1. People began to leave the country and flock to the cities which began to flourish during the Gothic period. The church became the most important influence in art and daily life. The term “Gothic” was at first used as a term of ridicule but Gothic art was energetic and dynamic. Unity became an important emphasis in Gothic art. Architects began to focus equally on the inside and outside of cathedrals. Cathedrals usually took generations to complete.

2.  Gothic cathedrals are built to have a vertical feel that points to heaven  Added support by vaults and flying buttresses allowed for more windows-usually stained glass  Pointed arches instead of rounded ones in Romanesque cathedrals, also give more of a vertical feel  Gothic churches usually have 3-5 entrances  Above the main door there is usually a large, round stained glass window known as the rose window

3.  Construction took four centuries but was never completely finished  Many features changed over time. Notice the towers don’t match.  Chartes incorporated many new ideas such as flying buttresses

4.  Flying Buttresses- a supportive structure consisting of a tower buttress and a flying arch which spans the side aisles and supports the upper wall of the nave of the church The extra support by the buttresses allowed for huge windows of stained glass

5.  The exterior of Chartes has over 2,000 carved sculptures around entrances and other locations.

6.  Paris, France  Construction began in 1163 and lasted over 100 years but was never completely finished  The church actually sits on a small island in the middle of the Seine River.

7.  The famous, flying buttresses were not originally part of the plan, however, as the walls got taller, stress fractures began to occur and extra support was needed

8.  In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone devilish figure with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building.  The cathedral barely survived the French Revolution when many people destroyed some of the sculptures to attempt to turn the church into a secular building.  The church and its sculptures were later restored