1 00:00:04,620 --> 00:00:10,060 Welcome to Easy Architecture, your guide to the built environment. 2 00:00:10,060 --> 00:00:14,759 What is Gothic architecture and what makes it unique? 3 00:00:14,759 --> 00:00:18,879 Gothic architecture came out of the Middle Ages, with the first truly Gothic building 4 00:00:18,879 --> 00:00:21,839 appearing around 1140 AD. 5 00:00:21,839 --> 00:00:25,239 And no, it wasn't built by Goths. 6 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:27,500 It was built by the French. 7 00:00:27,500 --> 00:00:31,600 Contrary to modern-day Goths who embraced the dark, Gothic architecture was considered 8 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:33,439 uplifting for its time. 9 00:00:33,439 --> 00:00:38,039 Gothic cathedrals are partly recognizable because of their large walls of stained glass 10 00:00:38,039 --> 00:00:43,560 windows, which allowed light to fill large, open spaces and create a heavenly environment. 11 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:49,259 But to construct these open spaces and walls of glass, they had to be creative. 12 00:00:49,259 --> 00:00:52,840 Builders of the Middle Ages took traditional methods of construction from around Europe 13 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:58,299 and the Near East and modified them to reduce the need for load-bearing walls, bulky columns, 14 00:00:58,299 --> 00:01:00,679 and build higher than ever before. 15 00:01:00,679 --> 00:01:02,119 Here's how they did it. 16 00:01:02,119 --> 00:01:06,599 The most important element of Gothic architecture is the pointed arch. 17 00:01:06,599 --> 00:01:11,000 Arches provide a method for opening space while maintaining the strength of the walls. 18 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,500 They allow for things such as doors and windows. 19 00:01:13,500 --> 00:01:16,920 While these guys knew about the rounded arch, the pointed arch is something they imported 20 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:23,239 from the Near East and can be seen in early Islamic architecture such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque. 21 00:01:23,239 --> 00:01:26,200 Architects of the Middle Ages borrowed the idea of the pointed arch knowing it would 22 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,200 let them build vertically higher than what was previously possible. 23 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,799 This is because the pointed arch was more efficient at distributing the weight of the 24 00:01:33,799 --> 00:01:34,799 walls and roof. 25 00:01:34,799 --> 00:01:40,319 Remember, these buildings were made primarily of brick and stone and were very heavy. 26 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:44,439 Managing and distributing the weight was really important, and the pointed arch was key in 27 00:01:44,439 --> 00:01:52,299 managing it all, especially when these arches were crossed to create a ribbed vaulted ceiling. 28 00:01:52,299 --> 00:01:57,260 Vaulted ceilings weren't a new idea either, but because the pointed arch was more effective, 29 00:01:57,260 --> 00:01:58,879 so was the ribbed vault. 30 00:01:58,879 --> 00:02:03,700 This resulted in a need for fewer columns, and those that were used were taller, thinner, 31 00:02:03,700 --> 00:02:10,030 and provided another distinguishing characteristic of Gothic architecture. 32 00:02:10,030 --> 00:02:15,629 Helping to disperse the weight carried by the pointed arches was the flying buttress, 33 00:02:15,629 --> 00:02:19,530 and something that gives Gothic architecture its unique silhouette. 34 00:02:19,530 --> 00:02:23,949 While a regular buttress butted up against the wall and kind of blended in with the masonry, 35 00:02:23,949 --> 00:02:27,669 a flying buttress was much more elegant and much more obvious. 36 00:02:27,669 --> 00:02:31,289 You see them mostly on the outside of the building, as they move the lateral forces 37 00:02:31,289 --> 00:02:34,210 across one or more arches. 38 00:02:34,210 --> 00:02:38,330 Despite supporting so much weight, the Flying Buttress disguises the load with an almost 39 00:02:38,330 --> 00:02:40,789 magical design. 40 00:02:40,789 --> 00:02:44,849 When you combine the Flying Buttress, pointed arch, slender columns, and rib vaulting, you 41 00:02:44,849 --> 00:02:48,430 get buildings that look unlike anything seen before. 42 00:02:48,430 --> 00:02:54,229 You have a building that's no longer supported by walls, and has a more open interior environment. 43 00:02:54,229 --> 00:02:58,009 With the weight of the building taken off the walls, you also have an opportunity to 44 00:02:58,009 --> 00:03:02,830 fill them with something other than brick and mortar, resulting in those large windows 45 00:03:02,830 --> 00:03:07,330 of stained glass that help define Gothic cathedrals. 46 00:03:07,330 --> 00:03:12,090 Another distinguishing trait of Gothic architecture is the ornamentation. 47 00:03:12,090 --> 00:03:17,129 The rose window, usually above the west door, is one of the most obvious examples. 48 00:03:17,129 --> 00:03:21,629 It depicts the final judgment of man and is part of the Gothic tradition in which biblical 49 00:03:21,629 --> 00:03:27,289 and historical stories were portrayed in stained glass and sculpture throughout the cathedral. 50 00:03:27,289 --> 00:03:32,270 This wasn't done just for decoration. At a time when most of the population was illiterate, 51 00:03:32,270 --> 00:03:36,689 these embellishments made scripture and history available to everyone. 52 00:03:36,689 --> 00:03:41,590 And of course a Gothic cathedral wouldn't be complete without gargoyles. On a practical 53 00:03:41,590 --> 00:03:46,750 level, they were spouts that moved rainwater off the roof. On a spiritual level, they scared 54 00:03:46,750 --> 00:03:52,750 people into going to church. Gothic architecture started in France, but the style quickly caught 55 00:03:52,750 --> 00:03:57,229 on and became the standard for cathedrals and churches throughout Europe. There are some local 56 00:03:57,229 --> 00:04:03,389 variations, like in England, where the design is more horizontal, and Italy, which embraced a more 57 00:04:03,389 --> 00:04:08,909 colorful ornamentation. But they all share the same basic design and engineering elements. 58 00:04:10,349 --> 00:04:15,469 Gothic architecture lasted until the late 1500s, around the beginning of the Renaissance, 59 00:04:15,469 --> 00:04:20,430 when it was gradually replaced but the gothic style would reappear again at different times 60 00:04:20,430 --> 00:04:26,910 and places in history for its association with religion and morality and the term gothic 61 00:04:26,910 --> 00:04:32,189 architecture wasn't used back in the middle ages when the style first emerged it was during the 62 00:04:32,189 --> 00:04:39,949 renaissance using goth as a derogatory term what no not that kind of goth goth is in the eastern 63 00:04:39,949 --> 00:04:44,029 Germanic people of medieval Europe. Basically, they were calling it barbaric. 64 00:04:44,029 --> 00:04:45,709 Hey, not fair! 65 00:04:45,709 --> 00:04:50,829 Sorry, but it's okay because we love it now, even if we sometimes forget where it came from. 66 00:04:50,829 --> 00:04:55,709 And remember, next time you look at a church, a gothic cathedral can be identified by the pointed 67 00:04:55,709 --> 00:05:02,670 arches, slender columns, rib-vaulted ceilings, fine buttresses, rose windows, gargoyles, 68 00:05:02,670 --> 00:05:07,629 and ornamentation. Now you know something about architecture. Wasn't that easy? 69 00:05:07,629 --> 00:05:17,600 If you enjoyed this video and would like to see more easy architecture, be sure to like 70 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:18,680 and subscribe.