No, I’m not referring to contemporary, spooky teen-aged girls bizarrely dressed in black clothes with powdery white makeup. This short blog story is a contemplation of the Gothic architectural style and its history which faded during the 15th century with the European origins of the Renaissance period.

*Photo courtesy of Tracy Ward 2006 – early English Gothic, ca. 1250 Salisbury Cathedral*

Initially the term “Gothic” was a reference to the Goths – a Germanic tribe that fought against the Roman Empire during the Medieval Period. The term “Medieval” refers to the Middle Ages (roughly the 5th to 15th centuries)…which usually conjures images of filth, squalor and disease. As the Gothic period transitioned to the Renaissance (rebirth) period – we likewise now consider the human race to have transitioned from the ‘Middle Ages’ to the ‘Modern Age’. It should be noted too that art & architectural history had only just begun as a recorded discipline, and the historical accounts differ depending on the nationality of the historian – German vs. French.

While the Gothic/Medieval/Middle Ages mired itself mostly in toiled labor and manure. . . the art & architecture during the Renaissance/Modern Age was intricately planned, measured, engineered and crafted. By the 16th century, the “obsolete” Gothic became an adjective meant as an insult. And similarly the word ‘medieval’ is still often used today as a term of disapproval for outdated ideas and customs.

The Renaissance, or the Age of Discovery, was a new era of social progress. Per William Federer: “As Ottoman Muslims invaded Greece Byzantine Empire in 1453, they destroyed churches, libraries, museums, artwork, and graves of the Christian Saints. Greek scholars fled west to Florence, Italy, reintroducing their Greek art, architecture and philosophy to western Europe. . .” thereby igniting the Renaissance.

As with any style, its written definition is usually derived and articulated in the years following the height of its use, or as a new style begins to replace its predecessor. Architectural styles, as we define them today, were not dictated by some supreme book of architectural covenants in effect at the time of a building’s creation. So “style” is often defined in hindsight or retrospect. Likewise Gothic did not gain its clearer identity until writers and historians described it in publications that became abundant across the globe in the 1800’s. Interestingly Gothic structures have immediately recognizable features seemingly unrelated and separate from other ancient precedents. Gothic represents almost a void in time, whereas all other Classical styles derive from ancient Mediterranean civilizations.

Gothic stone cathedrals that remain today are rare remnants of the concerted and intellectual efforts to take the human experience out and above the putrid matter of the Middle Ages… leading to the Renaissance. The features we so readily identify today with Gothic were developed over a period of centuries based on, and evolving with, locally available knowledge, craftsmanship, and materials:

monumental flying buttresses
intricate stone carvings on the building surfaces
spectacular stained glass images
tall tower elements reaching to the sky
stone tracery in geometric patterns
complex ribbed ceiling vaults
rose windows
pointed “Gothic” arched windows and openings
other awe-inspiring & heaven-heartening & eternal imagery

“We would like to admit openly that in our opinion Gothic form would never have arisen without technical and constructional innovations; but we do not by any means regard Gothic architecture as merely an early form of engineering. It can be fully understood only in terms of the dialectical relationship of aesthetic and constructional, political and religious, economic and intellectual trends.” (Authors of ‘GOTHIC’ published in 1998)

So the Gothic form or style was, and is, sophisticated and resulted from a variety of symbolic meanings and other influences including (a) aesthetic preferences, (b) construction innovations, (c) political forces, (d) religious beliefs, (e) economic pressures, and (f) intellectual discoveries. What we academically perceive today as Gothic Architecture was, at least partially, derived or evolved from the heavy stone Romanesque features of the 10th-12th centuries. . . in Rome of course! Note: As in most analyses of ancient architectural history, the story almost always leads to, from, or through Greece or Rome.

Sir Banister Fletcher’s ‘A History of Architecture’ describes Gothic: “When it was consciously revived in the 19th century it was regarded as the antithesis of everything the Classical tradition stood for; and it took its place in the repertory of styles as a legitimate alternative to all the versions of Classical architecture currently or recently in vogue, whether Baroque, Rococo, Palladian, or strict Greek.”

In the United States, we term our version of the style as “Gothic Revival”, “Carpenter Gothic” or other derivatives, and fix the original movement during the years 1840-1880. Part of the Romantic Period of the 19th Century, its identifying features in America are summarily described herein by the best-selling book by Virginia and Lee McAlester (A Field Guide to American Houses – 2013 edition):

“Steeply pitched roof, usually with steep cross gables (roof normally side-gabled, less commonly front-gabled or hipped; rarely flat with castellated parapet); gables commonly have decorated verge-boards; wall surface extending into gable without break (eave or trim normally lacking beneath gable); windows commonly extend into gables, frequently having pointed-arch (Gothic) shape; one-story porch (either entry or full-width) usually present, commonly supported by flattened Gothic arches.”

*Carpenter Gothic details © Dover Publications, Inc. 2007*

Today the Gothic style is most often associated with cathedrals. Its identifying elements speak to us easily within monastic or religious themes, and undoubtedly suitable as a foundational language for academic structures on a university campus. For contemporary 21st century projects, the Gothic forms are usually considered symbols of extravagant and luxurious architecture available to only a select few…and isn’t that a stark contradiction to the label intended as a slur 600+ years ago!

So again I ask – what is ‘Gothic’? While it is difficult to capture an adequate discussion in short, perhaps we can begin to glean a brief definition from Gunther Binding (2004 author of ‘MEDIEVAL BUILDING TECHNIQUES’) who succinctly said the Gothic element is:

“. . . a masterly and harmonious blend of construction, illusion, rationality, and theology.”

*Gothic London built ca. 1840’s – Photo courtesy of Tracy Ward 2005*

References:

https://americanminute.com/ WILLIAM J. FEDERER is a nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America’s noble heritage.
Sir Banister Fletcher’s A HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE; 1987 The Royal Institute of British Architects and The university of London
Virginia and Lee McAlester – A Field Guide to American Houses – 2013 edition
http://www.theamericanhistoryguild.com
http://www.dtracywardarchitect.com
http://www.loc.gov/collections/historic-american-buildings-landscapes-and-engineering-records/
Victorian Fretwork Designs – 2007 Dover Publications, Inc.; A. Sanquineti

D. Tracy Ward, Architect

Originally prepared 2016 – Reedited & Uploaded April 2018 – DTW’s Blog #0017

Our Original Posts, including images when applicable, are copyrighted © 1993-2018 by D. Tracy Ward and Benchmark Design, PC. God bless America! Treasure Liberty always and pass it on! “Architecture aims at Eternity. Architecture has its political Use; publick Buildings being the Ornament of a Country; it establishes a Nation, draws People and Commerce; makes the People love their native Country, which Passion is the Original of all great Actions in a Common-wealth.” [CHRISTOPHER WREN, Parentalia]

What is ‘GOTHIC’…

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