Gothic 101

If you are unfamiliar with the subject, reading the articles under the “Primers” header, in the suggested order, is the best place to learn the basics about the world of Gothic.

Subsequent headers and articles can be fruitfully read as your interest carries you, though I do have some rhyme and reason to the ordering below, and ideas in posts further down the list sometimes build on earlier ones.

NB: Most of these posts were originally published on my publication Both/And, and have been cross-posted here. Clicking those links will take you to Both/And. (Like many Gothic cathedrals built over centuries, this site bears the imprint of earlier structures.)

Primers

Two Short Histories of Gothic Architecture

The Parts of a Gothic Cathedral

The Mystical Roots of Gothic Architecture

The Evolution of Gothic Architecture, Part I

The Evolution of Gothic Architecture, Part II

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Showcases

The Portals of Chartres, Part I

The Portals of Chartres, Part II

The Portals of Chartres, Part III

The Fifty Greatest Works of Gothic

This is a series that will countdown the world’s greatest Gothic architecture over the course of 2025:

An Introduction to the Series

The List (So Far)