Traveling through old Europe, in almost any guidebook you will come across a proposal to visit the Gothic temple of this particular city. Having enjoyed the beauty of several of them, you will notice not only the similarity of styles, which is logical, but also many common details of the performance.
Gothic architecture
Using this style everywhere began to build structures from the end of the XII century and continued almost until the beginning of the XVI. Thus, for almost four centuries, builders and architects honed their mastery of creation.
It was the Gothic temple that was the place of practical application of all mathematical and geometric knowledge of previous generations.
Given the imperfection of technology, construction was mainly delayed for many decades, and sometimes even centuries. The society of that era could not afford such delays in the development of religious life. Therefore, services began already in the first years of the start of construction, as soon as the altar and places for the choir were erected.
Surprisingly, initially the term “Gothic” was born as abusive, and it described the attitude to everything barbaric and unusual. However, over time, he transformed and began to be used to define a cult religious style.
The following types of this architecture stand out: early, mature and late Gothic. Some sources also note neo-Gothic as the successor of the classical Gothic.
What are the main elements of Gothic architecture? First of all, these are ribs and arcbutans, as well as pillars supporting lancet arches.
The rib is a characteristic lancet arch, and the arcbutans are open semi-arches.
The outer walls were finished with complex ornaments and sculptures. And the light followed through large windows, which were inlaid with amazing stained-glass windows.
The rib in architecture is designed to facilitate the arch and expand the window openings. In the future, the same principle began to be applied in aircraft manufacturing.
The subtext of gothic architecture
The abundance of shining gold and the spiers soaring into the sky declared the aspiration of the person to the sky, and served as a reminder of the religious orientation of the buildings. All elements of architecture were symbolic, even sacred.
Directly Gothic temple symbolized the universe. And such a decorative element as a Gothic rose is the wheel of Fortune, which expresses the cycle of time.
Light penetrating through stained-glass windows carries divine providence. Seeing stained glass, a mortal breaks away from the physical, material world and finds himself in the spiritual.
The rib is the main means by which the main idea of Gothic architecture was expressed about the aspiration of the temple (the Universe) up.
Rib in modern architecture
A rib is a load-bearing arc, which is made in the form of a semicircle so as to relieve the load exerted on the arch and walls. In its original form, it can be found only in ancient and Gothic buildings, in which they were built exclusively from specially angled brick cut diagonally.
But do not assume that the rib is already a thing of the past! Perhaps the term itself is somewhat out of use. Sometimes the definition of “roofing subsystem” is used instead.
In modern architecture, it is most often made of brick in the form of a triple arch. The rib can be concrete, ennobled with a facing brick. The ribbed arch is also called the fan arch.
By the way, at the moment the glazing of a single atrium is complete without a rib device, which is often made of thin metal.
The ribbed arch is also called a fan arch, which is caused by a characteristic appearance. That is why today the rib is not only a functional component. It is often used for decorative purposes.
Arcbutans in architecture
The use of arkbutanes allows you to very thoroughly reduce the size of internal supports, increase window openings, as well as overflight arches.
Although historically they are associated exclusively with Gothic architecture, they were still used much earlier, even in Byzantine and Romanesque buildings.
Surprisingly, arkbutans were used even in old Russian structures, for example, during the construction of the famous Kiev Lavra.
Today, the use of arkbutans in modern architecture is the exception rather than the rule. However, they are still used as decorative elements or as supporting structures to reduce the load on the internal supports.
Gothic in the modern world
Today, gothic style is often found in interior decoration. Since the Gothic style requires a large space, it is most often used in the decoration of country houses.
Arched windows are used to create more space. The original mosaic looks more profitable than banal window panes. For this, you can use ready-made stained-glass windows imitating the style of the Middle Ages, or you can order the collection of stained glass manually.