Gothic 101

Reading My Posts Like a Book

I am working on a book about Gothic architecture, and many of my posts here at Both/And are about the subject.

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.

The nave and chancel at Cologne Cathedral (Germany).

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

The north portals at Chartres Cathedral (France).

Showcases

The Portals of Chartres, Part I

The Portals of Chartres, Part II

The Portals of Chartres, Part III

The nave at Lichfield Cathedral (UK).

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)