We just learned about the Notre-Dame de Paris.
Another part of early Christianity is the building of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, built in 1144 AD in France.
One of the church leaders in France named Abbot Suger was upset that the churches were not big enough to handle all of the people coming to worship, and he also believed that having a beautiful church filled with light and color was a way to show worship to God.
The church that he had people make was the first one that was later called "Gothic" style.
This type of building had 5 special things that made it gothic:
Pointed Arches - The ceilings, windows or roofs would have an arch shape that was pointy at the top.
Ribbed Vaults - The tall hallways in the churches had large supporting beams going back and forth along the ceiling that looked kind of like ribs.
Flying Buttresses - The outside supports that helped hold the building up are called buttresses. For these buildings, they had long buttresses that stuck way out from the church, so they called them flying buttresses.
Tracery - The windows or doors used stone or metal to make shapes.
Stained Glass Windows - Glass that was colored and then framed into windows for artwork and light.
(from: wikipedia - basilica of saint-denis)
(from: wikipedia - basilica of saint-denis)
(from: wikipedia - flying buttress)
Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Holy Tunic
