Gothic Revival Is Everywhere, And You Probably Didn't Even Know It

I spend a lot of time thinking about Gothic architecture. Reading about it. Looking at it. Talking about it to whoever will listen.

Something I learned recently that I can’t stop thinking about is the Gothic Revival movement.

Most of us are familiar with the way that trends go in cycles.

Fashion and home decor trends change with the seasons, the years, the decades. Architecture is the same. Homes, offices, storefronts… Everything is built differently today than it was 50 years ago.

Or 100 years ago.

Or 800 years ago.

It’s a tale as old as time. A new style comes out. It’s cool, cutting edge. It pushes the envelope. It’s desirable. Everyone wants it.

That’s what Gothic architecture was in the 12th century. It was innovative. It was fresh. It did something that had never been done before. And it was all the rage.

Grand cathedrals sprang up across Europe. Countries were in competition to have the best Gothic church. That’s how we ended up with epic cathedrals such as the Cologne Cathedral in Germany and the Duomo di Milano in Italy.

But just like an old pair of jeans, Gothic architecture eventually had its run and fell out of fashion. In fact, it became very unpopular.

A cathedral is so much more than a building. It is a place of worship. A place of refuge for some. A place of trauma for others. This was as true a thousand years ago as it is today.

A lot has happened inside Gothic cathedrals.

Weddings. Funerals. Coronations. Baptisms.

Trials. Executions. Riots. Battles.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So what drove Gothic architecture to fall out of fashion?

Time passes and sentiments change. New architecture styles emerged, and new ideas came about. Culture was changing. Trends were changing.

Were people tired of seeing Gothic cathedrals? Maybe a little. Were people tired of The Church? Yes. The monarchy? Absolutely. And what were Gothic cathedrals if not a symbol of The Church, The Monarchy, The Establishment?

The Protestant Reformation during the 16th century sought to resolve corruption in the Church.

“I’ve got a lot of problems with you people, and now, you’re going to hear about it!” - Martin Luther, as he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church. (This is not a direct quote).

A lot happened during the Reformation, and we don’t have time to cover it all. What we will cover is that there was quite a conundrum about visual depictions of spiritual figures. Statues, paintings, stone carvings, stained glass windows… They were created to glorify God, but during the Reformation, many decided that these icons were a bad thing.

This idea was called iconoclasm, a belief that religious images are inherently sinful and should be destroyed.

The same Gothic cathedrals that were once held in high esteem were now called sinful. Grotesque. Excessive. Barbaric.

And a lot of them were destroyed.

For hundreds of years, Gothic cathedrals were intentionally damaged, neglected into disrepair, spat on. Windows were shattered, statues were crushed. Some cathedrals were torn down entirely. Many were neglected until they crumbled into ruin. The era of Gothic cathedrals was over.

Time went by. Life went on. New ideas took hold, new inventions were created. Generations lived and died. A new era came and went.

And eventually, sentiments changed again.

Time is a funny thing. When we look back on things, it’s easy to feel nostalgic. Our view of the past is often tinted with romanticism and rose-colored glasses.

Was it nostalgia that sparked the Gothic Revival movement? In part, I think so.

Granted, it was other things, too.

Post-Reformation Europe decided that some of the iconoclasm stuff was maybe a bit of an over-correction. Worship-wise, things were swinging back in the direction of traditional liturgies.

And as for the Gothic cathedrals? The ones that had been frowned upon, vandalized, neglected?

They were back in vogue.

So what exactly was the Gothic Revival movement?

Gothic cathedrals across Europe that had previously fallen into disrepair were finally under restoration. They became revered as cultural artifacts, relics of the past, symbolic of a country’s heritage.

They were desirable again, and with the Church leaning back towards tradition, there was a consensus that Gothic-style architecture was actually the correct and most beautiful way to build a church.

So architects and builders got to work.

Gothic Revival churches sprang up all over Europe. Using modern building techniques and tools, they were built with all the hallmark features of Gothic architecture—ribbed vaults, pointed arches, towering spires, and large stained glass rose windows.

The style spread across the world. Gothic Revival churches started popping up in every major city, but smaller communities were challenged by the expense of sourcing and moving stone.

This drove architects to come up with a solution so that every church, no matter how small, could be constructed in the Gothic Revival style. They created pattern books.

Pattern books provided instructions that any skilled carpenter could follow to build a Gothic-style church using the materials available to them locally. Dozens of architects contributed to the hundreds of pattern books produced during the 18th and 19th centuries.

From these pattern books emerged “Carpenter Gothic” style churches, constructed of wood. With pointed arches on windows and doors, a steeple, and a little bit of stained glass, it’s the kind of church you’d see driving along country back roads in rural Appalachia.

Another style, “Brick Gothic,” emerged as bricks became a popular building material. They were constructed with tall stained glass windows, pointed arches, and towering spires. Some also have ribbed vaults and rose windows. Brick Gothic churches are quite common in cities and small towns across America. It’s likely there’s one in your neighborhood!

Many more variations on Gothic architecture emerged during the 18th and 19th centuries, but they all had something in common—their design echoes the ancient architectural style of Europe’s oldest and grandest cathedrals.

And that’s how Gothic Revival became ubiquitous.

You won’t be surprised to learn that things changed again in the 20th century. The post-Victorian world had had enough of ornateness, and was leaning toward simplicity and functionalism. Hello, modernist movement. Hello, amphitheater-style chapels and abstract stained glass.

Is it any coincidence that the modernist movement in architecture was happening around the same time as the Catholic Church’s implementation of Vatican II? I don’t think so.

When culture changes, architecture changes with it. You know the quote: “art imitates life, life imitates art.”

What will humanity come up with next?

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xx 
Sasha Marion