Gothic castles of Europe. Gothic architecture

Gothic architectural style originated in the middle of the 12th century in Northern France. The efforts of the Abbe Sutheria contributed to this. Its highest flowering style reached in the first half of the 13th century, spreading to the territory of modern Spain and the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany, and Britain.

You can meet Gothic in the architecture of Italy. However, this style was leaked to this country a little later, having undergone a powerful transformation. By the end of the 14th century. International gothic swept the whole of Europe. In countries in the east of this continent, this style appeared much later and lasted until the 16th century. Gothic gave the world not only its own peculiar forms. This style created a completely new understanding of the volume composition and organization of space.

Stages of gothic development

There is a certain periodization of the development of this amazing architectural style. So, the Gothic is distinguished:

- Early (12th century);
- flourishing style (13th century);
- flaming (14-15 centuries);
- international.

Somewhat later, the elements of this unusual style began to be used in the building's architectural solutions. To such constructions the term "neo-Gothic" is used.

Architectural features

The Gothic style is characterized by the verticality of the composition, the complex frame of the support system, the ribbed arch, and also the pointed arch. These design features allowed the construction of structures with large arches (due to the presence of stiffeners) and with walls of lesser thickness (due to repetitions of loads on them by the buttress system). Architects as much as possible reduced the massiveness of the erected buildings. This became possible due to the introduction of skeletons. As a result, the walls ceased to serve as load-bearing elements.

Features

The styles of architectural structures that exist at a certain historical stage undergo certain changes over time. So the Romanesque style gradually began to transform into the Gothic.

What are its main features? There are seven distinctive features of the Gothic style:

1. Fashionable and predominant colors - blue, red and yellow.
2. Lancet lines forming a vault of two intersecting arcs.
3. Rectangular shape of the building in the plan, turning to the poles arched arches.
4. A fan arch built on supports. Instead, he sometimes meets the coffered ceiling. The halls in such buildings are long and narrow. Or wide, with the supports installed in the center. Ceilings in these rooms are necessarily high.
5. Lancet, wireframe, openwork, stone, elongated archways, as well as an underlined skeleton of the whole frame.
6. Multicolored stained glass windows. Their shape can be round or elongated.
7. Fillet oak doors and ribbed lancet arches of doorways.

An inherent feature of this art is also the presence of sculptures. Mythical creatures and gloomy figures most often decorated the walls of monasteries, temples and cathedrals.

Many medieval castles in Europe are built in the Gothic style. This is a real synthesis of many arts, such as:

- architecture;
- sculpture;
- monumental painting;
- arts and crafts.

Cathedrals in the Gothic style lined up in the central city squares, dominating the surrounding two or three-story houses. This location is especially typical for Eastern Europe and Italy.

The first construction of the Gothic style

According to the project of the abbot of Sugeria, the Saint-Denis church was erected. It was the first building built in the Gothic style. When the cathedral was erected, a large number of internal partitions and supports were removed. As a result, the building took a graceful look, which is not comparable to the Roman fortresses.

Constructed by the royal adviser and abbot of the Sugeri monastery, the Gothic cathedral carried a certain semantic load. He gave greatness to the monastery, which was the ancient tomb of French kings. According to contemporaries, the temple, erected by Sugeriy, became a continuous and surprising light that filled the interior with beauty. Reigning in those days, Louis IX ordered to put the newly-updated gravestones of sixteen French monarchs. All this was to strengthen the royal prestige.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Many Gothic castles are national symbols of the countries on whose territory they are built. This also applies to the Catholic Cathedral of St. Stephen, located in Vienna. He is considered a national symbol of Austria.

This majestic building, built over nearly two centuries, was built in the heart of the Austrian capital. Like many Gothic castles of the Middle Ages, it stands on the square. And to this day in this cathedral every day held divine services.

For the first time this Catholic church is mentioned in manuscripts dating back to 1137. In the 12th century. The cathedral of St. Stephen possessed a pronounced imprint of the Romanesque style. However, in the 14-16 centuries. The building was completely rebuilt and became completely gothic. Already in the 17th century. The interior of the cathedral changed somewhat. It included notes of the popular Baroque style.

In the Cathedral of St. Stephen there are two towers. One of them, unfinished, is the Northern one. Its height is 68 m. The second tower is South. It rises 136 m above the ground and has an observation deck with a stunning view not only of Vienna, but also of its surroundings. On the North Tower is the biggest bell in the country. Its weight is 21 tons, and the diameter is three meters. The bell rings only on the great holidays, not more than 11 times a year.

Chartres Cathedral

Gothic castles leave a deep impression in the soul of every person. The height and beauty of the numerous towers and pointed arches stretching to the sky amazes them. In addition, castles in the Gothic style are extremely long. Thus, Chartres Cathedral, located in France, has a length equal to 130 m. From each new chosen point of view the castle looks in a new way. And all this thanks to the amazing design of the facade.

In contrast to the Romanesque churches, which have simple and clear foreseeable forms, an examination of the Chartres Cathedral gives the impression of a lack of walls. Galleries, arches, towers, huge windows, numerous platforms with arcades represent an endless game of openwork forms. Like all Gothic castles, Chartres Cathedral is literally inhabited by a mass of various sculptures. There are about ten thousand statues in the temple. These figures are not only in portals and galleries. They can be seen on eaves and roof, on spiral staircases and downpipes, on consoles and under the arches of chapels. In other words, Gothic castles for visitors represent an unexplored and amazing world.

Notre Dame Cathedral

The Gothic style of medieval castles was also used in a huge temple, the construction of which began in 1163. The first stone in the foundation of the Notre Dame Cathedral was laid by Louis VII and Pope Alexander III. Construction lasted more than a century. At the same time, it was gradually moving from the eastern part of the building to the western part. According to the original plan, the cathedral was to accommodate the entire population of Paris, which amounted to the beginning of construction of 10,000 inhabitants. However, after the erection of the church, the city grew many times, which did not allow the realization of the plan.

The interior of the temple is a real kingdom of stone slender pillars of the frame, which are connected by arched arches. The interior is the real realm of vertical lines, directed upwards, to the very sky. Colored glasses inserted in the stained-glass windows scatter sunlight that pours on the numerous statues of warriors and bishops, children and women, men and kings. There are no walls in this temple at all. Instead of them, a frame is constructed, consisting of pillars connected by arches. Fill this design lancet windows, which are similar to the huge paintings of dozens of figures. The light of the sun makes colored stained-glass windows look like huge gems. There is a certain mystical connotation in this, which sets the person on a pious religious mood.

Cologne Cathedral

The construction of this grand Gothic style building was started in 1248. The cathedral is distinguished by light towers of the western facade with pointed roofs, as well as an elegant solution to all the details of the structure and the unusual height of the middle nave.

This temple is the most recognizable and the most famous on our entire planet. Look at the amazing monument of Gothic architecture, which in its height is on the third place among all the cathedrals of the world, are sought by all tourists visiting Germany.

Palazzo Doge

This cathedral is a vivid example of the Venetian Gothic style, which perceived not the design features, but the decorativeness of this amazing style. The facade of the temple is very unusual in its composition. A series of white marble columns encircles the lower tier of the castle. The monumental building visually pushes these columns into the ground. The second floor is formed by a solid open loggia. It connects with keeled arches and numerous thin columns. This tier is distinguished by grace and ease. Further, the third floor rises, the pink wall of which has rarely located windows. This part of the facade is decorated with a geometric ornament of white color. The whole palace pleases the eye with the sonority of its decorative solution. It combines the splendor of Byzantium with secular cheerfulness.