In the latest article by Architectural Digest, the Department of the History of Art and Architecture Department Head and Associate Professor Maile Hutterer joined two other Gothic architecture experts to offer commentary about the architectural style that continues to define Europe. Gothic architecture is recognizable for its numerous key features including the use of the pointed arch, flying buttresses, and rib vaults. Common examples of this style are found throughout cathedrals all across Europe, especially in France and Germany. The interior of these cathedrals is designed to inspire and capture the attention of parishioners and visitors alike.

“In Prague and Germany, you have these incredible vaulting patterns in the ceiling that are overwhelming in their complexity so that you no longer get this sense of how the building is standing, but you’re still caught in wonderment,” said Hutterer.

The experts explore the beginning of the period and explore how the style changed and evolved over the years, especially when reviewing the many ways a cathedral's architectural style evolved over its long and continuous construction, such as the Notre Dame's cathedral.

"In my assessment, these many remodels during the Middle Ages demonstrated the vitality of the cathedral in medieval life and the creativity of the builders as they adapted the building to changing architectural fashions and social practices," wrote Hutterer in her commentary on Notre Dame's history. "The change to a three-story structure, that had become the standard by the early 13th century, is one such example."

The experts also explored the neo-Gothic revival and how the design tradition still survives in structures and buildings to this day.

“You see Gothic Revival all throughout Europe and the Americas, both in ecclesiastical structures and a lot of homes,” Hutterer said. “St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York is a great touchstone in the ecclesiastical context, while Strawberry Hill in London is a well-known example in the domestic context.”

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