Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture. It originated in the Île-de-France and Picardy regions of northern France. The style at the time was sometimes known as opus Francigenum ; the term Gothic was first applied contemptuously during the later Renaissance, by those ambitious to revive the architecture of classical antiquity.
Image: Wells Cathedral West Front Exterior, UK Diliff
Image: Sainte Chapelle Interior Stained Glass
Image: Rouen (38564194996)
Pointed arches in the Tower of the church of San Salvador, Teruel
An architectural style is a classification of buildings based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, form, size, structural design, and regional character.
The Architect's Dream by Thomas Cole (1840) shows a vision of buildings in the historical styles of the Western tradition, including ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, and Gothic.
