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Gothic Architecture

By Jackie Craven, About.com

9 of 10

Cathedral Diagram: Gothic Engineering

Main sections of a Gothic cathedral

Main sections of a Gothic cathedral

Illustration: ArtToday.com
Medieval man considered himself an imperfect reflection of the divine light of God, and Gothic architecture was the ideal expression of this view.

New techniques of construction permitted buildings to soar to amazing new heights, dwarfing anyone who stepped inside. Moreover, the concept of divine light was suggested by the airy quality of Gothic buildings, which were much lighter than churches in the earlier Romanesque style.

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