archie
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Identifying feature

Flying buttress

A buttress standing apart from the wall, joined to it by a half arch that carries the stone ceiling's outward push to the ground. It lets Gothic cathedrals have thinner walls and larger windows.

a sign of these styles

Notre-Dame de Paris, Paris, France: an example of Gothic Gothic c. 1150–1500 Pointed arches, ribbed ceilings, and flying buttresses that let stone walls turn into glass and light.

often seen with

Buttress A mass of stone or brick built against an outside wall to resist the outward push, called thrust, of the roof. Lancet window A tall, narrow window topped by a pointed arch. Pointed arch An arch whose two curved sides meet at a point, called the apex. Rose window A large round window divided by stone bars, called tracery, that radiate from the center, usually filled… Spire A tall, tapering structure in the form of a cone or narrow pyramid, built on top of a tower or roof. Stained glass Pieces of colored glass held together by strips of lead, called cames, to form pictures or patterns. Tracery window A window divided by vertical stone bars called mullions, which branch at the top into curved stonework…