Gothic secular and domestic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture.
Originating in 12th-century France and lasting into the 16th century, Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe. It is also the architecture of many non-religious buildings, such as castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls, universities and to a less prominent extent, private dwellings.
Although secular and civic architecture in general was subordinate in importance to ecclesiastical architecture, civic architecture grew in importance as the Middle Ages progressed.
Background
Political
At the end of the 12th century, Europe was divided into a multitude of
Throughout Europe at this time there was a rapid growth in trade and an associated growth in towns.[4][5] Germany and the Lowlands had large flourishing towns that grew in comparative peace, in trade and competition with each other, or united for mutual weal, as in the Hanseatic League. Civic building was of great importance to these towns as a sign of wealth and pride. England and France remained largely feudal and produced grand domestic architecture for their kings, dukes and bishops, rather than grand town halls for their burghers.
Religious
The
Geographic
From the 10th to the 13th century, Romanesque architecture had become a pan-European style and manner of construction, affecting buildings in countries as far apart as Ireland, Croatia, Sweden and Sicily. The same wide geographic area was then affected by the development of Gothic architecture, but the acceptance of the Gothic style and methods of construction differed from place to place, as did the expressions of Gothic taste. The proximity of some regions meant that modern country borders do not define divisions of style. On the other hand, some regions such as England and Spain produced defining characteristics rarely seen elsewhere, except where they have been carried by itinerant craftsmen, or the transfer of bishops. Regional differences that are apparent in the Romanesque period often become even more apparent in the Gothic.
The local availability of materials affected both construction and style. In France,
In Northern Germany, Netherlands, northern Poland, Denmark, and the Baltic countries local building stone was unavailable but there was a strong tradition of building in brick. The resultant style, Brick Gothic, is called "Backsteingotik" in Germany and Scandinavia and is associated with the Hanseatic League. In Italy, stone was used for fortifications, but brick was preferred for other buildings. Because of the extensive and varied deposits of marble, many buildings were faced in marble, or were left with undecorated façade so that this might be achieved at a later date.
The availability of timber also influenced the style of architecture, with timber buildings prevailing in Scandinavia. Availability of timber affected methods of roof construction across Europe. It is thought that the magnificent
Scope
New cities, town planning and urbanisation
Several new towns and cities were established in Europe during the high and late Middle Ages. Beginning in the 12th century,
While most cities during the Gothic era grew over a longer period in a more or less haphazard way, there are some examples of centralised town planning from the period. Several new towns designed with
In England, a symmetrical plan was conceived but never completely carried out for
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The medieval street layout of Aigues-Mortes, France, developed into a crusader port during the 13th century.
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Plan of Caernarfon, Wales from 1610, showing the castral town established in Wales to "illustrate in a more symbolic than strategic fashion English power."[12]
It was not only new, founded cities that had extensive building regulations. London, Florence, Paris, Venice and numerous smaller cities in Spain and Italy had rules concerning not only the height and shape of buildings, but also for example regulating the width of streets, the projection of roofs and rules concerning waste management, drainage and fire regulations. The Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy is one of the earliest examples of "coherent town planning along aesthetic lines, perhaps for the first time since antiquity."[2] Official regulations governing the size of the palaces facing the square date from 1298. The famous square is dominated by the Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall. With growing prosperity and an emerging sense of civic pride, town halls such as Palazzo Pubblico often became a show-piece of the cities' growing confidence. In the cities of northern Italy, this development started early and many Gothic town halls and other civic monuments have to a large extent survived to this day.[2]
Outside of Italy, there was a strong growth of trade not least in the Low Countries, and along the Rhine and Rhône rivers. Present-day Belgium is justly famous for its well-preserved medieval cities, like Bruges and Ghent, and its rich heritage of some of the finest civic Gothic architecture, such as the stupendous town halls of Mons, Ghent, Leuven and Oudenaarde.[2]
Lübeck, founded in 1143, quickly established itself as the centre of the Hanseatic League, and the source of inspiration for cities established and expanded in the Baltic Sea region as trade routes in the area grew in importance. The example of Lübeck influenced and promoted similar architectural development in many of the cities in the area, albeit of course with local variations. Notable examples of such Hanseatic towns with rich medieval heritage include Visby,[14] Tallinn,[15] Toruń,[16] Stralsund and Wismar[17] to name a few. Characteristic for many of these towns is the extensive use of brick, in the so-called Brick Gothic style.[2]
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Oudenaarde Town Hall built by Hendrik van Pede in 1526-1537 as one of the last Gothic town halls of present-day Belgium.
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Tallinn Town Hall (completed 1404). Hanseatic towns such as Tallinn demonstrated their independence through large town halls.
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The fortress-like Palazzo Vecchio (begun 1299) in Florence.
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Old Town Hall incity council, but had also commercial, juiridical and representative function
Castles, fortresses and military structures
Few countries in Europe can rival Spain when it comes to the number of well-preserved Gothic castles, primarily dating from the 15th century. Typical examples of these often severe-looking, strictly military structures are Torrelobatón, El Barco de Ávila and Montealegre castles. An atypical but inventive piece of Gothic architecture is the completely round Bellver Castle on Mallorca island, built in 1300-14 for James II of Majorca by architect Pere Salvà.[2]
In France, the late medieval period — especially the time of the Hundred Years' War — saw the construction of a large number of new, feudal castles and walled towns. Typically, French castles from this time were centred on an either circular or polygonal keep. Examples include the castles at Gisors and Provins.[2]
In parts of what is today Poland and the Baltic States, the crusading
Many towns and cities in Europe during this time were protected by more or less extensive town walls. Notable examples of still extant Gothic town walls still surround the historical centres of Carcassonne, France, Tallinn, Estonia and York, England.
Universities and schools
The colleges of
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The Mob Quad at Merton College, Oxford in England is one of the oldest university quadrangles of Oxford. The pattern has since been copied at many other colleges and universities worldwide.
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Patio de las Escuelas Menores, University of Salamanca, Spain, begun in 1428.
Hospitals and almshouses
The organisation and practices of the hospital-system in Medieval Europe evolved from Christian monasticism. But the Middle Ages saw the development of both purpose-built, sometimes specialised hospitals and almshouses, conceived to provide housing for the elderly or long-term ill. In the 13th century, urban communities gradually took over the responsibility of caring for the sick.[19] Concerning the architecture of such purpose-built hospitals, at least in England "the basic layout of larger, purpose-built hospitals was quite consistent. A large 'infirmary hall' with rows of beds on each side housed the sick and the infirm. The chapel was in full view - the care of the soul was just as important as the care of the body."[20] Notable examples of almshouses include the Hôtel Dieu in Beaune, France, the Hospital of St Cross in Winchester, England and the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Lübeck, Germany.
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The Hospital of the Holy Spirit, Lübeck.
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Interior view of the Hôtel Dieu, Beaune.
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The Hospital of St Cross is England's oldest and largest almshouse.
Bridges
Among the most impressive feats of medieval engineering is bridge construction, "comparable with the great cathedrals of the period". Purely residential and even palatial buildings also survive in several French cities. The
Houses and palaces
At the very end of the Gothic period, Benedikt Rejt in Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic), drawing on a local tradition of elaborate tracery and inventiveness (so-called Sondergotik) best represented by Peter Parler, created some of the most elaborate examples of complex vaulting in Gothic architecture at Prague Castle. The Vladislav Hall (built 1493-1502) by Rejt is the largest secular hall of the late Middle Ages.[2] Here and in the so-called "Riders' Staircase" (also in Prague Castle), Rejt devised unique vaults: "[The Vladislav Hall's] amazing vault boasts intertwined double-curved or three-dimensional lierne ribs reaching almost to the floor. Similarly inventive is the vault over the Riders' Staircase with its twisting, asymmetrical, truncated ribs."[2]
The castle of
Other structures and buildings
A number of medieval shipyards, notably the Drassanes[23] in Barcelona, Spain and the Venetian Arsenal in Venice, Italy survive to this day. Of these two, the Drassanes is the most purely Gothic building complex, while the Venetian arsenal was arguably the most important — indeed, it was the largest industrial complex in Europe prior to the Industrial Revolution.
References
- ISBN 978-1-4742-0776-8.
- ^ ISBN 0-8230-2277-3.
- ^ "L'art Gothique", section: "L'architecture Gothique en Angleterre" by Ute Engel: L'Angleterre fut l'une des premieres régions à adopter, dans la deuxième moitié du XIIeme siècle, la nouvelle architecture gothique née en France. Les relations historiques entre les deux pays jouèrent un rôle prépondérant: en 1154, Henri II (1154–1189), de la dynastie Française des Plantagenêt, accéda au thrône d'Angleterre." (England was one of the first regions to adopt, during the first half of the 12th century, the new Gothic architecture born in France. Historic relationships between the two countries played a determining role: in 1154, Henry II (1154–1189) became the first of the Anjou Plantagenet kings to ascend to the throne of England).
- ^ a b c Banister Fletcher, A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method.
- ^ a b John Harvey, The Gothic World
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4742-0776-8.
- ^ Alec Clifton-Taylor, The Cathedrals of England
- ^ Historic England. "Guildhall and Chamber Range, Atkinson block, Common Hall Lane and boundary wall containing entrance to lane (1257929)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "The fortified towns of Aquitaine". Tourisme Aquitaine. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ Vallois, Thirza (16 March 2011). "Intriguing Bastides". France Today. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ "Vicars' Close, Wells". Wells Visitor Service. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd". UNESCO. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4742-0776-8.
- ^ "Hanseatic Town of Visby". UNESCO. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ "Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn". UNESCO. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ "Medieval Town of Toruń". UNESCO. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ "Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar". UNESCO. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ "Huit siècles d'histoire".
- PMC 2359880.
- ^ "Disability in Medieval Hospitals and Almshouses". English Heritage. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
- )
- ^ Shirley-Smith, Hubert. "Bridge (engineering)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
- ^ "Civil gothic architecture". Generalitat de Catalunya. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.