Medieval Architecture Essay

Smokestacks and Spires A Brief Examination of Gothic Architecture and its Revival The late European medieval period saw the development of what we refer to today as Gothic architecture. Through new technological and design innovations, Europeans built awe-inspiring buildings to house their most precious institutions: royal palaces, castles and cathedrals--many of which remain largely untouched by time’s flow centuries later. Drawing from ancient Roman technological advances, the Gothic…

Gothic architecture, for me, is a very interesting topic as one style evolved from the other. Romanesque architecture is believed to have developed between the 6th and 10th century, while Gothic architecture arose in the 12th century. Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe, although in England, it is more often referred to as Norman architecture. It was the first style of architecture which stood out since the Roman Empire. Many of the Romanesque architecture…

serve the same purpose—to serve, pray, and worship God. Whether it be Early Medieval, Gothic, or Romanesque, there are several similarities between the Monastery of Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana—built in the late 19th century to early 20th century—and Abbey Churches and Cathedral from 12th and 13th century. Designs from exterior building, to design of ceilings and windows are what create and give the architecture depth and significance even several centuries later. Though several…

There were 2 main key stages to castle architecture in the Middle Ages. The first dramatic change was Romanesque Castles. Romanesque Castles were the next stage from wood. Buttresses were introduced as a means of support to the basic design in Romanesque architecture in Medieval Times. The vault was developed to enable the construction of stone roofs. Barrel or Tunnel Vaults - consisted of a continuous surface…

gothic architecture and his style inspired many builders for years. The building material he incorporated in his work was the concept of light to reflect a symbol of god inside the cathedral. The more he used light, the more he “hoped for people to be closer to god”. 2) How did this style of architecture come to be called “Gothic”? The name behind “Gothic Architecture” originated from critics that saw Abbot’s “modern” title possibly less interesting. Instead, critics named the architecture…

Gothic cathedrals stand as a tangible expression of the pious aspirations of the medieval people during the late 12th to the first half of the 16th century. The soaring architecture, like its adherents thoughts, ascend towards heaven solidifying the supreme authority of the Church over every aspect of life. Emerging from the Romanesque period of architecture, Gothic cathedrals are renowned for both their constructional elements as well as their ornate decorations. The Gothic cathedral is a…

with the inventions of new medieval technology contributed to Europe’s magnificence. This period of technological advancements, religious transformations, and introductions of new ideas led Europe to become one of the greatest nations of the Middle Ages. I will be focusing on four of the innovations that I believe helped bring Europe to its powerful position: Gothic cathedrals, medieval universities, paper mills, and the printing press. The Gothic style used in architecture dates back to the…

A-2 The black plague spread quickly throughout Europe. In Tuscany the death rate ran high from 60 percent. They had no explanation for the plague and some blamed the Jews. Boccaccio’s Decameron is a collection of stories that represented life during and after the plague. The stories are about a boy and a woman who escaped Florence and moved to the countryside. Boccaccio who had lived through the plague wrote 100 stories about it describing in details what the setting in Florence was like when…

“The models from which medieval Northern Europe in particular formed its idea of “Roman” style are nearly all portable Late Antique works, and the Late Antique carved sarcophagi found all over the former Roman Empire; the determination to find earlier “purer” classical models, was a key element in the art all’antica of the Renaissance.” (Henderson 1977) Byzantine art is the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire art that had been created after the Roman Empire division of the Eastern and Western sides…

Romanesque and Gothic are two styles of architecture that were flourished during the Medieval Period, between the tenth to fifteenth centuries. First, the Romanesque style began and was later spread throughout Western Europe in a short period of time, which later on gave way to the Gothic style of architecture. Although Gothic style was followed by the Romanesque, they have had many similarities but also many differences as well. Romanesque style of architecture was generally considered as…