The essay talk about the church York Minster, in York, that was build

The talk about the church York Minster, in York, that was build in late middle ages - Essay Example The church’s arch rise heavenward, and the walls, entrances, columns and doors are carved with biblical figures and scenes. Hundreds of smaller churches were constructed using this style, and this popularized the Gothic style of architecture (Scholastic.com). Gothic style was heavily borrowed from an earlier style known as Romanesque. Romanesque architecture had preserved the architectural style of Roman times. The Roman style was slowly changed to meet the needs of the Christian religion, hence, giving rise to the Romanesque architecture. The word Gothic was taken from the Goths, the people who invaded the Roman Empire. The locals perceived the exterior with the entire buttress as unpleasant to look at and claimed that it portrayed the Goths. The Gothic style has three architectural features; the pointed arch, ribbed vault and the flying buttress. The pointed arch is the feature that separates Gothic buildings from the Roman style and Romanesque architecture. In the older Gothic styles, the arch was a rounded figure. The Goth architects did not invent the pointed arch; they borrowed this feature from the Muslim architects of Asia, Southern Europe, and Africa (Scholastic.com). The pointed arch was used after Jerusalem was captured from the Muslims in the first crusade period of 1099. Many crusaders saw the Muslim works of art, and they imitated this style. The European architects used the arch in a different way than the Muslims. The pointed arches presented greater flexibility in interior design. The arches could extend upwards to greater heights allowing a larger distance between the piers and the columns beneath. At the top of the piers, there existed arches that crossed the ceiling and were locked together by a boss stone. These ceilings were known as vaulted or ribbed vaulting. The main plan of the church was separated into bays; each corner had a pillar and from one corner to the other, round arches were built. These round arches