Pointed arch

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Pointed arch (architecture)
)
See also: Gothic architecture and Islamic architecture
Pointed arches form the rib vaults of Worcester Cathedral (1084–1504)

A pointed arch,

Christian architecture, Byzantine architecture and Sasanian architecture, but in the 12th century it came into use in France and England as an important structural element, in combination with other elements, such as the rib vault and later the flying buttress. These allowed the construction of cathedrals, palaces and other buildings with dramatically greater height and larger windows which filled them with light.[3]

Early arches

7th-century Byzantine pointed arches from Chytroi-Constantia Aqueduct, Cyprus

Crude arches pointed in shape have been discovered from the Bronze Age site of

Sassanian examples, mostly evidenced in early church building in Syria and Mesopotamia, but also in engineering works such as the Byzantine Karamagara Bridge, with a pointed arch of 17 m span, making "the pre-Muslim origins of pointed architecture an unassailable contention".[5]

The clearest surviving example of pre-islamic pointed archs are the two pointed archs of Chytroi-Constantia Aqueduct in Cyprus dating back to the 7th century CE.[6]

Pointed arches – Islamic architecture

The pointed arch became an early feature of architecture in the

Persian architecture,[10] the architecture of the Timurid Empire,[11] and Indo-Islamic architecture.[12][13][14]

The evolution of the pointed arch in Islamic architecture was associated with increases between the centers of the circles forming the two sides of the arch (making the arch less "blunt" and more "sharp"), from 1⁄10 of the

Qasr Al-Mshatta (744), and finally to 1⁄3 in Fustat (861-862).[15]

The appearance of the pointed arch in European

haunches out. In this interpretation, the pointed arch was an attempt to strengthen the semicircular arch against a collapse by moving the crown up and haunches in.[15]

Gothic architecture – pointed arches and rib vaulting

The reduction of thrust on supports that a pointed arch provided, as compared to a semicircular one with the same load and span, was quickly recognized by medieval European builders. They achieved this at first through experimentation, but technical literature dating to the Renaissance indicates that formulas for determining thrust may have been in use during the medieval period.[15]

  • Thirteenth-century illustration by Villard de Honnecourt of how different pointed arches can be made from a single curve of the compass. From Eugène Viollet-le-Duc ""Dictionnaire raisonné de l’architecture française du XIe au XVIe siècle"'
    Thirteenth-century illustration by Villard de Honnecourt of how different pointed arches can be made from a single curve of the compass. From Eugène Viollet-le-Duc ""Dictionnaire raisonné de l’architecture française du XIe au XVIe siècle"'
  • Gothic pointed windows, colonnades and vaults at the Abbey of Saint-Denis, Paris, drawn by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
    Gothic pointed windows, colonnades and vaults at the
    Abbey of Saint-Denis, Paris, drawn by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
  • The dynamics of a rib vault, with outward and downward pressure from ribs balanced by columns and buttresses. The pieces can stand by themselves, without cement. (National Museum of French Monuments, Paris)
    The dynamics of a rib vault, with outward and downward pressure from ribs balanced by columns and buttresses. The pieces can stand by themselves, without cement. (National Museum of French Monuments, Paris)
  • An early sexpartite rib vault drawn by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
    An early sexpartite rib vault drawn by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
  • Rib vaults of Durham Cathedral, with alternating columns and pillars, completed in 1135
    Rib vaults of Durham Cathedral, with alternating columns and pillars, completed in 1135
  • Choir of Lessay Abbey in Normandy (1064–1178)
    Choir of Lessay Abbey in Normandy (1064–1178)
  • Vaulted ceiling of Cefalù Cathedral in Sicily (1131–1240)
    Vaulted ceiling of Cefalù Cathedral in Sicily (1131–1240)
  • Chapel of Saint Firmin in Basilica of Saint-Denis (1140–1144)
    Chapel of Saint Firmin in Basilica of Saint-Denis (1140–1144)
  • Lady Chapel of Salisbury Cathedral (1220–1258)
    Lady Chapel of Salisbury Cathedral (1220–1258)
  • Choir of Beauvais Cathedral (begun 1225) (48.5 meters (159 ft) high
    Choir of Beauvais Cathedral (begun 1225) (48.5 meters (159 ft) high

Rib vaults

In the 12th century, architects in England and France discovered a new use for the pointed arch. They began using the pointed arch to create the

Abbey of Saint Denis in Paris (1140–1144), Lessay Abbey in Normandy (1064–1178), Cefalù Cathedral in Sicily, (1131–1240). and the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris
.

The rib vault quickly replaced the

round arch over the nave pressed down directly onto the walls, which had to be very thick, with few windows, to support the weight. In the rib vault, the thin stone ribs of the pointed arches distributed the weight outwards and downwards to the rows of pillars below. The result was that the walls could be thinner and higher, and they could have large windows between the columns. With the addition of the flying buttress, the weight could be supported by curving columns outside the building, which meant that the Cathedrals could be even taller, with immense stained glass windows. [17]

In the earliest type of Gothic rib vault, the sexpartite vault, the vault had a transversal pointed arch, and was divided by the ribs into six compartments. It could only cross a limited amount of space, and required a system of alternating columns and pillars. This type was used in Sens Cathedral and Notre-Dame de Paris. A new version was soon introduced, which reduced the number of compartments from six to four, distributed the weight equally to four pillars, eliminating the need for alternating columns and pillars, and allowed the vault to span a wider space. This quadripartite vault was used at Amiens Cathedral, Chartres Cathedral, and Reims Cathedral, and gave these structures unprecedented height. [18]

Portals

Portals of Cathedrals in the Gothic period were usually in the form of a pointed arch, surrounded by sculpture, often symbolizing the entrance to heaven.

Windows

The window in the form of a pointed arch is a common characteristic of the Gothic style. Windows sometimes were constructed in the classical form of a pointed arch, which is denominated an "equilateral arch", while others had more imaginative forms that combined various geometric forms (see #Forms). One common form was the lancet window, a tall and slender window with a pointed arch, which took its name from the lance. Lancet windows were often grouped into sets, with two, three or four adjacent windows.

  • Ruin of Aulne Abbey in Belgium (1214–1247)
    Ruin of Aulne Abbey in Belgium (1214–1247)
  • Lancet windows
    Lancet windows
  • A Double-Lancet Window (about 1330) (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
    A Double-Lancet Window (about 1330) (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
  • Pointed windows of the nave of Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes occupy near all the walls. (1379–1480)
    Pointed windows of the nave of Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes occupy near all the walls. (1379–1480)

The late Gothic, also known as the

Flamboyant Gothic, had windows with pointed arches that occupied nearly all the space of the walls. Notable examples are the windows of Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes
(1379–1480)

Forms

Varieties of Gothic pointed arches: 1 - equilateral (with trefoil treatment), 2 - blunt, 3 - lancet, 4 - ogee, 5 - four-centred, 6 - curtain (inflexed), 7 - pointed horseshoe

The most common form of the Gothic pointed arch in windows and arches was based upon an

Holy Trinity. [19]

In the later years of the

flamboyant Gothic the arches and windows often took on more elaborate forms, with tracery circles and multiple forms within forms. Some used a modification of the horseshoe arch, borrowed from Islamic architecture
.

The

depressed arch. Two of the most notable types are known as the Persian arch, which is moderately "depressed".[8]

The Tudor arch, which is flatter than the Persian arch, was widely used in

Tudor dynasty (1485–1603),[20]

Revival of pointed arch

Though the Gothic pointed arch was largely abandoned during the

Houses of Parliament in London, (1840–1876) rebuilt after the earlier building was destroyed by a fire. In the 19th century, pointed arches appeared in varied structures, including the Gothic train station in Peterhof
, Russia (1857).

Notes and citations

  1. ^ Bechmann (2017), p. 322.
  2. ^ Woodman & Bloom 2003, Two-centred.
  3. ^ a b Mignon (2015), p. 10.
  4. ^ "The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mesopotamian Archæology, by Percy S. P. Handcock". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  5. ^ Warren 1991, pp. 61–63
  6. ISSN 0066-622X
    .
  7. ISBN 9781351942584
    .
  8. ^ a b c Petersen (2002), pp. 25, 250–251.
  9. ISBN 9780195309911
    .
  10. ISBN 9780195309911
    .
  11. ^ Petersen (2002), pp. 283.
  12. ISBN 978-90-04-16339-3
    .
  13. ISBN 978-1-4744-6075-0
    .
  14. ISBN 978-1-351-69385-1
    .
  15. ^ a b c arco entry (in Italian) by C. Ewert in the Enciclopedia italiana, 1991
  16. ^ Woodman & Bloom 2003, Pointed.
  17. ^ Renault & Lazé (2005), p. 34-35.
  18. ^ Renault & Lazé (2005), p. 34–35.
  19. ^ Bechmann (2017), pp. 207–215.
  20. ^ Pugin, Augustus (1821). Specimens of Gothic Architecture: Selected from Various Ancient Edifices in England. Vol. 1–2. p. 3.

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Viollet-Le-Duc, Eugene. Dictionnaire raisonné de l'architecture française du XIe au XVIe siècle (in French). (in nine volumes)
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