The Cultural Tutor Profile picture
Jun 3, 2024 22 tweets 8 min read Read on X
What makes Gothic architecture... Gothic?

Many things, but one of the most important is the famous flying buttress.

And they aren't just for show — here's how the flying buttress revolutionised architecture... Image
When you think of "Gothic Architecture" what comes to mind?

Probably pointed arches, stained glass windows, gargoyles, and... flying buttresses.

But what is a flying buttress? Are they just for style? Or do they have a purpose? Image
Gothic architecture appeared in the 12th century.

It had many influences, but the flashpoint was the arrival of the pointed arch, which had been pioneered in Islamic architecture.

Here you can see them at the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo: Image
Until then churches had been built with the round arch, which had strict structural limitations.

Beautiful in their own way — but generally speaking these churches were monolithic.

Notice the small windows of Lessay Abbey, plus the sheer size of its stonework. Image
The pointed arch, meanwhile, is much stronger and far more versatile.

So it wasn't just that the appearance of architecture changed in the 12th century — churches also became bigger, their windows larger, and their structural stonework more refined.

All things flowing upwards. Image
Stronger, more complex vaulting was also made possible thanks to the pointed arch.

Cathedrals were soon soaring into the sky, and by the 13th century there was essentially a continental race to see who could build the biggest cathedral possible. Image
So the towers grew taller, the arcades higher, and the windows larger — up to a point.

But the trouble is that those huge vaults have an outward thrust.

This means that the walls supporting them have to be incredibly strong, broad, and thick. Image
But Gothic architects wanted to build thinner and narrower walls so they could create large windows and fill them with stained glass — another typical feature of Gothic architecture.

Enter the flying buttress...
A buttress is essentially a wall support.

These are some normal buttresses — columns of stone attached to and supporting the wall to prevent it from falling outward. Image
The trouble came as the height of cathedrals increased, and when clerestories (a second tier of windows) were built above the aisles.

How to prevent these higher walls from falling?

Build a buttress at the lower level and connect it to the higher wall with an arch. Image
This crucial invention is what allowed for the creation of such colossal cathedrals which, despite their size, seem somehow graceful and weightless.

Thus High Gothic cathedrals essentially became huge stone frameworks filled with painted glass, as at Beauvais: Image
But, even if they were functional — without them cathedrals would collapse — the aesthetic value of flying buttresses quickly became obvious.

Just look at the Notre Dame, where flying buttresses radiate like the roots of a tree, cascade like a waterfall of stone. Image
What about those small stone spires on top of the buttresses? These are called "pinnacles".

These, too, served an important function.

They add weight to the buttress, thus making it stronger and more resistant to outward thrust. Image
The consequence of all this — the combination of flying buttresses and pinnacles — was that the walls of Gothic churches were essentially turned at a right angle to the structure.

You can see how that opened up space for larger windows. Image
But both pinnacles and flying buttresses, despite being functional architectural elements, were transformed into artistic wonders of their own, covered in statues and lavish decoration.

Such was the Medieval way — that which was functional must also, necessarily, be beautiful. Image
Look back to the days of Romanesque Architecture, where the cathedral's exterior is basically composed of a series of flat surfaces.

This is Southwell Minster — the large window you can see here is newer than the rest of the simpler, Romanesque building. Image
And compare that to a High Gothic cathedral, where your eye can hardly rest on a single, flat surface.

All is much more three-dimensional, all is moving, all is perforated and fluid.

More like a web of stone than a solid structure. Image
The effectiveness and beauty of flying buttresses was such that they were often employed at ground level, even when they were not strictly necessary. Image
So a good way to think of flying buttresses is as the Medieval equivalent of something like the X-bracing on some modern skyscrapers — in this case the John Hancock Center.

Structural features that make a building stronger, allow it to be taller, and also add aesthetic value. Image
In the later years of Gothic Architecture flying buttresses were employed copiously and needlessly.

Whereas once they had been functional, they became purely and self-consciously aesthetic rather than structural

As on the tower at the Church of St Ouen: Image
But they eventually disappeared altogether — with the rise of neoclassical architecture during the Renaissance.

The round arch returned, the pointed arch was banished, and flying buttresses were consigned to history... Image
But these strange, striking tendrils of stone have long since become interminably associated with Gothic Architecture.

And rightly so — because flying buttresses are the thing that, in so many ways, makes the Gothic possible. Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with The Cultural Tutor

The Cultural Tutor Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @culturaltutor

May 21
When Vincent van Gogh started painting he didn't use any bright colours — so what happened?

It isn't just about art.

This is a story about how we're all changed by the things we consume, the places we go, and the people we choose to spend time with... Image
The year is 1881.

A 27 year old former teacher and missionary from the Netherlands called Vincent van Gogh decides to try and become a full-time artist, after being encouraged by his brother Theo.

What does he paint? The peasants of the countryside where his parents lived. Scheveningen Woman Sewing (1881)
Vincent van Gogh's early work is unrecognisably different from the vibrant painter now beloved around the world.

Why?

Many reasons, though one of the most important is that he had been influenced by his cousin, the Realist painter Anton Mauve, who painted like this: Fishing Boat and Draught Horses on the Beach by Anton Mauve
Read 23 tweets
May 13
This painting is 101 years old.

It was made by George Bellows, one of America's greatest ever painters — and an artist who changed what art was all about... Image
There have been many great American painters.

Like Frederic Edwin Church and the rest of the Hudson River School.

During the 19th century they painted colossal, almost photorealistic, luminescent views of the American landscape: Image
Then there's the legendary Edward Hopper and his quiet, captivating urban scenes.

There's a certain quality to life in the city — its solitude, its strange stillness — that nobody has portrayed better. Image
Read 24 tweets
May 5
Napoleon died 204 years ago today.

He rose from obscurity, joined a revolution, became an emperor, tried to conquer Europe, failed, spent his last days in exile — and changed the world forever.

This is the life of Napoleon, told in 19 paintings: Image
1. Bonaparte at the Pont d'Arcole by Antoine-Jean Gros (1796)

Napoleon's life during the French Revolution was complicated, but by the age of 24 he was already a General.

Here, aged just 27, he led the armies of the French Republic to victory in Italy — his star was rising. Image
2. The Battle of the Pyramids by François-Louis-Joseph Watteau (1799)

Two years later Napoleon oversaw the invasion of Egypt as part of an attempt to undermine British trade.

At the Battle of the Pyramids he led the French to a crushing victory over the Ottomans and Mamluks. Image
Read 20 tweets
Apr 27
It took 8 architects, 21 popes, and 120 years to build and finish St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

And, four centuries later, it's still the largest church in the world.

So here's a brief introduction to St Peter's... Image
The first impression anybody has when they see St Peter's Basilica in Rome, in real life or in a photo, is awe.

Because this is an immensely impressive building — it was and remains the world's largest church by volume.

Others are taller, but none are so vast. Image
The same is true of the inside — a cornucopia of art and architecture, of gold and bronze and marble and mosaic and sculpture.

And, again, it has proportions beyond gargantuan.

The baldachin alone (a kind of ornate canopy, below) is 30 metres tall. Image
Read 25 tweets
Apr 22
The Sistine Chapel is one of the world's greatest buildings, and it has the most famous ceiling in history.

But what is it, who built it, and what does "Sistine" even mean?

Well, here's the surprisingly controversial history of the Sistine Chapel... Image
Where did the Sistine Chapel get its name?

It was commissioned in 1473 by Pope Sixtus IV and completed nine years later.

His name in Italian was Sisto and the chapel was named after him, hence "Sistine" Chapel. Image
Where is the Sistine Chapel?

It's within the Apostolic Palace — the Pope's official residence — in the Vatican City.

But, for such a famous and important building, it isn't very noteworthy or impressive from the outside. Image
Read 25 tweets
Apr 18
This is Burg Hohenzollern in Germany, one of the world's most beautiful Medieval castles.

Except that it isn't a Medieval castle — trains had been invented before it was built.

And so Hohenzollern is a perfect introduction to Neo-Gothic Architecture... Image
If you want to understand Neo-Gothic Architecture then the best place to begin is with something like Hohenzollern.

It seems too good to be true — and that's because it is.

What you're looking at here isn't a Medieval castle; it's not even 200 years old. Image
There has been some kind of fortification on this hill, at the edge of the Swabian Alps, for over one thousand years.

An 11th century castle was destroyed and replaced in the 15th century, but that second castle soon fell into ruin. Image
Read 24 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(