Buttresses
A buttress arch is a characteristic element of the buttress of a Gothic basilica , whereby the buttress-like, ascending struts between the wall of the central nave or choir and the buttresses are called buttresses .
history
For a long time, the flying buttresses of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris were considered to be the oldest of their kind, but other buildings (e.g. the cathedrals of Chartres and Bourges or the Abbey Church of St-Germain-des Près in) have recently come about due to unclear dates Paris) has been brought into play. In any case, the first Gothic flying buttresses seem to belong to the period around 1160–1180 (see: Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral ).
function
Buttresses act as supporting arches between the buttresses and a statically important part of the building, such as the place on the outer wall where the girders of the ribbed vault rest on the inside . Their function is to absorb the shear forces of the vault and transfer them to the buttresses (see: load distribution of the vault ). The static forces are then diverted to the ground via the buttresses. Buttress arches, through which this transfer of forces is possible, relieve the walls of the building, which is why Gothic basilicas could be provided with large windows. Buttresses were also very often used to drain off rainwater; in such cases they ultimately end up in gargoyles .
architecture
Several Gothic cathedrals each have two or even three buttress arches arranged one above the other (e.g. cathedrals of Le Mans and Beauvais ), with two arches sometimes connected by small columns. Many buttresses have a pointed turret ( pinnacle ) or a kind of miniature building with a gable roof at their outer or lower end ; But there are also a few buildings without such elements (e.g. Chartres Cathedral , Pontigny Abbey , St. Nikolai Church in Stralsund ). Such surcharges reduced the thickness and thus the material consumption of the buttresses, which was more cost-effective and optically and aesthetically made the respective structure more lightweight.
Specialty
A split of the inner, two-arched buttresses into two outer buttresses, each with three associated buttresses, can be found at the head of the cathedral of Le Mans .
