The most profuse type of Gothic structure is easily the cathedral, church, or basilica — religious buildings. These are some of the highlights, across time and Europe ….
Early Gothic, 1130–1200
Construction of Notre-Dame de Paris began in 1160, 25 years after the remodeling of the Basilica of St. Denis. Notre-Dome was largely completed by 1260, but would continue to be renovated and remodeled throughout the Gothic period, resulting in a structure with elements from several stages. It fell into disrepair and suffered damage in the French Revolution, until Victor Hugo raised public interest in the building through the publication of his book The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, resulting in a 25-year-long restoration project, during which the infamous Notre-Dame grotesques characterized in the Disney movie were added.
Canterbury Cathedral caught fire in 1174, the crypt and the outer walls of the choir survived. It was rebuilt with full Gothic pizaz: pointed arches, rib vaulting, flying buttresses, and of course … stained glass windows. The Trinity Chapel and the shrine of Thomas Becket were added at the same time. The shrine, and hence the cathedral, became a major pilgrimage site (The Canterbury Tales) until 1538, when Henry VIII summoned Sir Thomas Becket to court on charges of treason. It was dangerous to be a Catholic saint in the Protestant Reformation; when Becket failed to show, he was declared guilty and the shrine confiscated.
High Gothic, 1200–1270
Notre-Dame de Reims, or Reims Cathedral, was also built as a result of a fire, this one on May 6 1210. The project was still in full gear in 1233, when a dispute between the cathedral’s clergy and the locals boiled over into full-blown revolting. The clergy fled the town, leaving the partial cathedral abandoned for three years. Building resumed but the nave wouldn’t be roofed until 1299 and the facade wasn’t completed until the next century. Interestingly, the same plans were used throughout the building, so unlike the Notre-Dame de Paris, Reims maintained a High Gothic style.
Westminster Abbey has been the coronation site of British kings since the Normans, however the current building was not built until the 11th century. In 1245, King Henry III began construction with the dual purpose of creating a grand shrine for the relics of Edward the Confessor and a place for he himself to be buried, beginning the tradition of burials within Westminster Abbey (most recent was Steven Hawkings’ ashes). The next major addition was Henry VII’s Lady Chapel in 1503. The two western towers were added in the 1700s as a Gothic Revival addition, based off medieval towers that were never completed.
Rayonnant Gothic, 1250–1370s
Sainte-Chapelle was built less than a 10 minute walk from Notre-Dame de Paris specifically for the housing of Passion relics. Construction began somewhere in the decade before 1248, when it was dedicated. It is considered one of the highlights of the Rayonnant Gothic era, containing some of the best stained glass examples in the world (architecture & stonework aside …). The relics remained at Sainte-Chapelle until they were dispersed during the French Revolution, with certain ones deemed artistically important moved to Notre-Dame.
King John I of Portugal began construction on Batalha Monastery in 1386 in gratitude and to fulfill a promise to the Virgin Mary about a victory over the Castilians the year before. It would take over a century, seven reigns, and fifteen architects to complete, it was consecrated in 1517. It contains elements of both Rayonnant and Flamboyant Gothic because of the time stretch. It was never truly completed, with architects abandoning previous designs and leaving elements such as roofless chapels and buttresses supporting nothing.
Flamboyant Gothic, 1350–1550
St. Barbara’s Church began construction in 1388 … and finished in 1905. The building on the church was subject to Kutna Hora, the local town’s, prosperity levels which were based on the silver mine the town grew up around, hence the work ebbing and flowing throughout the centuries. The original design was Gothic, but around 1600 Jesuits took over and introduced more Baroque elements.
Bath Abbey was founded on a site of worship in use even prior to Roman times. A Norman construction was in shambles by 1499 and orders were given to rebuild it. The same architect responsible for the fan vaulted ceiling in the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, William Vertue, was commissioned for the fan vaulted ceiling in Bath Abbey. The building as a whole was completed shortly before the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, after which it suffered neglect again until Elisabeth I took an interest in its restoration. Again worn by the 18th century, it was remodeled in Neo-Gothic style, at which point flying buttresses and pinnacles were added to the exterior.
