Gothic Architecture

French Gothic: Notre Dame -Paris

English Gothic: Salisbury Cathedral

Italian Gothic: Milan Cathedral

Introduction
Time line AD 1100-1500
The final phase of Medieval Architecture is considered to be the Gothic Era.
This term was first applied in the 17th Century to denote architectural designs
that was not based on precedent forms from the Classical Period (Egyptian,
Greek and Roman Cultures).
Architecture was the main artistic style during the Gothic period.
The style originated in France.
Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was
prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and
Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas
The primary use of the Gothic style is in religious structures lead to an
association with the Church.
It is considered to be one of the most formal and coordinated forms of the
church.
It was also thought of as being the physical residence of God on Earth.
Gothic style of architecture came about during the 12th century in France and
also was prevalent till the 16th century.
It spread across Europe and was mainly used in building churches and
cathedrals
The meaning of Gothic – “Dark Age”
The barbarians from the north invaded and ruined ancient art and replaced it
with their own culture. The Goths took over Rome in 410.
Little damage was cause but became known as the first tribe of barbarians and
thus the name “Gothic.
Churches, Palaces, town halls, castles and other such magnificent structures
built in this architectural style were known as Gothic buildings.

A. Components of the Gothic Style

1) Pointed Arches and not circular ones as seen in Greek and Roman
Cultures.
2) Ribbed Vaults
3) Flying Buttresses
4) Rose and Stained-Glass windows
5) Piers for structural stability
6) Axiality
7) Symmetry
8) Structural based architecture, a purely structural style
9) Lightness versus darkness
10) Vertical perception of Space
11) Huge and scale
The Human body is not the basis for any architectural designs
opposed to Roman and Greek cultures.

This will leads to a new architectural and structural concept, known as

“Architecture of Silence”

1) Pointed arches with less exerted thrust, where steeper angles will
generate less thrust.
2) Ribbed vaults. The ribs were used as scaffoldings for erecting the
vaults in the site. They also decreased the weight of the vault,
thus ensuring more verticality of the cathedral.
3) Flying buttresses for load distribution were used to transfer
the loads from the arches to the piers.

B) Components of the Gothic Cathedral are

1) Main entrance
2) Aisles
3) Nave
4) An interior Chapel for prayers
5) Clear storey windows and the use of stained glass
1) Helped in reducing the overall building mass.
2) Enhanced the quality of each space
3) Light was used as a design medium
4) The concept of ‘God is light’ was introduced in the design.
The Gothic Architecture Classifications and
Styles
1) Early Gothic architecture-St Denis, Notre Dame Cathedral Paris.
2) High Gothic architecture -Charters Cathedral in France.
3) English Gothic architecture-Salisbury and Kings College
Cathedral
4) German Gothic architecture. Strasburg Cathedral
5) Italian Gothic architecture. Milan Cathedral
History
The Holy Roman Empire reduced to the area of Germany.
Only 3 great kingdoms were left- France, England and Castile in Spain.
Social and Economic aspects
The people were very prosperous during the time they were dependent on
agriculture.
Windmill and watermill increased the amount of food production.

Most of the Europeans were Catholics.

The Church under the Pope brought Christians together.
Entire Christianity united against Muslims.
The rulers, the church and the town people spent wealth on building more
castles, cathedrals and monasteries.
Towns competed with each other to produce the best architecture.

Christianity in Europe
Gothic Architecture-evolution
The evolution of Gothic architecture began mainly in France, where architects
were inspired by Romanesque architecture and the pointed arches of Spanish
Moorish architecture.
Gothic architecture was originally known as “French Style”. During the period
of Renaissance, it fell out of fashion and it was not respected by many artists.
They marked it as “Gothic” to suggest it was the crude work of German
barbarians (Goths).
Examples of Gothic Church architecture: Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
Characteristics
1.Structural -Skeletal stone structure
2. Visual - Visual arts were important including the role of light in structures
3.Symbolic
Scholasticism – Translations of real events into stone and glass Cathedrals
served as an image of heaven
Airy and bright
 Focus on verticality

Ornaments and pinnacles

Pointed Arch
* Gothic architecture is not merely about ornamentation.
* The Gothic style brought innovative new construction techniques that
allowed churches and other buildings to reach great heights.
* One important innovation was the use of pointed arches.
* Earlier Romanesque churches had pointed arches, but builders didn't
capitalize on the shape.
* During the Gothic era, builders discovered that pointed arches would give
structures amazing strength and stability
*Builders turned from the semi-circular arch to the pointed arch, looked lighter
and pointed upward.
*It exerts less thrust than semi-circular arch of the same span and solves
geometric difficulty inherent in ribbed vaults
*It is impossible to arrange all arches and ribs to a common level using
exclusively semi-circular ribs.
* With a pointed arch, ribs could easily be made level.
* They are also used to cover rectangular bays

Ribbed Vaulting
Early Romanesque churches relied on barrel vaulting.
• Gothic builders introduced the dramatic technique of ribbed vaulting.
• While barrel vaulting carried weight on continuous solid walls, ribbed vaulting
used columns to support the weight.
• The ribs also delineated the vaults and gave a sense of unity to the structure.
The Flying Buttress
In order to prevent the outward collapse of the arches, Gothic architects began
using a revolutionary "flying buttress" system.
Freestanding brick or stone supports were attached to the exterior walls by an
arch or a half-arch.

Flying Buttress were weighted by pinnacles

They were effected by powerful external arches swung above the side aisles and
the ambulatory.
The arches rise from colossal freestanding piers
(Tall thin columns –stretching up as if to heaven)
The weight is safely transferred to the ground
The towering piers could be erected without affecting the nave or choir
interior.

pinnacles

piers

Pointed
arch

Flying buttress
Stained Glass Window
Walls were no longer the primary support. (Piers and buttress carry the load of
the vault and roof)
Gothic buildings could include large areas of glass. Huge stained-glass windows
and a profusion of smaller windows created the effect of lightness and space.
The stained-glass window shown here is from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Cathedrals in the High Gothic style became increasingly elaborate.

Over several centuries, builders added towers, pinnacles, and hundreds of
sculptures.
In addition to religious figures, many Gothic cathedrals were heavily
ornamented with strange, leering creatures.
These sculptures are not merely for decorative purposes.
Since most people in Medieval days could not read, the carvings took on the
important role of illustrating lessons from the scriptures.
The cathedral served as a library for illiterate towns people –Bible stories were
told with stained -glass and sculptors.
Gothic Church Floor Plans consisted of a -traditional plan used by basilicas with
transepts.
Most Gothic churches are of the Latin cross (or "cruciform") plan with a long
nave making the body of the church(nave),a transverse arm called the transept
and an extension which may be called the choir, chancel.
There are several regional variations in the plans.
The nave is generally flanked on either side by aisles, usually singly, but
sometimes double.
The nave is generally considerably taller than the aisles, having clerestory
windows which light up the central space.
Rayonnant style- (High Gothic Period)- was a French building style (13th
century) that represents the height of Gothic architecture.
It is characterized by great height, harmony, subtle and refined tracery and
realistic sculpture, and by large stained glass windows, particularly rose
windows and larger windows on the upper levels, which filled the interiors with
light. It followed Early Gothic architecture and was succeeded by the
Rayonnant style.
During this period architects became less interested in achieving great size and
concentrated more on decoration,which took forms such as pinnacles,
moldings, and especially window tracery.
The style’s name reflects the radiating character of the rose window.
Other features include the thinning of vertical supporting members, the
enlargement of windows, and the combination of the triforium gallery and
clerestory into one large glazed area.
Walls became largely undifferentiated screens of tracery, mullions, and glass.
Amiens Cathedral (1220–70) is cited as its earliest manifestation.
Especially fine achievements include Notre-Dame de Paris

For the first time, builders stopped trying to be so innovative with new
engineering techniques and started focusing on adding ornamentation to
basically every flat surface they could find.
*Within a Rayonnant church, the repetition of motifs can be seen, such as
shapes or patterns repeated on different scales throughout the building.
*A lot of visual emphasis was given to the height of the building, with the
strong use of vertical lines drawing your eyes upwards.
* At the same time, this height is coupled with a visual weightlessness, as the
walls and ceilings seem to almost float despite their physical weight
*It's a cool aesthetic
*The secret to the Rayonnant style is in its most defining feature,that is , the
stained glass windows.
*This was the first time that architects really started reducing the amount of
stone in the walls to open lots of space for huge windows.
*These windows bring natural light into the interior, provide the visual linear
focus, and help the walls feel so visually weightless.
*The most important feature of these windows is the rose window, the massive
circular one set into the far end of the nave.
*In fact, this is where the Rayonnant style gets its name.
*Rayonnant is derived from the French word for ''radiating,'' describing how the
patterns of the rose window seem to radiate from its center, like decorative
spokes from a wheel.
*This effect is largely created through the use of window tracery, and the stone
elements that hold the glass in place.

Rayonnant style
Flamboyant
1. In most regions of Europe, late/high Gothic styles like Flamboyant
replaced the other early variations. Flamboyant (from French:
flamboyant, lit. 'flaming') is a form of late Gothic architecture that
developed in Europe in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance, from
around 1375 to the mid-16th century.
2. Buildings of the flamboyant style features very tall and narrow pointed
arches and gables, particularly double-curved ogee arche.
3. The Details of a Flamboyant Gothic church include flame tracery, highly
decorated flying buttresses and steep gable roof sections.
4. It is characterized by double curves forming flame-like shapes in the bar-
tracery, which give the style its name; by the multiplication of ornamental
ribs in the vaults; and by the use of the arch in accolade.

Ribs in Flamboyant tracery are recognizable by their flowing forms,

which are influenced by the earlier curvilinear tracery of the Second
Gothic (or Second Pointed) styles
.
.

Flamboyant Style
Rayonnant and the Flamboyant
The basic tenets of Gothic churches are the structural elements.
The same elements resulted in buildings that simply looked awesome.
This fact was not fact wasn't lost on medieval Europeans either, and eventually
builders stopped focusing so much on the technical elements of construction
and started spending more time on playing with the decorative elements.
The results were two important and undeniably fun variants of the Gothic style,
the Rayonnant and the Flamboyant.
Difference between Rayonnant and flamboyant style in Gothic
architecture?
Rayonnant style was based on linear focus , however, the Flamboyant style was
built around twisting lines and curvilinear tracery.
Pinnacles became steeper and more prominent, and even the ceilings and vaults
were set with lace-like geometric, flowering patterns of stonework in
flamboyant style.
Gargoyles
Gargoyles are fantastic and frightening and have become one of the most
distinctive features of Gothic architecture.
These were likely erected as a defense against demons, sinc the stone statues are
rooted in religion and steeped in superstition.
While these looming figures can be found on the façades of most Medieval
cathedrals, many of the protectors perched atop these buildings are not
gargoyles at all—they're grotesques.
Gargoyles are carved stone grotesques with spouts that convey water from a
roof. In other words, a gargoyle is a carved figure, usually containing the head
of a strange and ugly creature with a water sprout through the mouth. Gargoyles
are usually elongated animal heads since the length of the head decides how far
water is thrown from the wall. Moreover, the term gargoyle comes from French
gargouille, meaning “throat” or “gullet”.
Gargoyles are usually made from graphite and are found in old churches and
Gothic-style buildings. In the past, people used gargoyles for many purposes.
They were believed to provide protection from evil, harmful, or unwanted
spirits. In addition, grotesques also served as decorations. However, the main
purpose of gargoyles was to drain rainwater that may damage a building.
What are Grotesques ?
The word ‘grotesque’ comes from the Latin word grotto, which means a small
cave, or hollow. As an adjective, it means ugly, unpleasant, fantastic, or
disgusting. We often use this word to describe distorted shapes and forms. In
architecture, grotesques are stone carvings you can observe in old churches or
old-styled buildings.
Furthermore, grotesques are mythical or fantastical creatures and some of these
carvings include demon figures, dragons and hybrids of humans and animals.
Chimaera is another name for grotesques. Like gargoyles, they were used for
protection as well as for decorative purposes.
Some Famous Gargoyles and Grotesques
Gargoyles and grotesques of Notre Dame
Amies Cathedral
The main difference between gargoyles and grotesques is that gargoyles contain
a water sprout through the mouth, whereas grotesques do not.
Gargoyles help to drain rainwater and provide protection against evil spirits
whereas grotesques mainly serve as protective and decorative items.
Basically, grotesques are decorative stone carvings on old buildings, usually in
the form of heads of strange and ugly creatures, whereas gargoyles are spouts
in the form of grotesque human or animal figures projecting from a roof gutter
to throw rainwater clear of a building. Thus, the main difference between
gargoyles and grotesques is that gargoyles contain a water sprout through the
mouth, whereas grotesques do not.

1. Gargoyles 2. Grotesques
 Gothic Architecture in France-Cathedral of Notre-
Dame at Paris

Introduction
The Bishop of Paris began construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral in 1163
and was completed by 1345.
It is a very tall church, reaching upto 108 feet from the floor to the crown of the
vaults
The clerestories were enlarged to bring in additional light
The cathedral is located in Paris, Ile-de France, France.
The main features include medieval stained-glass windows and
Romanesque sculptures.
History of the cathedral-The Notre Dame de Paris
The Notre Dame de Paris stands on the site of Paris' first Christian church.
It was built on the site of a Roman temple to Jupiter.
The construction of the west front, with its distinctive two towers, began in
around 1200 before the nave had been completed.
Over the construction period, numerous architects worked on the site, as is
evidenced by the differing styles at different heights of the west front and
towers.
Between 1210 and 1220, the fourth architect oversaw the construction of the
level with the rose window and the great halls beneath the towers.
The towers were finished around 1245 and the cathedral was finally completed
around 1345.
Many sculptures were added during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV
At the end of the 17th century the cathedral underwent major alterations, during
which many tombs and stained glass windows were destroyed.
In 1793, the cathedrals and treasures were destroyed or plundered. The
cathedral also came to be used as a warehouse for the storage of food.

The Notre Dame de Paris-Plan

The Notre Dame de Paris -Architectural character

Double aisles
The ambulatories were designed on a bent axial line.
The vaults were 100ft (30m) hight. The earliest form of flying buttress was
introduced in the cathedral, ie, double span flying buttresses. Small clerestory
windows were provided along the upper walls of the cathedral.
Exterior
The fronts of Notre Dame de Paris are known for their sublime and balanced
appearances supplemented by sculptures of people and angels scattered all over.
The west front is an imposing, simple mass, whose grandeur is based on
interplay between vertical and horizontal lines representing Heaven and Earth.
Four powerful buttresses spring up to the top of the towers, lifting them
heavenwards, while two wide horizontal strips that is (1. Gallery of kings 2.
Galerie) seem to bring the building back down to mortal Earth, dividing the
squared base of the facade into four realms.
The rows of vertical elements, of which the horizontal strips consist (row of
portals, row of statues, row of pointed arches), are like rows of arrows that point
heavenwards.
The west front of the cathedral is one of its most notable features, with its two
69-meter-tall towers.
The dimensions of the facade, up to the top of the Galerie are of a square
measuring 141 ft
“141 is the psalm of “Lord, I have cried to you, hear me”
The three west portals of Notre Dame Cathedral are magnificent examples of
early Gothic art.

The Rose Window

The Rose Windows
Are the ultimate expression of the medieval geometry and the ultimate
representation of the squaring of the circle concept .
Typically, the West Rose Window depicts the Second Coming of Christ
The West Rose Window dates from about 1220.
It is 10 meters in diameter and exceptionally beautiful.
The main theme of the west rose is human life, featuring symbolic scenes such
as the Zodiacs.
 West Rose Window
South Rose Window

The south rose window was installed around 1260. The main two themes are the
New Testament and the Triumph of Christ.
The south rose window is 12.9 meters in diameter and contains 84 panes of
glass.
It radiates out from a central medallion of Christ and it consists of four
concentric circles.
Towers-
Two towers
The number two is known to be the number of Revelation.
Concepts
The main purpose of architectural design was to produce a building that would
unite with the eternal world of Heaven and thus be protected from disasters and
evil forces.
The spiritual design of medieval cathedrals was therefore governed by two
rules; both contribute to the concept of uniting the building with the heavenly
geometry
The first rule is Euclid's Ad Quadratum,
or square in circle, which was developed by the theologian of the era
into squaring the circle
Making an analogy, in which the square represents limited space of Earth, and
the circle, which has no beginning and no end and is the source-figure, from
which all other geometrical shapes emerge, represents the boundlessness of the
Heavens
Further applications of the Geometry of Nature include:
The Golden Section. The Golden Ratio, also called the “ ”.

Salisbury Cathedral
English Gothic Architecture
Historians sometimes refer to the styles as “three periods"
Early English- First Pointed (late 12th–late 13th centuries)
Decorated Gothic or Second Pointed (late 13th–late 14th centuries)
Perpendicular Gothic or Third Pointed (14th–17th centuries)
Early English Gothic
This period was particularly influenced by "The French style”.
It featured more strongly constructed walls with stone vaulted roofs, to resist
fire.
The weight of these vaults was carried downwards and outwards by arched ribs.
This feature, the early rib vault, was used at Durham Cathedral, (Romanesque).
It was the first time it was used this way in Europe.
Another important innovation introduced in this early period was the buttress, a
stone column outside the structure that reinforced the walls against the weight
pressing outward and downward from the vaults.
This evolved into the flying buttress, which carried the thrust from the wall of
the nave over the roof of the aisle.
The buttress was given further support by a heavy stone pinnacle.

Massive wall and buttress

Pinnacle
Early English is typified by lancet windows and tall narrow lights topped by a
pointed arch.
They were grouped together side by side under a single arch and decorated with
mullions in tracery patterns
Early English Gothic Tracery
Tracery is an architectural device by which windows are divided into sections of
various proportions by stone bars or ribs of moulding. Most commonly, it refers
to the stonework elements that support the glass in a window.
Lancet windows
A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top.
This architectural element is typical of Gothic church of the earliest period.
Lancet windows were combined with similarly pointed arches and the ribs of
the vaults overhead, giving a harmonious and unified style.
The entirety of Salisbury Cathedral (excluding the tower and spire) is in the
Early English Gothic style. Lancet windows are used throughout the church.

Lancet windows Lancet windows were combined similarly pointed arches

English Gothic-Decorated style Architecture
This style was characterized by the application of increasingly
elaborate geometrical decoration to the structural forms that had been
established during the preceding century.
This period saw detailed carving reach its peak, with elaborately
carved windows and capitals, often with floral patterns

Decorated style Architecture

Perpendicular style
It took place roughly parallel in time to the French style.
Rich visual effects were created through decoration and
was characterized by a predominance of vertical lines in stone
window tracery.
The enlargement of windows to great proportions, and conversion of
the interior stories into a single unified vertical expanse was a new
feature.
Fan vaults, springing from slender columns or pendants, became
popular during this period.
Perpendicular style-1. Wells Cathedral England 2. The chancel of Gloucester Cathedral

Gargoyles (French)
A gargoyle is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey
water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it
from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between
7.The emphasis upon the decorative style

Gargoyles
 Salisbury Cathedral

1.Front façade 2. Great central tower and spire

Main Characteristics
1. Plainness
2. Sequence of clearly defined volume
 PLAN

Architectural Characteristics
It is entirely made up of rectangles and its fame lies in its harmonious
proportions.
From the exterior, where the massing of the various horizontal parts in contrast
to the vertical of the spire , make it one of the most famous architectural
compositions of the Medieval period.
“It symbolizes the peaceful loveliness of the English countryside…, the
eternal truths of the Christian faith expressed in stone”
A large extensive transept divides the building in the middle.
The layout forms the shape of the cross.
Upon its four piers, the crossing may support a spire.
On the exterior, it is marked by a 160-foot (48.8m) spire.
There are wo Transepts in Salisbury cathedral.

The Trinity Chapel (Lady Chapel)

Axis
The axis is oriented along east/west with external emphasis upon the west front
which is the main entrance.
The internal emphasis is given on the eastern end so that the congregation faces
the direction of the coming of Christ.
The architectural features of the east end focuses on enhancing interior
illumination by the sun

Chapter House of Salisbury Cathedral

Notable for its octagonal shape, central pillar and decorate medieval frieze
It is a beautiful example of the Geometrical Decorated Style
It has rib vaults fanning out from a slender central pillar
The nave
It is striking for its great height and unusual narrowness.
It creates a visual rhythm due to the use of light grey stone for the walls and
dark polished marbles for columns.

Elevation and Section

Vault
The quadripartite ribbed vaulting has stiff-leaf bosses.
At the west end is the great window with three stepped lancets.
On each side are detached shafts of Purbeck marble with moulded
capitals and two annulets on each shaft
At the tribune level are four arches each containing a sunken
quatrefoil in a circle between two paired trefoiled arches.
The shaft and capitals are mostly dark polished Purbeck marble.

The spire
Built in 1320, at 404 feet (123 m), it has been the tallest church spire
in the United Kingdom since 1561.
The spire is the most readily identified feature of the cathedral and is
visible for miles.
The spire added over 6,000 tons of weight to the supporting structure.
Because the building had not been engineered to carry the extra
weight, additional buttressing was required internally and externally.
The transepts now sport masonry girders, or strainer arches, to
support the weight.
Not surprisingly, the spire has never been straight and now tilts to the
southeast by about 27 inches.

Cloister walk, East side

Cloister

Sculptural detail
Door way
Semi-circular and pointed arches are both met with, and are other
both employed in the same part of the building.
The large doorway is subsided into two and approached by porches.
The doorway is covered with a lintel, the whole being under an
archway, this left a space above the head of the door which is
occupied by carving that is often of great beauty.
 Detail from west front

The windows
Are long, narrow and with a pointed head resembling the blade of a
lancet.
The glass is generally near the outside face of the wall, and the sides
of the openings are splayed towards the inside.
It is very customary to place these lancet windows in groups.
A common arrangement to designing such a group was to make the
central light the highest, and to graduate the height of the others.
Structural Framing
Structural Framing was done by providing flying buttresses at the
outer walls of the aisles,

Columns or piers stretch upwards

in all the way to the ceiling or vault.
*These serveries were of arched form, but often had winding surfaces
and were constructed so that their pressure was directed toward the
piers and not the wall rib
*The geometry of the Gothic system was a rough use of mathematical
truths in which beauty was sought for, and not a strict regard for the
exactitude of scientific demonstration.
*The curvature of the ribs was obtained from arcs struck from one or
more centres, and designed without reference to the curvature of
adjoining ones, as is seen in the setting out of Gothic vaulting
compartment.
 Italian Gothic Architecture

Introduction –Gothic Architecture

Gothic architecture is a European style of architecture that values height and
exhibits an intricate and delicate aesthetic.
Though its roots are French, the Gothic approach can be found in churches,
cathedrals, and other similar buildings in Europe and beyond.
Gothic architecture abandoned one key feature of Romanesque architecture,
namely thick walls.
To construct taller, more delicate buildings with thinner walls, Gothic architects
employed flying buttresses for support.
These stone structures allowed architects to create sky-high cathedrals and
churches that evoked ethereality and reached toward the heavens.
The Gothic style evolved from Romanesque architecture, a medieval aesthetic
characterized by arches, vaulted ceilings, and small stained-glass windows.
Five key architectural elements of Gothic Architecture are:
Large stained-glass windows,
Pointed arches,
Rib vaults,
Flying buttresses,
Ornate decoration.
Gothic architecture -Italy
Appeared in Italy in the 12th century, at the same time as it appeared in
Northern Europe.
Unlike in other regions of Europe, it did not replace Romanesque architecture.
Each city developed its own particular variations of the style.
Italian architects preferred to keep the traditional construction methods
established in the previous centuries.
Architectural solutions and technical innovations of French Gothic were seldom
used.
Soaring height was less important than in Northern Europe.
Brick rather than stone was the most common building material, and marble
was widely used for decoration.
In the 15th century, when the Gothic style dominated northern Europe and Italy,
the north of the Italian Peninsula became the birthplace of Renaissance
architecture
The typical plan is usually regular and symmetrical.
With the exception of Milan Cathedral which is Germanic in style, Italian
cathedrals have few and widely spaced columns.
The proportions are generally mathematically simple, based on the square,
and except in Venice where they loved flamboyant arches the arches are almost
always equilateral.
Colours and mouldings define the architectural units rather than blending them.
Italian cathedral façades are often polychrome and may include mosaics in the
lunettes over the doors.
The Gothic roofline is famous for its dense grid of pinnacles and
spires(Flamboyant) supported by flying buttresses
The cathedral contains over 90 Gargoyles.

Flamboyant Gothic window -Milan Cathedral

Gargoyles
Italian Gothic cathedrals use lots of colours on both outside and inside.
On the outside, the facade is often decorated with marble.
On the inside, the walls are often painted plaster.
The columns and arches are often decorated with bright coloured paint.
There are also mosaics with gold backgrounds and beautifully tiled floors with
geometric patterns.
The facades often have an open porch with a wheel window above it.
There is often a dome at the centre of the building.
The bell tower is hardly ever attached to the building, because Italy has quite a
few earthquakes.
• The windows are not as large as in northern Europe and, although stained
glass windows are often found, the favorite way of decorating the churches is
with fresco (wall painting).
The façades have projecting open porches and ocular or wheel windows rather
than roses, and do not usually have a tower.
The crossing is usually surmounted by a dome.
There is often a free-standing tower and baptistry.
• The eastern end usually has an apse of comparatively low projection.
The windows are not as large as in northern Europe and, although stained glass
windows are often found,
• arches are often made of alternating black and white segments,
and where the columns may be painted red, the walls decorated with frescoes
and the apse with mosaic
 Milan Cathedral

Milan city and the Cathedral

The relationship between the city of Milan and the Cathedral throughout the
years has brought about compelling patterns in urban planning.
Milan has largely developed around the Cathedral in the past
Milan Cathedral
It is the second Largest Cathedral in the world.
It actually had 2 basilicas in the site.
Fire damaged both the basilicas in 1075.
The present construction was started in 1386 and completed only in 1965.
(Nearly 600 years)
It was one of the most ambitious Italian Gothic cathedrals.
Many of the structural features were adopted from French Gothic, including
the flying buttress and the arched rib vault.
The planning and early work involved an extraordinary number of prominent
master masons from across Europe, which gave rise to a number of contrasting
styles. The quality of workmanship also varied.
Gothic Characteristics of Milan Cathedral
Pointed arches
Round arches on sides
Round arches in unequal heights
Brick with marble
Flying buttress
Vaults
Stained glass windows
Ornamentations and statues
Flamboyant style
Gargoyles
Milan Cathedral
Plan of a high central nave, descending in steps downward over the
aisles. At the same time, it followed the Italian preference for great
interior space.
One of its most remarkable features is its gigantic columns
It has ornated capitals and columns contain statues.
Pale pink marble that faces the interior and exterior.
Pinnacles - decorated the upper portions.
The exterior is covered with decorative tracery.
The length measures 157 metres and width is 92 metres.
The width of the nave is 16.75 metres and has maximum height of 45
metres.
The outer dome height measures 65.5 metres. Spire height is 106.5
metres .
The materials used were brick rick with Candoglia marble.
The plan
The plan consists of a nave with four side aisles, crossed by a transept
and then followed by choir and apse. The transepts also have aisles.

The cathedral’s nave and 4 aisles are divided by 40 pillars.

The nave columns are 24.5 metres high, and the apsidal windows are
20.7 x 8.5 meters in size.
The huge building is with brick construction and faced with marble.
The height of the nave is about 45 meters, the highest Gothic vaults of
a complete church.
The roof carries spectacular sculpture that can be enjoyed only from
top.
The roof of the cathedral is renowned for the forest of openwork
pinnacles and spires, set upon delicate flying buttresses.
The famous "Madonna" in the main spire of the cathedral is a baroque
gilded bronze artwork.
Façade of the Milan cathedral is a mixture of Baroque and Neogothic
style of architecture.
Elaborate carvings on the door

Outstanding sculptures in the roof. The forest of pinnacles and spire

are placed in the roof. The highest point of the temple is the La
Madonna
Milan Cathedral Flying Buttress

Structure
Analytic analyses have determined the flow of forces within the
structure, concluding that lateral thrust is not absorbed by flying
buttresses, but rather vaults and ties.
Sculptures and pinnacle were not designed with the intention of
serving a structural purpose, but their dead weight contributes to the
stability of the structure.
In order to understand this relationship, a typical cross section of the
Milan Cathedral was modelled with and without decoration and ties.
Pinnacles and flying buttresses reduced deformation, decreased
tension, and redirected horizontal forces vertically.
Thus, by contributing dead load to the structure, the decorations do in
fact serve a structural purpose.
There are 135 stone pinnacles framing the views, and you can roam
the full length of the rooftop, with corridors, wide open spaces, and
panoramic views of Milan's rooftops all around.
40000 people can stand comfortable inside the church.
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