What is the true Gothic style (revised from the first draft)

Goth is the transliteration of the English word goth. The word gothic is derived from this word and originally referred to the Goths. It is also said that gothic comes from the German gotik, and the etymology is Gott, which means "God". Therefore, Gothic can be understood as "giving people a feeling of being close to God in form or feeling."

In fact, the word "Gothic" was invented by Italians to mock the characteristic terms of French architecture at that time. It is a derogatory term that means rustic. Because the Normans captured the Western Roman Empire, the Italians had a problem with the Normans in the north. The evolution of its meaning records history, just like hello and ciao in Italian, which originally meant my, your slave, which was related to the slave trade at that time. Isn't it true that in the famous Roman Coliseum, a group of slaves were forced to fight for the amusement of the nobles?

Gothic style is always closely related to darkness, decadence, horror, supernatural and death. It is widely used in various fields such as architecture, sculpture, painting, literature, music, etc. The main elements include bats, roses, solitary castles, crows, crosses, blood, black cats, etc. Representatives of typical architectural styles include Notre Dame de Paris, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Guangzhou, China, and the Ruins of St. Paul's. Their common features are tall pointed arches, flying buttresses and cross-ribbed arches inside; literary works include "Jane Eyre", "Wuthering Heights", etc.; musical works include Bach's "Toccata in D minor". and Fugue". Many horror or vampire movies choose to use this piece of music by Bach because it expresses that fear so well. But when you play this piece on a large organ, you hear it more magnificently. Only sound can speak directly to the heart, like the language of God reaching the soul. Like misunderstood Gothic.

In fact, we all misunderstood the Gothic style. The true Gothic style is characterized by splendor, which originally came from the influence of medieval Norman style architecture. At first, in order to solve the problem that the roof was mostly made of wood and was prone to fire, architects invented the method of building a church by using beams to set up the frame first, and then filling the roof and surrounding areas with lightweight materials. By the way, in the Middle Ages the church was the most important building in a city. So an important art style was born, that is Gothic.

This was a great innovation at the time, changing the construction method of laying bricks from bottom to top, and demonstrating the principles of modern architecture. That is, build the framework first and then add content. Because the vault construction skills of the ancient Roman Pantheon had been lost in more than a thousand years of war. People can no longer build a church simply with stones.

The high spire in a Gothic church symbolizes the proximity to God and heaven. The flying buttresses disperse the downward pressure of the building. Starting from the periphery of the church, it is like an arm that disperses the pressure and makes a vault. decorate. The internal cross-ribbed arches also help to disperse the force, and also have a decorative and regular artistic effect. Due to the use of light materials to decorate the walls, such as huge stained glass, it not only helps to collect light, but also helps in the spread of teachings.

In comparison, the ancient Roman church was very solemn and depressing. The buildings are mostly made of stone, which are thick and have small windows, giving people a sense of majesty but not intimacy. The colorful windows of the Gothic cathedral give people the impression of a glorious and magnificent heaven, making it easier for people to be inspired by the huge spirit of heaven. This architectural style is also more in line with people’s imagination of heaven in the Book of Revelation in the Bible, “The city’s brightness was like a very precious gem, like jasper, as clear as crystal; its walls were made of jasper, and the city was of pure gold, as clear as glass.” ....."

It's just that the flying buttresses look like a skull rising from the ground to support the building, so this misunderstanding arose.