Flying buttress
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The flying buttress is a specific form of buttress composed of an arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, in order to convey to the ground the lateral forces that push a wall outwards, which are forces that arise from vaulted ceilings of stone and from wind-loading on roofs.
Arching above a side aisle roof, flying buttresses support the main vault of St. Mary's Church, in Lübeck, Germany.
The 4th-century Rotunda of Galerius in Thessaloniki, Greece, showing an early example of flying buttresses
Flying buttress of Reims Cathedral, as drawn by Villard de Honnecourt
Architectural drawing of a Neo-Gothic flying buttress for the late 19th-century Votive Church, in Vienna
Amiens Cathedral
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The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens, or simply Amiens Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Amiens. It is situated on a slight ridge overlooking the River Somme in Amiens, the administrative capital of the Picardy region of France, some 120 kilometres north of Paris.
Exterior of Amiens Cathedral
Cutaway plan of the cathedral
The Flamboyant south rose window (16th c.)