace in heaven.

The churches served as the centre of town life and were designed and built by the people and not the clergy. They served other purposes that met the requirements of their daily life, with many housing schools, libraries, museums, and picture galleries.

Main Divisions of Middle Ages Art

Medieval art is generally divided into different types, each of which was expressed differently in different regions and at different times. They are:

The Byzantine period

Early Christian period

Romanesque and Norman period

Gothic period

Byzantine Art (330 -1453)

Byzantine art was developed in Constantinople, then the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. This style was characterized by a combination of Roman and Oriental arts, with dome ceilings being typical features.

The iconoclastic (radical) movement at the time absolutely forbade the use of human or animal forms in their artworks. According to the history of art, such forms were regarded by the Byzantine as idolatry and 'graven images', which were frowned upon in the Ten Commandments.

The architecture of the churches was not only brilliant and grandiose but mostly reflected the wealth and intellectual level of their designers and builders.

Early Christian Art (330 - 880)

This was developed (to some extent) in countries bordering the eastern Mediterranean region, but primarily in central Italy. Churches and monuments were constructed with stones found in the ruins of pagan temples.

The Early Christian art forms developed after the people of the Roman Empire officially adopted Christianity.

They had features which included flat ceilings, semi-circular arched forms, elaborately panelled flat wood ceilings, and straight high walls with small window openings at the topmost parts of the structures.

Interiors were rich and elaborate with mosaics on the walls, ornately framed paintings, and marble incrustations.

Romanesque and Norman Medieval Art Forms (800 - 1150)

The styles of this period were developed in France and other Western regions. They are characterized by simple structural forms with window and door openings designed with semi-circular arched top sections.

The term 'Romanesque art' refers to medieval styles of art that were greatly influenced by Italy and Southern France.

This same style was taken to the shores of England by William the Conqueror where it became known as Norman art and continued until it evolved into the Gothic forms of the 12th century.

Romanesque buildings were huge, strong and almost foreboding in appearance but they had simple surface enrichment showcasing the simplistic ways of life of the planners who were monks.

Architectural forms were basically interpretations of their own concept of Roman architecture.

Gothic Art and Architecture (1150 -1500)

"Verticality" is emphasized in Gothic art and architecture, which feature almost skeletal stone structures and great expanses of stained glass showing biblical stories, pared-down wall surfaces, and extremely pointed arches.

Furniture designs were 'borrowed' from their architectural forms and structures with arches, pillars, and rigid silhouettes.

Through the Gothic period, building construction was constantly geared towards lightness of forms but with enormous spiked heights to the extent that there were times when over ornamentation coupled with delicate structural forms made their structures collapse.

The structural collapse was, of course, imminent because construction methods never followed scientific principles but were rather done by mere 'rule of thumb'. Only when many buildings started to collapse before they were completed did they then rebuild them with stronger and sturdier supports.

All in all, medieval art, the art of the Middle Ages, covered an enormous scope of time and place. It existed for over a thousand years, not only in the European region but also the Middle East and North Africa. It included not only major art movements and eras but also regional art, types of art, the medieval artists and their works as well.

And because religious faith was the way of life, the history of art of the Middle Ages tells us about social, political and historical events, through the building of church cathedrals and eclectic structures that were erected in practically every town and city in the region.

Questions & Answers

Question: What is art?

Answer: Art is a creative expression of humans that comes in visual, imaginary, audible, or literal forms.

Art can also be described as an expression of the soul.

Question: What materials were used in cathedrals and paintings of the Middle Ages or Byzantine Empire?

Answer: Cathedrals were built using mostly quarry stones set together with mortar made from clay, limestone, chalk, and a binder.

Materials used for painting include simple natural materials found locally - natural earth pigments like terra-cotta, yellow and burnt ochre, colours obtained from ground shells, lapis, soot, plants, lead white, and binders made from gum Arabic, egg white, or egg yolk.

Question: How did the Pagan north influence medieval art?

Answer: The Pagans of the north did not fully abandon their Celtic philosophies for Christianity but rather, combined and wove into their paganism culture. One of the influences of the fusion is the Celtic Cross and some other emblems. For instance, the Celtic cross represents Christianity while the circle in it represents the Celtic view of the world. This culture reached its height during the Medieval Era.
© 2012 artsofthetimes
Tilly the Fisherman on April 30, 2019:

What was bad about the art?

artsofthetimes (author) on September 30, 2018:

The subject of Medieval art was mainly Christianity.

Phu on September 26, 2018:

What was the subject of most art from the middle ages? (what did it show, or why was it made)

artsofthetimes (author) on May 09, 2018:

You are welcome @dfa

dfa on May 08, 2018:

thk you

artsofthetimes (author) on March 15, 2018:

Thank you for your feedback Mask. Will endeavour to do that.

Glad you found it helpful for your medieval homework.

artsofthetimes (author) on March 14, 2018:

You are welcome Beep boo.

Beep bop on March 14, 2018:

Thanks for helping me with my prodject

Mask Panda on March 13, 2018:

This is an okay site but also much information. Some advice for this website is that you should make it longer and filled with more information. But overall a very good website. It helped me for my medieval homework.

artsofthetimes (author) on March 04, 2018:

You are welcome @mad history.

mad history on March 04, 2018:

thanks for the info it really helped me

artsofthetimes (author) on September 01, 2016:

Very interesting piece of history Moral Man. Thank you.

I will definitely research and read further on these medieval era painters you mentioned.

Thanks for the visit and sorry for the late response...

Moral Man on December 25, 2015:

The Medeival period has some of the greatest painters. One of the most remarkable is Heironymus Bosch(1450-1516) from the late Middle Ages. He is famous for his imagination and religious subject matter. "The Garden of Earthly Delights," "The Haywain," "The Last Judgment," and "Ship of Fools are noteworthy.

Frans Hals came later in the 1600s or the early Modern period and was also Dutch like Bosch. Frans Hals is famous for his portrait paintings such as "Malle Babbe." Its known that Malle Babbe was based on a real historical person which Frans Hals knew in his lifetime.

artsofthetimes (author) on February 14, 2013:

Thank you Gareth, and thanks for visiting.

Garethmoore on February 03, 2013:

well-written, I love the topic you choose. Thanks!

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Medieval Art and Architecture: Ancient Art Forms of the Middle Ages

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Ancient art and architecture isn't only for historians, but for people like us who've always been interested in anything olden and periodic. All through the medieval period, art largely consisted of the architectural design and construction of churches, monasteries, castles, and similar eclectic structures while homes and other types of buildings were given less attention.