The Gothic churches in France arc distinguished for the magnificence of their facades and the grandeur of their interiors. As the true object of a church is to have a good interior, the French Gothic churches are to be esteemed superior to those of any other land. The catliedral at Kheims (Fig. 8) is esteemed the finest Gothic church in existence. 'J'he other most impor- tant churches are the cathedrals of Paris, Amiens, Rouen, Dijon, ( 'hartres, Beauvais, etc. In the cathe- [ dral at Paris (Notre Dame), and in some other French ] Gothic churches, there is a greater tendency to hori- zontalncss in the lines of the exterior than is found in the English or German Gothic.
GOTHIC ARCHITECTUKE 945 GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
Fig.S. Fafade of the Cathedral of Rlieims (ibid.).
The En;clisli Gothic cathedrals surpass those of all other LuuLs in the varied eoiiibinations of striking ef- fects in the exteriors. The -windows often overpower ths doors and other features of the faoade, and the nave is usually too long and narrow for fine effect. Th3 plan is frequently rectangular, and is sometimes crossed by two transepts. The finest examples of I'.nglish Gothic are the cathedrals of York (Fig. P), ■i.ilisbury, Canterbury, Lincoln, Peterborough, and the Westminster Abhej'. The richest interiov in English churches is that of Ilenrj^'s chapel in the AVestminster Alibcy. The grandeur of the effect of this interior is diminished, however, by the minuteness of the orna- mentation.
In the German Gothic churches the spires are more b-juitifully wrought, and are more harmoniously join- ed to the towers than in the churches of any other country. The spires of the cathedrals of Freiburg and of Vienna are considered the finest in the world. The III.— 0 o o
round choir, with a row of chapels, that prevails in tlic |dans of most French Gothic churches, is generally adopted. The cathedral of Cologne (founded 1218) is the largest Gothic church ever erected. Its towers are now (18C0) being finished. When they are com- pleted, this edifice will be the most glorious work of ecclesiastical architecture ever erected. The style is somewhat affected liy the too great minuteness of the detail. The harmonious perpendicular tendency of tiie lines is unexampled in any other edifice (Fig. 10). The other chief Gothic churches of Germany are the cathedrals of Strasburg, Freiburg, Ulm, Vienna, Magde- burg, Meissen.
The Spanish surpassed the French, English, or Ger- man Gothic in the varied richness of outline ; but there were frequently too many horizontal lines in the interior as well as the exterior, and the ornament was often overladen. The cathedral of Burgos (Fig. 11), begun in 122-1 and finished in 1567, is marked by a
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE 940 GOTHIC AKCH.TaCTURE
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GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE 947 GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE
lig 11 C thelinl of Burc;o (lid)
prodigality of external ornamentation. But, with all this richiress, there is alack of repose and of liijhtncss in the general effect. Other important Gothic church- es in Spain are the cathedrals of Orvieto, Toledo, Bar- celona, Oviedo, Leon, and Valencia. The influence of the IMoorish architecture is visible in many of the Gothic churches in Spain. There are several excel- lent examples of the Gothic architecture in Portugal, as the cloister church in Batalha and the church in Beleni. The entrance to the mausoleum of Manoel, in t'le church of Batalha, is one of the most gorgeous specimens of Moro-Gothic architecture.
In Scotland, Bclgkim, and Holland, Gothic archi- tecture took the general characteristics of this style in the adjacent countries of England, France, and Ger- many. The cathedral of Antwerp is remarkable for the beauty of some of the details of the interior. On the other hand, the violations of constructive and aesthetic laws, both in the interior and in the exterior,
are striking proofs of the decadence of artistic feeling, during the latter part of the history of Gothic archi- tecture. In Scandinavia, also, Gothic architecture is marked by the development of few, if any, native el- ements. The cathedral of Upsala is essentially a French, and that of Drontheim an English edifice. The interior of the latter is marked by a number of exceedingly picturesque effects.
Gothic architecture was never fully naturalized in Italy. The traditions of classical and basilican archi- tecture in favor of round arches and horizontal lines overpowered the Gothic tendency to perpendicular lines. The predilection for paintings on walls pre- vented the adoption of glass-painting in the windows. Towers surmounted by spires were replaced i)y cam- paniles adjacent to the church. ]MarI)le of two col- ors is usually employed in the exteriors, and mosaic paintings frequently replace sculpture in tlie facades. The fronts, though very impressive in themselves, are
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE 948
GOTHIC VERSION
Fig. 13. Cathedral of .Sienna (ibid.).
often false, not representing the trne size of the church. The finest examples are tlie cathedrals of Sienna (Fig. 12), Orvieto, Florence, Perugia, and jNIilan. Tiie ca- thedral at Milan has a magniticent interior, and its roof is covered b}' a forest of statuary and turrets. The tower of the cathedral of Florence, designed by Giotto, is the most beautiful ever erected. Its cost ■was over $5,000,000.
It is a mistake to consider Gothic architecture to be adapted onh' to ecclesiastical edifices. During the Middle Ages this stjde was applied with marked effect to edifices of all kinds — to castles and fortified gates of cities, as well as to city halls, courts of justice, and palatial residences.