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Gothic architecture
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Chartres Cathedral Reims Cathedral Photo illustration of Chartres Cathedral in France highlighting features of Gothic architecture, including pointed arches, rib vaults, flying buttresses, ornate decorations, and stained glass windows. Insets show close-ups of architectural details with explanatory labels. Amiens Cathedral apse cathedral of Siena, Italy The north rose window in Chartres Cathedral, Chartres, France. Chartres Cathedral with its two distinct spires and large rose window rises above nearby rooftops, illuminated by warm sunlight against a partly cloudy sky. Requena: Gothic portal of the church of Santa María The interior of Gloucester Cathedral cloisters, England, begun 1337.
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Hagia Sophia. Istanbul, Turkey. Constantinople. Church of the Holy Wisdom. Church of the Divine Wisdom. Mosque.
Architecture: The Built World
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Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral Exterior view of Chartres Cathedral, France.

Gothic architecture

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•History

Gothic architecture, architectural style in Europe that lasted from the mid-12th century to the 16th century, particularly a style of masonry building characterized by cavernous spaces with the expanse of walls broken up by overlaid tracery. In the 12th–13th century, feats of engineering permitted increasingly gigantic buildings. The rib vault, flying buttress, and pointed (Gothic) arch were used as solutions to the problem of building a very tall structure while preserving as much natural light...

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