Gothic Architecture: The Universe in Microcosm

What do you think of when you hear the world gothic? For many people, it’s disgruntled teenagers wearing dark makeup and complaining how horrible their lives and parents are as they listen to depressing music on their iPods, purchased by their parents.

In reality, the term gothic goes back several hundred years and was originally used to describe a type of architecture. Gothic architecture was popular from about the 12th to the 16th century throughout Europe, and was primarily used for large buildings such as churches and cathedrals. Aspects of gothic architecture can be seen on modern buildings throughout the United States, but they were built specifically to mimic the architecture from the previous time period.

Developed from Romanesque architecture, gothic emphasizes both height and light, which is a departure from other architecture of that time period. Many buildings were closed and built horizontally instead of vertically. It wasn’t until the development of flying buttresses and columns to provide support and stability of higher structures that architects were able to build in the gothic style.

The front of gothic structures are often grand and flamboyant and meant to be overpowering to the parishioners. The goal of these immense facades was to showcase the glory and power of the church. Imagine what it would feel like to come down the road to see a massive building with tall spires and a majestic front façade.

The interior of a gothic building is expansive and filled with windows to let in the natural light. Gothic buildings also tend to have large spires and towered over the other buildings in the villages. In a way, gothic cathedrals and churches were the equivalent of medieval skyscrapers.

Since gothic is most associated with religious buildings, it’s not surprising that the layout of many gothic buildings is that of a cross. The entire interior is meant to be a miniature universe and showcase the glory of God and the church. The structure shows that there is order in the universe and it is not ruled by chaos and the stained glass windows often depict the creation and other aspects of the bible.

There are few styles of architecture that can inspire the awe and amazement that gothic was meant to create. Its meaning goes far deeper than the stone, glass and wood that went into making the majestic structures. This is why gothic is my personal favorite style of architecture and is the one many people think of when they describe medieval times and why many fantasy writers use it for the inspiration of castles and other structures.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/icelight/191299698/

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