OF GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE.
This name has been given to a school of architecture very different from either the Greek or Roman. Its origin has perhaps hitherto hardly been satisfactorily as certained, but it certainly continued till the sixteenth century, when it was supplanted by the revival of the Ro man style. It was only at the time of its extirpation that the appellation of Gothic was applied, in token of the contempt in which it was held by the school of Palladio in Italy, and Jones in England.
The fate of this style of architecture has been as sin gular as its principles of construction. It was, during a few centuries, practised over most of Europe with a de: gree of ardour, and to an extent which rendered its ef fects truly magical. From the zenith of its glory it was, by a very rapid transition, reduced to the state of degra dation we have just alluded to.
After the expiration of about two centuries, men of sci ence have again begun to discover the excellence of its principles, and men of taste to perceive the beauty of its forms. These violent transitions have led to much inves tigation and discussion, by persons well qualified for the task, such as Wren, Walpole, Gray, 1Varton, Wilkins, Carter, Bentham, Grose, Murphy, Knight, Dallaway, Whittington, Milner, and Sir James Hall.
One opinion is, that the pointed arch, and most of the delicate features of Gothic architecture, were furnished by the Saracens and Moors ; a second finds, that the chan ges took place by the gradual deviation from the Roman manner, and that most of the features have arisen from the whim of Italian architects ; a third ascribes the merit of the finest Gothic almost exclusively to the gradual changes introduced by the architects of England ; while Sir James Ball has, with much taste and ingenuity, shewn how this style may have originated in a way totally inde pendent of any other mode of architecture. Under these circumstances, we shall first endeavour to give a cursory but connected view of the progress of this architecture in Europe, from the time of the decline of the Roman empire to the 16th century ; and then make such general observations as seem calculated to enable the reader to form his own judgment. We conceive this of sufficient
importance to deserve his serious attention. It is a proof, that even where an art has been brought to a perfection, as in the case of Greek architecture, which seemed to preclude all farther improvement, yet a change of cir cumstances will produce another mode totally different, but equally perfect ; and it is incontrovertible evidence, that the boundaries of human ingenuity are not to be easily limited.
From the time of Vespasian, the Roman architecture began to be less pure. During the reign of Trajan it had considerably declined ; and, in the splendid edifices of Dioclesian, forms had been introduced (Adam's Sifa/atro) not only foreign to the best style, but sufficiently differ ent to afford hints for some features of the Gothic ; such as arches springing from the top of capitals, of columns without any intervening entablature, and consols sup ported by figures projecting from the wall.
Gothic architecture having been employed almost ex clusively in ecclesiastical edifices, this investigation must of course be directed chiefly to buildings of this descrip tion. The oldest Christian church now existing is con sidered to be that of St Paul, which was built by Con stantine without the gates of Rome. This is also the earliest instance of a Christian church, in which the arch es are raised upon round columns instead of square piers. Gibbon says, that the palace of Theodosius affords the oldest specimens of the Gothic ; so that, coeval with the incursions of the Goths, the Roman architecture had been almost completely changed. The confusion which en sued towards the final extinction of the empire, led al most to the total neglect of the arts. The consequences of which, were the ignorance and incapacity of artists and workmen. These evils had also, by the incursions of the Goths and Huns, been spread over all Greece ; and the effects upon the arts were manifest, from the failures and clumsiness of the best Greek architects. Justinian was able to select artists to construct his great church of St Sophia at Constantinople.