While the Europeans made little advances in health and science during medieval times, they accomplished quite a bit when it came to architecture with their cathedrals, the massive houses of worship that are as garish as they are beautiful.
These cathedrals come in two styles, Romanesque and Gothic.
Romanesque:
The first style of cathedral building began in the year 1000.
Gothic:
Originated in Northern France in the year 1170.
The Gothic style, with its steep roofs and gargoyles, was an improvement (in size and artistry) over the already huge Romanesque for three main reasons:
1: The pointed arch. This was an arch with a pointed crown or apex. This eliminated the awkward look of previous arches and directed the weight of the vault downward. This meant that slender, vertical piers could be used in construction as well as thin, lateral buttressing.
2: The rib vault. This increased the space inside the cathedral and also the height. It also reduced the thickness of cathedral walls and enlarged window space, which allowed more light to enter the cathedral.
3: The flying buttress. An external buttress of masonry connected to the outside wall of the cathedral by an arch. This was done to provide relief for the cathedral walls, which was under stress from outward pressure coming from its own weight (sort of like pressing your hands against a fat person's belly). This made the vaults safer and the pillars could be placed outside of the side isles.
"I'm into Gothic! Maybe I'll paint my claws black!"
The artwork of the cathedrals are basically in these two categories:
Gargoyle — meaning 'throat' or 'waterspout'. They were elaborately carved animals or fantastic creatures projecting from cathedral gutters.
Grotesque — a style of painting or sculpture. Creatures, humans or animals with distorted or bizarre appearance intermingled with foliage, flowers or fruit in a fantastic design.
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