Cathedral of Notre-Dame
Quick Summary
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Strasbourg, France, is a significant example of Gothic architecture, with its construction spanning from the 11th to the 15th centuries. Built from red Vosges sandstone, it showcases a blend of architectural styles despite its varied construction periods. A notable feature is its asymmetrical facade, dating mainly from the 13th century, adorned with intricate sculpted portals. The cathedral possesses a single, tall tower topped by a graceful 15th-century spire, reaching 455 feet (139 meters).1
Gothic architecture, characterized by features like the ribbed vault, pointed arch, and flying buttress, allowed for taller and broader structures with larger windows. The Strasbourg Cathedral's design, particularly its west front, exemplifies the Rayonnant style, which emerged in the 13th century and focused on intricate tracery and extensive glazing. This style, originating in France, influenced architecture across Europe, with Strasbourg's cathedral showcasing complex tracery patterns, even extending to its spires.23
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- StrasbourgThe contemporary city
Strasbourg’s 11th–15th-century Cathedral of Notre-Dame, damaged in 1870 and again in World War II, has been carefully restored. Built of red Vosges sandstone, it is a harmonious edifice despite the variety of its architectural styles. It has an asymmetrical facade (mainly 13th century) with fine sculptured portals…
Read MoreStrasbourg’s 11th–15th-century Cathedral of Notre-Dame, damaged in 1870 and again in World War II, has been carefully restored. Built of red Vosges sandstone, it is a harmonious edifice despite the variety of its architectural styles. It has an asymmetrical facade (mainly 13th century) with fine sculptured portals…
Read More 
Western architectureHigh Gothic…is the west front of Strasbourg Cathedral (planned originally in 1277 but subsequently altered and modified). One feature of Strasbourg and of German Rayonnant architecture in general was the application of tracery to spires—at Freiburg im Breisgau (spire begun c. 1330), for example, and the spire of Strasbourg that was…
Read More…is the west front of Strasbourg Cathedral (planned originally in 1277 but subsequently altered and modified). One feature of Strasbourg and of German Rayonnant architecture in general was the application of tracery to spires—at Freiburg im Breisgau (spire begun c. 1330), for example, and the spire of Strasbourg that was…
Read More- Western architectureGermany and central Europe
…the humanist Jakob Wimpheling extolled Strasbourg cathedral as the rarest and most excellent of buildings, and Oseas Schadaeus’s guide to the cathedral, Summum Argentoratensium Templum (1617; “Strasbourg’s Finest Church”) was the first illustrated guidebook ever devoted to a single medieval building and, in spite of its Latin title, was written…
Read More…the humanist Jakob Wimpheling extolled Strasbourg cathedral as the rarest and most excellent of buildings, and Oseas Schadaeus’s guide to the cathedral, Summum Argentoratensium Templum (1617; “Strasbourg’s Finest Church”) was the first illustrated guidebook ever devoted to a single medieval building and, in spite of its Latin title, was written…
Read More
