How are of the Gothic Cathedrals representatives of the late Middle Ages?

Answer 1

They are representative of different aspects of the Middle Ages:
- the evolution of art from Roman style to Gothic style, and probably the evolution of technics. Gothic cathedrals are indeed higher with more light.
- the role of God and religion in the society. Nowadays, we have difficulties to realize that religion was not only a personnal thing but had a strong social and political role.
- the role of the artists in the society: the art works in the cathedrals (paintings, statues) were not signed by the artists. You don't know much about Middle Ages artists because the importance of the artist was set up during the Renaissance
- sometimes, it is representative of people's life. For instance, in the cathedral of Chartres (in France), stained glass windows were often given to churches by corporate bodies (the bakers, for instance) and so can represent some representation of this profession in a corner of a religious picture

Answer 2

The Middle Ages refer roughly to the period which began with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 and ended with the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492. It also ended with the Reformation, the Renaissance and the invention of the printing press. The Gothic style dominated architecture in Europe from the late twelfth century to the fifteenth century.

Christianity had taken hold of Europe by the time of the late Renaissance although it struggled early in the Middle Ages. It had become what is described as the binding force of medieval culture. Religion was at the centre of every aspect of life, although secular forces such as chivalry, conspicuous military adventures (exemplified by the Crusades) and artisans' guilds were allied with Christianity. Unity was found in faith, doctrine and institutions of Christianity. The Gothic cathedrals were the structures from which the religious institutions operated.

The founding of the Gothic movement in architecture is commonly attributed to Abbot Suger of St.-Denis near Paris. Around the end of the twelfth century he recorded the ideals of the Gothic movement, which were basically simplicity and economy. The Gothic movement took hold in Northern Europe initially because of the abundance of forest in the area. It was discovered that when people built with wood they could reach higher altitudes. Wood was lighter than the traditional stone material. It soon was discovered in sequence that when someone built with wood, the spaces could be filled with glass. Glass was a recent invention. Stained glass thus developed into an art, and it was used to reduce the weight of the building structure even more, as well as to send a religious message. The stained glass windows, which depicted religious themes, allowed a lot of light to enter the building. The previous Romanesque structures were relatively dark inside. The increased height and the sunlight began to develop a symbolic significance, with the height being associated with the heavens and the light with the light of God.

It was possible to build a ribbed vault in the lighter weighing structure. Flying butresses were built on the Gothic cathedrals in order to add stability to the tallness of the building. A flying butress was a type of masonry arch leaning on parts of the outer walls to counteract the pressure of the vaults.

High towers, pointed arches, pinnacles and much sculpture were part of Gothic design, as well as the stained-glass windows.

The overall flowing, soaring visual effect which characterized Gothic architecture, left an aesthetic appeal, which may have been serendipidous. Gothic cathedrals sometimes have been criticized for their extravagence, but they were actually much more economical to build than religious structures made of stone generally were.

Some notable examples of early Gothic architecture were the abbey at St.-Denis, from which Abbot Suger worked, the cathedral at Amiens, France and the cathedral at Chartres in northern France. The abbey at St.-Denis is noted for its use of the pointed arch and ribbed vault. The cathedral at Amiens is noted for its height, and the cathedral at Chartres is famous for its stained glass. Noteworthy examples of English Gothic architecture are the cathedrals at Salisbury, Lincoln and Canterbury.

The guild houses were another type of Gothic structure in architecture, and they are characterized by the same type of height and ornamentation as the Gothic cathedrals projected. Examples are the Guild Houses in The Netherlands, such as those found in Grand Place, Brussels and in the city of Antwerp.
Although Christianity was administered from Rome during the Middle Ages, secular institutions such as the bands of trade guilds were local. They thus reflected the feudalistic structure of society in Europe during the time of the Middle Ages.