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Transition from Romanesque to Gothic Architecture

Type Event Region Europe Time 1161–1170

In the 1160s, Western European church architecture accelerated from heavy Romanesque toward Gothic, with pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying bu…

Timeline

  1. 1161–1165Sens Cathedral · SensBuilding sites in Burgundy and the Île-de-France widely adopted pointed arches and ribbed vaults, replacing Romanesque barrel vaults. Heightening projects for the naves of churches such as Sens demonstrated a trend toward lighter structures, creating conditions for larger windows.
  2. 1163–1168Notre-Dame de Paris · ParisNotre-Dame de Paris was founded in 1163, while Chartres Cathedral simultaneously advanced nave reconstruction. The two sites became benchmarks of the early Gothic style, with craftsmen incorporating pointed-arch facades and larger rose windows onto a Romanesque base.
  3. 1166–1170Western Europe · EuropeMasons and architects moved among building sites in the Île-de-France, Normandy, and England, spreading pointed arch and ribbed vault techniques to Canterbury, Lincoln, and elsewhere, as Romanesque round-arched facades gradually gave way to a vertically soaring Gothic aesthetic.

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