GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE is a loose term used vari ously, but in general it is that type which developed from Roman esque (see BYZANTINE AND ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE) during the latter half of the 12th century, and became general in Europe, except in Italy, by the middle of the 13th century. Its structural forms originated in the effort to build, simply and beautifully, churches completely vaulted in stone with ribbed vaults, with nave, clerestorey windows and side aisles, and with large areas for stained glass; its decorative details developed in the striving to find the loveliest and most appropriate ornament for such structural forms. Its basis is thus structural, and some authorities limit the use of the word Gothic to the architecture of such struc turally vaulted churches (Chas. H. Moore, Gothic Architecture). Although the forms known as Gothic were originally developed in church architecture they soon spread to halls, houses and barns and even affected all industrial ornament. These latter are as "Gothic" as the churches, and this general usage of the word is too wide and too descriptive to be gainsaid.
Gothic architecture, thus broadly defined, has in all its phases and in almost all its local expressions certain constant character istics. These are: (I) the use and careful decorative develop ment of ribbed vaults; (2) the general use of the pointed arch; (3) the decorative subdivision of large window areas into smaller elements easier to glaze, by means of tracery (q.v.) ; (4) deco rative importance given to structural features such as buttresses, piers, vaulting ribs, vaulting shafts, gables, flying buttresses, etc., achieved not only by careful design of the elements themselves, but also by accenting them by means of mouldings, carving and crockets; (5) the use of forms originally structural for ornamental purposes. Thus buttress forms are frequent in the ornament of doors, choir screens, furniture, etc., gables, purely decorative and often pierced or traceried are common and arcades occur solely as ornament; (6) In carving and other decorating, a general tendency towards naturalism; (7) A frequent, but by no means universal, emphasis on vertical rather than horizontal lines and on the impression of height.
Gothic architecture, because it never became bound by the canons which, in general, fixed classic details, and because it required and commanded a higher level of craftsmanship than Romanesque, was a style of continuous growth and freedom. In its origin essentially ecclesiastic, it has always been bound up with the Church; even now it seems, in modified forms, particu larly applicable to church design, by reason of its sincerity, its directness and its devotional atmosphere attained through height, mystery and the opportunity for rich colour that stained glass can give. Successful modern adaptation of the style must be a matter, first and foremost, of the recognition of its guiding spirit—design through structural form, and sincere expression of material. No dependence on mere details can do ; the sterility of the Gothic revival work of the 19th century (see MODERN