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05
HEARTHSIDE MANTELS
GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE EMERGED IN NORTHERN
FRANCE AROUND
1100 AND FLOURISHED IN
EUROPE THROUGHOUT THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD.
First applied to important churches, fine examples of Gothic
architecture can be found among the great cathedrals and
abbeys of Europe, including Notre Dame de Paris. Majestic
dimensions characterized the architecture with ample light,
and soaring heights. In their day, these cathedrals would have
been the tallest buildings most had ever seen, proclaiming
the power of the religious institutions they represented. Over
time, the ‘Gothic style’ of architecture filtered down to smaller
churches and secular structures. Gradually the style fell out
of favor by the 16th Century—until it was enthusiastically
embraced by a 19th Century Victorian Neo-Gothic revival.