Romanesque Architecture Vs. Gothic Architecture
...es under its groin like the one seen at Saint Denis ambulatory and chapels. However, Gothic vaults had more thinly vaulted webs between the arches than the Romanesque. And instead of a rounded arch, Gothic rib vaults were pointed. With the pointed arch, gothic architects were able to make the crowns of all the vaults arches the same level, despite of the space that had to be vaulted. The pointed arches also brought the weight of the vaults more directly downwards than the semicircular arches of Romanesque. This allowed less buttressing to be placed in the building and it allowed the opening up of the walls with large windows beneath the arches. Because pointed arches also lead a viewer’s eye upward, it made the vaults appear taller than they actually were. Another aspect that made Gothic art easily recognizable was its clerestory. One of the problems during the Romanesque era was that the buildings had small windows that did not admit enough light. They needed to develop a masonry vault system that admitted light into the building. With the pointed arch, Gothic buildings were able to take the weight away from the walls and replace them with large clerestories that allowed light in. Not only was light emit into the building but the light were interpreted as “supernatural” due to its stained glass. Cathedrals contained tall clerestories that replaced conceal walls and transformed natural light into Suger’s mystical lux nova. Stained glass was installed to introduce color and religious iconography into church interiors. It also made the Cathedral a more welcoming place for worshippers while Romanesque buildings were gloomy and dark. The stained glass windows were not the only decoration the great Cathedrals contained. The exterior of Gothic architecture was ornate and delicate compared to the plain and solid form of architecture during the Romanesque. Great Cathedrals contained many sculptures in the exterior that elaborated the appearance of the building. For example, the Reims Cathedral is architecturally and sculpturally decorated compared to any building during the Romanesque age. The cathedral contains a king’s g...