Top Ten French Gothic Cathedrals
The Gothic style originated in France; the Ile de France and Picardy are dotted with fine cathedrals.These ten cathedrals represent the heights of the Gothic style. But warning; if you get addicted, you’re going to want to search out the others too – Sens and Senlis, Soissons, Noyon, Mantes… you might [...]
French architecture of the early modern period is characterized by three main tendencies: the survival of Gothic technology and form, the influence of Italian and ancient models of classicism, and the effort to form a strong French architectural language. Political and social overtones varied in the Renaissance, with ancient and Italian classical influences gradually merging [...]
The earliest art from the Middle Ages was created under the rule of the emperor Charlemagne. In 768, Charlemagne became king of the Franks, the Germanic tribe that occupied modern day France. He was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III in 800. His contributions to the Catholic Church made it the cultural force it eventually [...]
Seen from miles around at the heart of Kent, Canterbury Cathedral is an integral part of the city’s World Heritage, praised for its Gothic architecture and stained glass windows. It’s acknowledged as the cradle of Christianity in England and is the seat of the Anglican Church. The cathedral’s long history began with by the arrival [...]
Gothic architecture in Europe and Great Britain grew out the Crusades. The rounded arches in churches soon evolved to the strong arch and Gothic style was born.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote that the principle of Gothic architecture is “infinity made imaginable.” And Ralph Waldo Emerson described a Gothic cathedral as “a blossoming in stone.” Both writers [...]
