GOTHIC ART•People began to leave the country and

flock to the cities which began to flourish during the Gothic period.

•The church became the most important influence in art and daily life.

•The term “Gothic” was at first used as a term of ridicule but Gothic art was

energetic and dynamic.•Unity became an important emphasis in

Gothic art. Architects began to focus equally on the inside and outside of

cathedrals.•Cathedrals usually took generations to

complete.

Gothic Architecture Gothic cathedrals are built to have a vertical

feel that points to heaven Added support by vaults and flying buttresses

allowed for more windows-usually stained glass Pointed arches instead of rounded ones in

Romanesque cathedrals, also give more of a vertical feel Gothic churches usually have 3-5 entrances Above the main door there is usually a large, round stained glass window known as the rose window

Chartres Cathedral Construction took four

centuries but was never completely finished

Many features changed over time. Notice the towers don’t match.

Chartes incorporated many new ideas such as flying buttresses

Flying Buttresses- a supportive structure consisting of a tower buttress and a flying arch which spans the side aisles

and supports the upper wall of the nave of the church

The extra support by the buttresses allowed

for huge windows of stained glass

The exterior of Chartes has over 2,000 carved sculptures around entrances and other locations.

Notre Dame Paris, France Construction began

in 1163 and lasted over 100 years but was never completely finished

The church actually sits on a small island in the middle of the Seine River.

The famous, flying buttresses were notoriginally part of the plan, however, as the

wallsgot taller, stress fractures began to occur

and extrasupport was needed

In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone devilish figure with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building.

The cathedral barely survived the French Revolution when many people destroyed some of the sculptures to attempt to turn the church into a secular building. The church and its sculptures were later

restored

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