什麼是哥德式建築

歐洲的建築風格，從12世紀中期持續到16世紀，特別指以大片牆壁隔開的洞穴式空間、牆壁上鑲飾窗花格爲特徵的磚石建築風格。12～13世紀期間，工程上的技術造就了越來越龐大的建築物。藉着拱頂肋、飛扶垛和尖拱（哥德式），使建造極高結構而儘量保持自然光的問題得以解決；彩繪玻璃窗條造成令人驚訝的室內光斑效果。最早把這些元素合爲單一連貫風格的建築物之一是巴黎聖但尼的大修道院（1135年～1144）。由沙特爾大教堂爲先驅的哥德式盛期（1250年～1300年）受到法國支配，特別是輻射式風格的發展。英國、德國、西班牙產生了這種風格的變體，而義大利哥德式在使用磚塊和大理石而非石頭方面與衆不同。哥德式晚期（15世紀）建築在德國的拱形廳堂式教堂中達到高峯。其他哥德式晚期風格包括英國的垂直式風格和法國、西班牙的火焰式風格。

Gothic architecture

Architectural style in Europe that lasted from the mid-12th century to the 16th century, particularly a style of masonry building characterized by cavernous spaces with the expanse of walls broken up by overlaid tracery. In the 12th-13th century, feats of engineering permitted increasingly gigantic buildings. Solutions to the problem of building a very tall structure while preserving as much natural light as possible were the rib vault, flying buttress, and pointed (Gothic) arch. Stained-glass window panels rendered startling sun-dappled interior effects. One of the earliest buildings to combine these elements into a coherent style was the abbey of Saint-Denis, Paris (c. 1135-44). The High Gothic years (c. 1250-1300), heralded by Chartres Cathedral, were dominated by France, especially with the development of the Rayonnant style. Britain, Germany, and Spain produced variations of this style, while Italian Gothic stood apart in its use of brick and marble rather than stone. Late Gothic (15th-century) architecture reached its heights in Germany's vaulted hall churches. Other late Gothic styles include the British Perpendicular style and the French and Spanish Flamboyant style.