The History of Gothic Architecture in Italy

Abbott Suger wanted to make Saint Denis a magnificent showplace as the royal Abbey church of France and burial place of French kings. Ribbed vault which were capable of spanning large areas was designed to make gothic churches larger.

These Gothic Churches were characterized by enlarged clerestory zone, windows enormous size with inserted new zone and triforium below the ribbed vaults and supporting of an arcade of high piers lining of the nave. These characteristics ensured the support of the greater stress of taller, broader interiors and to create larger window areas as well as the external supports.

There was creation greater sense of unity between the spaces of the nave and the adjacent walkway and ambulatory chapels. In the process builder became more complicated and were able to achieve increasingly grander effects at various places. These places includes; Notre Dame de Paris in 1163, Amiens Cathedral in 1220, and Sainte- Chappelle in 1243. in these places the windows were enlarged with extensive use of stain glass, which attained the level of its development in the 12th and 13th centuries in Chartres and Sainte-Chapelle.

Sculpture in the exteriors and interior of these churches were decorated. Large figures of the kings were placed in the frontage, while the entrance were lined by the pillar – statues of saints, angels and apostles and other parts of the buildings were covered with decorative cusps and finials. The Gothic sculptures revolutionary were beyond their Romanesque of precursors in their notion of the figures as independent. Gothic sculpture became more complex in the consequent centuries. Figure of the Virgin in the South transept of Notre Dame de Paris is an example of such Gothic figure in France. F...

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...hing truly inspiring. The architecture inspires today and will continue to for hundreds of years into the future. Gothic architecture was the impetus and inspiration for Western European civilization to have the courage to move forward after centuries of war and disease. Gothic architecture has enjoyed several revivals over the centuries, proving its endurance inspite of the changing world. Gothic architecture transcended national boundaries and created organized labor. The Gothic Period in Western European history was indicative of their dominance of world culture in the centuries to come. Gothic architecture showed Western Europeans that they were capable of great feats of engineering and art. This was at a time when the region had emerged from the “Dark Ages”. The Gothic style was a symbol of a civilization coming to live and rising above its infirmities.