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Mrs. Daar Block ½ February 10, 2007 Flying Buttresses One of the most salient features of Medieval European cities is a grand, stone cathedral. Things didn’t use to be this way, though. Because of engineering limitations, they were shorter with thick, heavy walls and small windows. But, things changed with the development of the flying buttress. These flying buttresses are a unique and useful engineering advance in cathedral architecture. These structural elements were both useful and elegant. Made of stone or brick, these arches were used to support the walls of a cathedral (A). These arches would be supporting walls that often reached as high as 160 feet (E). Churches often utilized multiple levels of flying buttresses to transfer weight from different levels of the structure, such as one set for the roof and one for the walls (I). These supports were part of an overall change in the style of church design. By adding extra strength to the walls, the cathedrals could be higher, wider, and have large stained-glass windows (B). This made the churches brighter and more beautiful. The buttress’s construction was complex, involving the use of wooden frames between the main wall and the external columns to support the arches until the mortar dried between the stone or bricks (B). By using the flying buttresses to redirect pressures to outside columns, cathedrals could become the grand structures that still exist throughout Europe today. During this time in history, the church was gaining more power—financial and political—and these enormous cathedrals were a constant reminder of that power. By 1050, the Catholic Church was the largest landholder in Europe (H). As well, the church collected a tax called a tithe in the amount of 1/10 of a person’s income (H). Later, along with increasing the church’s treasury, Pope Gregory, in 1073, expanded the political power of the church by banning kings from appointing church officials such as bishops and priests (H). Churches, by being the main sources of higher learning, also controlled the intellectual environment (H). These factors gave the Catholic Church the power and resources to construct these immense places of worship. Gothic architecture, of which flying buttresses were one element, got its start in the 1100s, with the completion of the French Abbey of St. Denis—burial place of French kings—in 1144 (D). A well-known example of a Gothic-style church is the Notre Dame in Paris, which was also the first to use flying buttresses; it was completed in 1175 (I, D). Buttresses had been in use since the time of the Roman Empire, but they were hidden within the structure of the building and not as visibly apparent as the flying buttresses (B). These supports solved the problems of church designers who wanted wider cathedrals and bigger windows. Because heavy, thick walls which only allowed for small windows were no longer needed, Bible stories could be depicted in these new, larger stained-glass windows. While stained glass is still common in many Christian churches today, their appearance is very different. Flying buttresses are no longer a prominent design feature, but the idea of building bigger and taller buildings is still present. Stylistically, flying buttresses were phased out as Roman-inspired Renaissance cathedrals were built, featuring domes and rows of columns for support (G). But, just as the Gothic cathedrals used specialized support structures to increase their size, modern-day skyscrapers use a skeleton of steel to allow them to have hundreds of stories and large windows since, as with these Gothic cathedrals, the external walls no longer have to carry the majority of the weight of the building. Flying buttresses and the other improvements that were introduced with Gothic architecture led to significant advancements in the scope of Catholic cathedrals. Their ability to take some of the pressures from the roof and walls by redirecting it to external supports allowed the churches to become wider and taller. They could now include huge stained-glass windows that let people learn about the Bible and the saints. These grand cathedrals also became a visual reminder of the Church’s increasing influence in people’s lives. While no longer used today, they are a part of a continuing quest to build things ever larger and taller. Though they were built centuries ago, the Gothic cathedrals with their flying buttress supports are still standing as a testament to the grace, style, and strength of this engineering advancement.