The Advantages of Gothic Construction
No single feature that made St. Denis the earliest example of the Gothic
style of architecture was used there for the first time. The architect's genius
was recognizing that by combining them, he could create something spectacularly
new. The first feature, the pointed arch, allowed the architect great
freedom in the shapes he could use in the plan of the church. Although architects
had begun to use pointed arches before St. Denis was rebuilt, mostly
architects (both Roman and Romanesque) had used semicircular arches. A
half circle was both symbolically (the perfect circle being a symbol of God's
perfection) and aesthetically appealing, but it introduced several limitations
for the architect. Since the height of a semicircular arch is half its diameter,
the columns supporting a series of arches (an arcade) must be separated by
the same diameter if the arches are to be of equal heights. This is usually