Yesterday I posed a little conundrum – what are there 170 of in Europe?
The answer is cathedrals with authentic gothic architecture – apologies if the question was a little too obtuse!
There are said to be seven characteristics of what makes a cathedral gothic style – great height/size, the flying buttress (to support the building weight), the pointed arch (to support the heavy ceiling), a vaulted ceiling, a light and airy interior, ornate decoration (especially around doors) and perhaps everybody’s favourite, the gargoyles.
By my reckoning I have seen 51 of them – the most recent examples being in Reims & Troyes in the Champagne & Ardennes regions in Northern France.
Both examples were stunning and as usual notoriously difficult to photograph in their majestic totality.
Describing fabulous architecture is not really my forte, so I will let the pictures do the talking. What I will say though is that I found the interior of Troyes Cathedral to be the most visually appealing that I have seen and in both cathedrals the stained-glass windows and vaulted ceilings were awesome.
REIMS
Joan of Arc
TROYES
Wow, fantastic photos! Gargoyles are definitely my favourite 😀
#MondayEscapes
So generous of you to concentrate these stunning photos in one only post….!
Fantastic views , Wilbur!
Good post. I like visiting Cathedrals but quickly forget the detail. My favourite has to be Burgos in Spain. I was keen to do a round Britain tour with the specific intention of visiting Cathedrals but sadly Kim didn’t share my enthusiasm for the project.
Amazingly i have seen most of the UK gothic ones by default rather than by design – admittedly some were exterior only. It is hard to differentiate them but loved Milan due to being able to clamber around the rooftop.
Salamanca is good for being allowed to roam about on the roof! Salamanca has two Cathedrals joined together, one Romanesque, one Gothic!