French Gothic
Notre-Dame's architectural tradition
French Gothic refers to the style of Gothic architecture that originated in 12th-century France and spread throughout Europe.
Characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and large stained-glass windows, it reached its height in cathedrals like Notre-Dame de Paris and Chartres.
The term also applies to French sculpture, painting, and decorative arts from roughly 1140 to 1500.
- pointed archArch with angled apex
- pointed archesSpans peaking at apex
- stained glassColored window art
- quatrefoilFour-lobed ornamental pattern
- tympanumSound-receiving ear membrane
stone carving · Notre-Dame de Paris · gargoyle · clerestory · tracery · grotesque figures · spire · rose window · flying buttress · bas-relief · transept · scholasticism · pinnacles · nave · illuminated manuscript · pilgrimage routes · master builders · sacred geometry
- Gothic Architecturepointed arches, flying buttress, flying buttresses, pointed arch, rose window
- Medieval FranceValois, Philip II, Charles VII, Saint Louis, Joan of Arc
- French themesParis, Napoleon, Versailles, Provence, cafes
French GothicRoman architecture
Ancient imperial building style
Renaissance architecture · Greek temple · Beaux-Arts · Georgian architecture · Modernism