Architecture History - Essay Example

thinkers and writers of the Italian Renaissance who abhorred the dismantling of the classical traditions derided the medieval architecture of the Middle Ages, and named it Gothic after the herds of Goths who were responsible for the desecration of the classical tenets. Gothic art was a derogatory term, when in the 19th century, a re-look at the architectural wonders of the 11 and 12th centuries created a fan following for this style of building. Architecture was, in those days, the most original and awe-inspiring form of art and Gothic architecture stands apart from the other great architectural periods on account of its constant evolution.

It is the outcome of impulse and tendencies, rather than a tableau of set rules and for this reason, it is impossible to point to a single building from the period which upholds itself as an example of the tenets of the Gothic style. This style is, instead, an amalgamation of the inherited knowledge, traditions and peculiar environment in which it stands, in accordance with the religious and secular impulses of the area. The George W. South Memorial Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia is one of the finest examples of the Gothic Revival style and its engineering, construction, and designs were systematically sourced from the great Gothic cathedrals of France.

The church stands majestic in the cityscape, lavishly sculpted, adorned with immaculate stained-glass windows, full of flying buttresses and most amazingly, it has a true East orientation. The church is built in adherence with details found in French Gothic Basilica and has a three-aisle nave, quadripartite vaults, a semicircular apse and ambulatory, transepts, a narthex and a complete apparatus of flying buttresses. The elevation on each side consists of a simple transept, marked by tall lancet windows.

The transept and raised nave walls are supported by heavy flying buttresses. The Gothic style of architecture incorporates the ribbed vault, the pointed arch and the