Some buildings of this phase, like Chartres Cathedral, have to be subsumed to Early Gothic, others, like the Reims Cathedral and the western parts of Amiens Cathedral, have to be subsumed to High Gothic. Gothique Classique or ( Classic Gothic), from the 1180s to the first third of 13th century, marked by basilicas without lateral tribunes and with triforia without windows. Gothique primitif ( Primary Gothic) or Gothique premier (First Gothic), from short before 1140 until shortly after 1180, marked by tribunes above the aisles of basilicas.The new techniques also permitted the addition of larger windows, including enormous stained glass windows, which fill the cathedrals with light.įrench scholars divide the Gothic of their country into four phases: Its main characteristics are verticality, or height, and the innovative use of the rib vault and flying buttresses and other architectural innovations to distribute the weight of the stone structures to supports on the outside, allowing unprecedented height and volume. The most notable examples are the great Gothic cathedrals of France, including Notre-Dame Cathedral, Reims Cathedral, Chartres Cathedral, and Amiens Cathedral. The bricks used in such an arch are often referred to as 'voussoirs'.Top left: Notre-Dame de Paris top right: rose window, Notre-Dame de Paris center left: interior of Chartres Cathedral center right: Reims Cathedral bottom: Sainte-Chapelle, Parisįrench Gothic architecture is an architectural style which emerged in France in 1140, and was dominant until the mid-16th century. In Eastern Romanesque and Arab architecture the voussoirs are often in alternating colors, usually red and white.ĭuring the 18th and 19th centuries British bricklayers became aware that by thickening the vertical mortar joint between regularly shaped bricks from bottom to top they could construct an elliptical arch of useful strength over either a standard 'former' or over specially constructed timber false work, (work to be removed following the construction of the prime). Voussoir arches distribute weight efficiently and take maximum advantage of the compressive strength of stone, as in an arch bridge. Each wedge-shaped voussoir turns aside the thrust of the mass above, transferring it from stone to stone to the springer's bottom face ('impost'), which is horizontal and passes the thrust on to the supports. The word is a mason's term borrowed in Middle English from French verbs connoting a "turn" ( OED). An enlarged and slightly dropped keystone is often found in Mannerist arches of the 16th century, such as the portal of the "church house" at Colditz Castle.) The springer is the lowermost voussoir, located where the curve of the arch springs from the vertical support or abutment of the wall or pier. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. Īlthough each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. William Henry Playfair, University of Edinburgh: beveled edges of each stone block emphasize the voussoirsĪ voussoir (pronounced /vuˈswɑr/) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.
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