Table of Contents
Time background
Gothic architecture developed from the previous Romanesque Architecture, a style of Medieval Europe which is characterized by semi-circular arches, thick walls, sturdy pillars, large towers and decorative arcading. It combines features of ancient Roman and Byzantine buildings. Before humanism, the design of the buildings during this period was not studied thoroughly since labor did not apply critical thinking to design and build, they used basic knowledge and understanding when designing the structure of the buildings. Gothic architecture first started in France during the 12th century and eventually developed through the whole of Europe, the most influenced areas are the south and middle of Europe. During the 12th century, Europe was divided in multiple city states and kingdoms, and many towns were in competition with each other, which is why their high enthusiasm of building religious buildings was their purpose of competition.
These significant buildings were important to them as they represented the wealth and the pride, they have had for their land. However, religious architecture such as cathedrals, abbeys and churches also became their civil life, like halls and even markets or theaters. Furthermore, Gothic style of architecture was also found in castles, municipal halls and even universities were in gothic style, not only churches.
Characteristics
This elegant style of architecture expresses its features in many famous buildings. Some defining characteristics are the spires and pinnacles, which give the impression of battlements as they represent the symbolism of religious fortress protecting the faith. This feature created height while still creating a feeling of light through its thin and elongated structure.
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Another feature are the gargoyles which are sculptural waterspouts used to prevent the rainwater from running down the walls of the cathedral, supposedly aimed to reduce water damage. Even though Gothic architecture was not the peak of humanism, they still applied logic to the design of the buildings, such as this feature that aimed to reduce water damage for the building.
One of the most typical gothic architecture masterpieces is Amiens cathedral, also known as Notre-Dame d’Amiens, a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Amiens, in the Somme River valley north of Paris. It is known as the tallest cathedral in France, 113 meters high and a floor area of 7,700 square meters, as well as having the greatest interior volume of 200,000 meters cubed. Gothic art is not only seen in architecture, many art pieces such as paintings, sculptures and crafts expressed the gothic style, many of which are found inside the cathedral. Amiens Cathedral is significant due to its wonderful display of sculptures of saints and large eschatological scenes as well as its three-tier interior elevation with its stained-glass allowing luminosity into the structure.
Materials
The materials used vary. French gothic churches are mainly made of limestone as the material, while in other countries such as Italy, England and Germany, marble, brick stone and sandstone where also used, which are more heavy materials. During that time period, the materials used to build were still basic, as they did not yet have the more advanced type.
However, Amiens cathedral mainly used limestone, just as the other French churches. The differences between Romanesque style and gothic style is how it evolved from heavy and thick walls, semicircular arches to more narrow and long windows, forceful spires and pointed arches, making the whole structure appear lighter. In 1218, a fire demolished the Romanesque cathedral of Amiens, and a gothic structure replaced it in 1220, with the western façade rather than a choir which was more common in the Middle Ages.
Amiens cathedral has a 42.30 meters high nave, the interior of the cathedral is formed of large, tall arches that meet at the top, 126 pillars which rise from the ground to then meet at the top, forming, thin and long arches. The purpose of verticality in gothic architecture represents the dream of heaven, because the high walls leads the viewer to looking upwards, towards the sky, therefore these tall arches and spires symbolized this belief in an elegant and unique way.
The stained-glass windows of the color rose contrast with the dark walls of the cathedral, which can create a sense of mystery and darkness which bursts into light through the contrasting bright colored windows that let in the natural light of the sun. During the sunny days especially in the summer, Amiens cathedral is lit up with colorful lights, designed to show the colors of the statues painted during the Middle Ages. Rose windows are quite common in gothic churches, in Amiens cathedral, they are found in the entrance and transept.
To support the structure of the vertical walls, Gothic cathedrals have the key element called flying buttress, where a structure is built against another to support the weight of a roof or dome. Another important feature found in gothic architecture is the ribbed vault, which connects three separate arches, this structure was a key feature in medieval construction due to its simple construction, however, its strong and resistant. Many unique features are found on the Amiens cathedral, what attracts the eye most is the central portal, the doors with the statue of the Beau Dieu (Christ). Statues of the apostles are present on each side of the doors. While above the portals, there is a row of 22 over-sized kings. All these details present in the cathedral is what makes this artwork so unique and internationally recognized.
Renaissance architecture
Time background
From Gothic architecture, Renaissance architecture differs in its characteristics. It started in Florence during the 15th century and slowly spread across Europe such as in Russia, France, Germany. It developed some elements which derived from the Ancient Greek and Romans. Renaissance architecture came after Gothic architecture and was followed by baroque architecture. The innovator was Filippo Brunelleschi, and after his style spread, it developed through different cities in Italy. The key features that distinguish this type of architecture to any other is the symmetry, proportion and geometry used. The arrangements of the pillars, columns and lintels was more orderly, other features including domes, semicircular arches, hemisphere domes were the replacement for the more proportional systems seen in medieval buildings.
The word ‘renaissance’ refers ‘la rinascita’ in Italian, which means ‘rebirth’. Historians have divided Renaissance in Italy into three sections; Renaissance also known as Quattrocento, High Renaissance and Mannerism. The early Renaissance period maybe did not affect the architectual style, it was mainly the development of painting and sculptures, this being during the 1400’s. Quattrocento is when we see new architectural concepts and rulers begin. A key element that was more considered and studied during this period was space. It was organized by proportional logic and geometry, unlike back in the medieval buildings where it was made simply by intuition.
While during the high Renaissance more concepts came into use from classical antiquity. Again, the idea of spatial architectural forms was expanded and further developed. Due to the change of rulers in the renaissance period, their taste also changed, therefore a lot of buildings such as theaters, palaces and town halls developed in renaissance style, and not only religious churches.
Characteristics
In contrast to Gothic architecture that focuses on verticality, renaissance architects had more focus on the systematic approach by looking at symmetry, proportions and geometry of the buildings. Some key characteristics of Renaissance architecture include the Façades, which are organized with a system of arches, pilasters and columns, used as an integrated system. There were different types of column orders which are Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite which distinguish by proportion, details and type of column used.
The main city to be considered as the birth of Renaissance architecture is Florence, this may also be due to the fact that Italy never fully embraced the Gothic style of architecture, Renaissance architecture was their most significant style because that is where many architects started to incorporate their intelligence in the design of the buildings. Furthermore, arches were often used in arcades supported by columns or piers. It is also noticeable that renaissance buildings had Domes, they were used frequently.
The first cathedral to represent this feature is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Peters Basilica cathedral) in the Vatican City, Italy. It is said to be one of the most outstanding religious buildings from the renaissance period. It is considered as one of the holiest Christian churches with the largest interior of any Christian church in the world. It is also described as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom” by Fletcher (FLETCHER .B, 1996, p. 719). This cathedral is 452 feet high and covers an area of 2.3 hectares. Its façades are arranged by a system of pilasters and arches while the columns and windows join at the center.
Materials
To highlight the solemnity of the basilica, the architect used white travertine stone for this cathedral. While gothic architectures used stone and glass only as their building materials, in St peter’s Basilica, they used brick masonry for the domes. In other renaissance churches they also used timber and brick for the domes. St peter’s basilica was a joint project designed by many different architects that put great contributions to design one magnificent building. It took 120 years to finish this cathedral, and we can say that the first architect to rebuild it was Donato Bramante, while later he was replaced by Giuliano da Sangallo, Fra Giocondo and Raphael.
Each of these contributed to the design of the cathedral, for example, Raphael added a row of complex apsidal chapels off the aisles on each side, while Bramante put four large piers to support the basilica. Another great architect that is said to have made the greatest contribution to the design of the basilica is Michelangelo. His design is the base of the cathedral now, even though he used the already made plans but just with more improvements.
The most recognizable elements found in renaissance architecture are columns and pilasters as they are the embodiment of renaissance since they present senses of ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks used the structure of the human body as a reference to the structure of the cathedral. For instance, the foot of a human is the base of the column, the main body is the body of the corpse while the capital is the head of a human. Also, the columns were not used as a supportive structure, they were simply used as decoration inside the building. A feature that was carried on from gothic architecture is the semi-circular arch, used in arcades supported on piers or columns.
Due to the development of how the cathedrals were built more symmetrically in the renaissance, the vaults in the basilica follow a square plan, while in Amiens cathedral they are rectangular. Another key feature that gives a lot of significance to St. Peters basilica is the dome, which is the tallest point of the Vatican City. The dome made by Michelangelo is one of the most significant engineering successes after the Florence cathedral, as it is constructed like the one of Florence cathedral, however in the basilica it has 16 stone ribs which is twice the one in Florence cathedral.
The dome is designed to let in natural bright light through due to the openings along the bottom edge of the dome as well as at the top of the dome, which light up the interior of the cathedral naturally. The strong and bright sunlight contrasts with the space inside the cathedral, which create a saintly feeling and atmosphere. Like most Gothic cathedrals, the ceiling is left open to let in natural light so that the interior is illuminated naturally, also with the effect of the tinted glass windows which create different shade effects and decorates the lighting of the cathedral naturally. While the inside of the domes and the ceilings are painted by famous renaissance artists, and elegant sculptures are found on the surface of all piers.
