The Gothic Movement

In the days of Rome, there were widely known as conquerors, raiding and pillaging much like Alexander the Great. However, unlike the Greek ruler, these tribes would be labeled as barbaric. They were named the "Goth" tribes, an example being the Visigoths. These were not what the people called themselves, but the names associated to them by others.

Due to the common perception of the Goths being barbaric, the descriptor of "Gothic" was used in a deragotory manner by criticizers of a new building style that arose in medival Europe, around the mid 12th century (aka the 1100s). Thus, the era of Gothic arcitecture began. But what caused this change in design? In short: vaults. Vaults are groups of various arches used to create ceilings or roofs. They are visually pleasing and also happen to effectively move the weight of the roof off of singular points. At the time, barrel vaults were more commonly used in large structures. Barrel vaults, however, put immense pressure on the outer walls and often led to their collapse in heavier structures. To remedy this, masons cooked up a new solution: ribbed vaults. They allow for weight to be more evenly dispersed, and gave masons a new look to play with. The new vaults were first used in cathedrals to allow for grander structures, and inspired the structural design of Notre-Dame de Paris though not everyone was a fan, as previously mentioned.