5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (2024)

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By Samantha Pires on March 19, 2021

5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (1)

From left to right: Notre Dame, Notre Dame Interior, Milan Cathedral, Milan Cathedral Interior, Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral Interior, Santa Maria del Fiore, Cologne Cathedral

Though Gothic architecture may now be associated with dark and solemn cathedrals made of black stone, this style has always focused on creating beautiful and light spaces that defied gravity to worship God. Many designers of Gothic structures believed that light was a divine force that could connect worshippers to their creator. Gothic interiors were designed to incorporate light and to test structural ideas to create taller and more advanced buildings.

These cathedrals and churches embodied the intense Christian beliefs of the medieval period in Europe. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an English poet and philosopher who helped found the Romantic Movement in England, perhaps summed the approach up best: “the principle of Gothic architecture is infinity made imaginable.”

The style was popular across Europe from the late 12th century to the 16th century. Though it originated in France, many areas in Europe created their own versions of the style often influenced by ideas of the Romanesque style which preceded it and the Renaissance style that came later.

In this article, we break down some of the best examples of Gothic architecture and the characteristics that define the style.

Characteristics of Gothic Architecture

The characteristics of Gothic architecture are often defined by revolutionary means of carrying structural loads. New innovations in masonry quickly spread as architects and craftsmen learned new tools and techniques. Before we dive into some great examples of Gothic architecture, let’s gain a better understanding of the common structural methods and general design aesthetic found in the style.

Flying Buttresses

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Photo: Stock Photos from Dmitri V Tonkopi/Shutterstock

A buttress is a masonry arch that helps to support a wall and is usually built against an opposing wall. A flying buttress does not have to adhere to an opposing wall but is instead used outside of the building and provides lateral, or horizontal, support to the wall it attaches to. Flying buttresses are part of the reason that gothic architecture includes such grand spaces and wide spans with thinner walls.

Pointed Arch

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Photo: Stock Photos from M-SUR/Shutterstock

Pointed arches, often called ogival arches, meet at a pointed crown instead of a continuous curve. This important icon of Gothic architecture later led to the rib vault.

Vaulted Ceiling

5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (4)

Photo: Stock Photos from Jane Rix/Shutterstock

The rib vault allowed for a wide space to be covered while preserving the highest possible interior space. It also allowed for cathedrals to use taller windows and thinner general walls.

Spires and Bell Towers

5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (5)

Photo: Stock Photos from marcociannarel/Shutterstock

Gothic spires are another recognizable characteristic of Gothic architecture. Spires were used for the same reason that verticality was so important: these buildings wanted to convey impressive heights as a feat of engineering. They also often held functions like a bell tower, which announced when mass or other services were beginning.

Tracery and Stained-Glass Windows

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Photo: Stock Photos from wjarek/Shutterstock

In medieval Europe—when pilgrimage was an important part of Christianity—stained-glass windows acted as a visual Bible for those visitors who could not read. Tracery is the ornamental stonework or molding that breaks up areas of glass in Gothic windows.

Examples of Gothic Architecture

Notre Dame

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Notre Dame in Paris, France (Photo: Stock Photos from anastas_styles/Shutterstock)

Notre Dame Cathedral is located on the Île de la Cité in Paris, France, and is one of the greatest examples of the French Gothic style. It is also one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals and has thus seen many historic events like the beatification of Joan of Arc and the coronation of Napoleón Bonaparte.

It pioneered some famous elements of Gothic architecture, including the ribbed vault and flying buttress that now define the style. While some of the buildings on the list were constructed during a transition from Gothic to Renaissance styles, this building was designed on the rise of Gothic architecture so instead includes some influences from the earlier Romanesque period.

Notre Dame is also well-known in part because of Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. One of the main attractors for visitors is now the belltower where the main character lived which can be reached by traveling the 387 steps through an extremely tight staircase.

The cathedral is also the most visited monument in Paris with an estimated 12 million people visiting it every year. Unfortunately, tourism to the structure is indefinitely halted following a devastating fire in April 2019. Reconstruction is slated for 2021 in the hopes of reopening Notre Dame by 2024 for the Paris Summer Olympics.

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Notre Dame in Paris, France (Photo: Stock Photos from TTstudio/Shutterstock)

5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (9)

Notre Dame in Paris, France (Photo: Stock Photos from DiegoMariottini/Shutterstock)

Milan Cathedral

5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (10)

Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy (Photo: Stock Photos from Beautiful landscape/Shutterstock)

The Milan Cathedral is dedicated to the nativity of St. Mary and is the fourth largest church in the world. It is described—sometimes lovingly and sometimes with disdain—as a mixture of many architectural styles. This can be expected as construction spanned from 1386 until 1965. The main shift in architectural style occurred when tastes began altering from the traditional Gothic to more contemporary Renaissance ideas. However, Renaissance ideas were not always smoothly adopted and Gothic and neo-Gothic details would continually be reintroduced.

Italian architect and engineer Simone de Orsenigo wanted the new church to be constructed in Lombard Gothic style which often used bricks. However, French architect Nicolas de Bonaventure redesigned the structure in the French Rayonnant Gothic style because he believed it was a more contemporary rendition.

Over the course of many years, construction would halt and start up again. Many redesigns of varying styles were proposed from Italian Renaissance to Baroque, and back to Gothic. Some of these influences, like the Baroque façade, were even reverted back to the Gothic style.

Despite many details converting back to the intention of the original Gothic, many are unconvinced of the cathedral’s validity or beauty. Oscar Wilde once wrote of it, “The Cathedral is an awful failure. Outside the design is monstrous and inartistic. The over-elaborated details stuck high up where no one can see them; everything is vile in it; it is, however, imposing and gigantic as a failure, through its great size and elaborate execution.”

While there will always be those who dislike it, it is difficult not to appreciate the sheer size and history of the cathedral. It is a perfect example of the light and dimension of Gothic architecture. The cathedral has the highest Gothic nave in a completed building in the world and inspires awe in almost all who visit it.

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Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy (Photo: Stock Photos from Renata Sedmakova/Shutterstock)

Canterbury Cathedral

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Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England (Photo: Stock Photos from Pawel Kowalczyk/Shutterstock)

The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury, or Canterbury Cathedral, is a 12th-century Gothic church that has existed throughout many denominations of Christianity. It is included on this list because it was one of the most important stops for Christian pilgrims in medieval England. Since Gothic architecture symbolized the intensity of Christianity in this medieval period, it is a perfect example of what these structures meant for culture and religion.

When the Canterbury Cathedral was rebuilt after a fire in 1174, it was designed in the contemporary medieval style, making it the first Gothic building in England. The stained glass, which is an important feature of Gothic architecture, also played an important part as the building catered to visiting pilgrims. For those visitors who could not read, they could still learn the lessons of the Bible by following the stories represented on the pictures of the incredibly tall stained-glass windows.

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Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England (Photo: Stock Photos from Philip Bird LRPS CPAGB/Shutterstock)

Santa Maria del Fiore

5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (14)

Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy (Photo: Stock Photos from Andy Gin/Shutterstock)

Florence Cathedral, or Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, is a cathedral that spans a few architectural styles including Renaissance, Gothic, and Gothic Revival. The cathedral is, in part, famous for “Brunelleschi’s dome”—a structural marvel designed by Filippo Brunelleschi that long stumped historians.

Though some might consider this building to be a Renaissance work, it deserves a spot on this list because there is a clear shift from style—much like the Milan Cathedral described earlier. Arnolfo de Cambio provided the general design for the cathedral which was done in the contemporary Gothic style. It includes a wide central nave with an aisle on each side separated by the classic Gothic pointed arches.

Many architects and craftsmen would work on the structure after, all following Gothic principles until Filippo Brunelleschi won the commission for a dome. This victory marked an important win for Brunelleschi in his life-long feud with rival goldsmith Lorenzo Ghiberti. It is believed that the decision not to use Gothic characteristics like flying buttresses was a serious indicator of the Italian Renaissance. Instead, Brunelleschi’s dome was more similar to the Pantheon and other Mediterranean domes.

Italian architect Emilio De Fabris designed the façade of Florence Cathedral in the Gothic Revival style in the 19th century. His design finalized the project with the same Gothic influences with which it was conceived.

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Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy (Photo: Stock Photos from Felix Lipov/Shutterstock)

Cologne Cathedral

5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (16)

Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (Photo: Stock Photos from freedom100m/Shutterstock)

The construction of Cologne Cathedral took over seven centuries, from 1248 to 1880, which makes sense considering the church is the largest Gothic building in all of northern Europe. It includes five aisles and boasts one of the highest Gothic vaults in the world. It is perhaps most recognizable by the towering twin structures that reach over 500 feet tall. The towers even won Cologne Cathedral the title of the tallest building in the world until the Washington Monument was completed in 1884.

One of the most fascinating points about Cologne Cathedral—and a few other buildings on this list—is that it was completed in the Gothic style despite being constructed through many different time periods and different design aesthetics. Construction was halted and renewed again many times so that pieces are Gothic and others Gothic revival, but it can still be clearly understood as an example of this architectural style.

5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (17)

Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (Photo: Stock Photos from travelview/Shutterstock)

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5 Awe-Inspiring Gothic Cathedrals That Celebrate the Flamboyant Architectural Style (2024)

FAQs

What is the flamboyant style of Gothic architecture? ›

Flamboyant style, phase of late Gothic architecture in 15th-century France and Spain. It evolved out of the Rayonnant style's increasing emphasis on decoration. Its most conspicuous feature is the dominance in stone window tracery of a flamelike S-shaped curve.

What two cathedrals are examples of Gothic architecture? ›

Notre Dame Cathedral was begun in 1163 and consecrated in 1177. The later part of the 12th century and beginning of the 13th century saw a more refined style, High Gothic, characterised by Chartres Cathedral, Reims Cathedral, and Amiens Cathedral.

What is the most famous example of Gothic architecture? ›

Notre Dame, Paris

One of the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages, the Notre Dame of Paris, France is distinguished for its size, antiquity, and architectural interest. It was consecrated to the Virgin Mary, with its name meaning Our Lady of Paris.

What is the meaning of flamboyant style? ›

(flæmbɔɪənt ) adjective. If you say that someone or something is flamboyant, you mean that they are very noticeable, stylish, and exciting.

What characterizes the style flamboyant? ›

Flamboyant 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.

What makes a cathedral Gothic? ›

It is characterized by vertical proportions, pointed arches, external buttressing, and asymmetry. At great gothic cathedrals like Chartres in France and Salisbury in England, pointed arches allowed for heavy stone ceiling vaults despite the fact that the walls were pierced for huge stained-glass windows.

What are Gothic cathedrals primarily known for? ›

The defining design element of Gothic architecture is the pointed arch. The use of the pointed arch in turn led to the development of the pointed rib vault and flying buttresses, combined with elaborate tracery and stained glass windows.

What is an example of a Gothic cathedral? ›

Notre Dame de Paris, an Icon of Gothic Architecture

Notre Dame de Paris, or simply Notre Dame, is widely thought of as the finest example of French Gothic Architecture. It is, nonetheless, one of the largest and best-known churches in France, let alone Europe. Construction began in 1163 and was completed in 1345.

Which church is a prime example of the flamboyant style of the High Gothic period? ›

There were few churches built completely in the Flamboyant style, attractive exceptions being Notre-Dame d'Épine near Châlons-sur-Marne and Saint-Maclou in Rouen. Other important examples of the style are the Tour de Beurre of Rouen Cathedral and the north spire of Chartres.

Where is the most Gothic architecture? ›

While the signature Gothic style originated in France, the architectural movement spread across Europe, especially in Italy, Spain, Germany and Britain. Some of the best Gothic architecture examples can be seen in France, one of the earliest being the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris completed in 1144 CE.

What is the Gothic style of architecture? ›

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.

What was the first example of the new Gothic style of architecture? ›

Survival and revival. Gothic architecture began at the Basilica of Saint Denis near Paris, and the Cathedral of Sens in 1140 and ended with a last flourish in the early 16th century with buildings like Henry VII's Chapel at Westminster.

Which church is an example of Gothic architecture? ›

Notre Dame is a very popular Gothic cathedral in Paris. Duomo di Milano, located in Milan, is another example of a Gothic cathedral. England also employed this style, which can be seen in the Westminster Abbey. Other types of structures, such as forts, manors, and palaces, were also built in this style.

What building was inspired by Gothic architecture? ›

Palace of Westminster – London, England, UK

Construction began on the building in 1840 and was completed in 1876. The design borrows many elements from the traditional English Gothic Style, including pointed arches, spires, pinnacles, and Gothic tracery.

What are the three types of Gothic architecture? ›

Gothic Architecture 12th – 15th Centuries
  • The Gothic style is divided into 3 phases:
  • Early Gothic (1150-1200) Example: Chartres Cathedral.
  • High Gothic (1200-1300) Example: Reims Cathedral.
  • Late Gothic (1300-1550) Example: Rouen Cathedral.

What is the difference between Rayonnant and Flamboyant style? ›

The Rayonnant style approached the ornamentation of churches with a more linear focus, while the Flamboyant style's curvilinear approach became one of its defining characteristics. Rayonnant, French for "radiant," was characterized by the window tracery of a rose that illuminates the church hall with the rays of light.

What is the style of High Gothic architecture? ›

High Gothic was a period of Gothic architecture in the 13th century, from about 1200 to 1280, which saw the construction of a series of refined and richly-decorated cathedrals of exceptional height and size. It appeared most prominently in France, largely thanks to support given by King Louis IX(1226-1270).

What is the Gothic architecture style characterized by? ›

It is characterized by vertical proportions, pointed arches, external buttressing, and asymmetry. At great gothic cathedrals like Chartres in France and Salisbury in England, pointed arches allowed for heavy stone ceiling vaults despite the fact that the walls were pierced for huge stained-glass windows.

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