Changes

During the 12th century, church architecture once again transformed as increased wealth began to flow to European states, with France first developing an architectural style that became known as Gothic and dominated the rest of the Medieval period. In many respects, this style becomes synonymous with most cathedrals today, where pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses become the hallmarks of new churches and cathedrals building during the later Medieval period.<ref>For information on Gothic architectural style and its history, see: Fitchen, John. 1981. The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals: A Study of Medieval Vault Erection. Phoenix ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.</ref> The evolution of the Gothic style can be traced to the early Romanesque style, where some Romanesque buildings, for instance, began to incorporate ribbed vaulting as part of their interior design. One of the first true Gothic buildings, which was not an addition or reconstruction from an earlier Romanesque building, was at Noyons, France (Figure 3). The main tenant of Gothic churches is they displayed majesty and grandeur to towns they were in. So they were, on the one hand, expressions of civic pride, while in a religious sense their large, dominating presence in towns reflects the churches and ultimately God’s authority.<ref>

For more information on the spiritual and secular intent of Gothic churches, see: Frankl, Paul, and Paul Crossley. 2000. Gothic Architecture. Yale University Press Pelican History of Art. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.</ref>

==Later Church Forms==