EUROPE’S CATHEDRAL ARCHITECTURE

Key Functions of Stained Glass Windows in the Gothic Style

The main purpose of the stained-glass windows in the Gothic style was to tell the Biblical stories to the people in a compelling, visual, and artistic manner. The artists working on the glass appreciated its unique qualities and found it suitable to represent the religious and spiritual ideologies of the period. 

Differences Between Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral Structures

One major difference between the Gothic and Romanesque infrastructure was on the use of flying buttresses on the outside of the Gothic structures. This unique feature allowed the Gothic structures to support high ceilings and huge windows. These large windows allowed more rooms to be better lit. On the other hand, the Romanesque buildings were solid and heavy and with thick walls. This feature made it difficult to make huge and numerous windows, which led to the structures having small windows and thereby dimly lit (Alashi, 2017).

Another major difference being the Romanesque and Gothic structures was on the shape of these structures. The Gothic structures were tall and pointed towards the sky. This was unlike the Romanesque structures that were comprised of short towers (Alashi, 2017). 

Among the two structures, I prefer the Gothic structures. Among the unique features in the Gothic Structures is the use of flying buttress that provided extra support to the design and allowed for the more and large windows to be built thereby have more light in the rooms.

Existing Structure

An existing structure that I would like to highlight is the Amiens Cathedral in France. This cathedral is an example of Gothic structures. Among the key important features that aided in its identification as a Gothic structure are large windows, tall towers, and pointed arches.

ReferencesAlashi, A. (2017). Gothic Vs Romanesque Style Research. ResearchGate. doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.18423.11682