Medieval Times
• In the 11th century, Europe social structure was
based on a system called Feudalism. Feudalism
was the social order where the peasants provided
labor and military service to a lord in return for the
use of his land. This meant that peasants were
considered the lowest in the society and got very
little food and respect. They also had to pay the
most tax money back to their lords. Because the
system was not fair to everyone it often caused
fights amongst the people. When the peasants
started to get more control over their own lives, they
would turn to the Christian religion for stability.
Feudal system
• This is why they began to build
large churches called cathedrals
that could hold lots of people.
These first churches are
described as Romanesque.
Romanesque buildings were
made of stone, but often had
wooden roofs because people
were still not very good at
building stone roofs yet. If they
did have stone roofs, the walls
had to be very thick in order to
hold up the roof. This meant
there couldn't be very many
windows either, so Romanesque
buildings were often very heavy
and dark inside. They had round
arches, like the classical buildings
of Rome, and decorated them
with carvings of people or
animals.
Chartres Cathedral,
Paris
Romanesque
Floor Plans
Romanesque
Cathedral
Architectural Style
 Rounded Arches.
 Barrel vaults.
 Thick walls.
 Darker, simplistic interiors.
 Small windows, usually at the
top of the wall.
Interior of a Romanesque
Cathedral
Note the rounded
arches and the
small windows.
Gothic Cathedrals
Notre Dame Cathedral,
Paris
• After the Romanesque period in
architecture, around 1200 AD, most people
began to build Christian churches and
palaces in the Gothic style. The easiest
difference to see between the two styles is
that while Romanesque churches have
round arches, Gothic churches have pointed
arches. But there are a lot of other
differences as well. Gothic cathedrals have
lots of windows to let in more light so they
are not as dark as Romanesque churches.
Interior of a Gothic
Cathedral
Interior of a Gothic
Cathedral
• They were able to do this because the
architects found some new ways of
building stone roofs that the walls could
support. One of these was called
the flying buttress. It was something
outside the church that pushed against
the wall so the building wouldn’t fall over.
Gothic churches are also usually bigger
than Romanesque churches. By 1200 AD
people had more money available, and
they could afford to spend more on
building great churches.
Flying Buttress
St. Etienne, Bourges,
“Flying” Buttresses
late 12c
Gothic Floor Plans
Gothic Cathedral
Architectural Style
 Began in France in the 12c.
 Pointed arches.
 Flying buttresses.
 Stained glass windows.
 Elaborate, ornate interior.
 Taller, more airy  lots of light.
 Lots of sculpture  larger-than-life.
Gothic “Filigree”
Closeups
Chartres Cathedral,
Paris
Many churches were very richly
decorated, both inside and
out. Here we see important figures
in history and tales from the Bible.
Cathedral Gargoyles
• Perhaps one of the most interesting features of
Gothic architecture are the figures of the
grotesques, the gargoyles. Although they fit every
stereotype about evil creatures, they are instead
guardians of the buildings which they sit. A
gargoyle is actually a carved spout which takes
water away from the sides of building just like a
eves trough on a house. There are similar
sculptures that do not carry away water and are
and simply ornamental are called chimera.
Nowadays it is common for both types of carvings
to be referred to as gargoyles.
Stained Glass Windows
 The term stained glass can refer
to the material of colored glass.
Throughout its history, the term
"stained glass" has been applied
almost exclusively to the windows
of churches, cathedrals, chapels,
and other significant buildings.
Stained glass, as an art form,
reached its height in the Middle
Ages when it became a major way
to communicate using pictures
about the Bible because most
people couldn’t read
Rose Window
A Rose window is often used as a
generic term applied to a round
window, but is especially used for
those found in churches of the Gothic
architectural style and being divided
into segments by a dark frame.
“Rose” WindowDesigns of
Various Kinds
Original
Design
Labyrinth,
1200
Buddhist
Mandala
Which Interior Is Which?
Illuminated Manuscripts
An illuminated
manuscript is a page
from an old book where
the words are surrounded
by decorations fancy
letters, borders and small
pictures. These were made
as a way of giving respect
to ancient documents that
help them survive during
the periods just after
Feudalism.
Illuminated Manuscripts
Medieval Tapestries
from the
Workshops in Flanders
The Lady & the Unicorns, 1511
Late Medieval
Church Art
Chalice, paten, and
straw, mid-13c
Relinquary, late 12c
Late Medieval Art
 St. Francis’
Rule Approved
 Giotto
 1288-92?
 Tempera on
wood and
ground gold.
Medieval Religious
Themes
 The Epiphany
 Giotto
 1320
 Tempera on
wood and
ground gold.
The Crucifixion
 Giotto
 1305
 Tempera on
wood and
ground gold.