THE EVOLUTION OF THE GOTHIC CATHEDRAL -BP 6

For my map I chose to focus on the evolution of the cathedral from the early middle ages to the late middle ages.  In the dark ages the cathedral began as a communal place- a place where people would go not just to worship, but also in times of need or for meetings.  It was the center of the community, and also the place where monks and nuns lived.
Later, the church developed a completely different look.  It was the beginning of the gothic style cathedrals.  The churches focused on larger window panels and becoming taller.  It was the period of experimentation and pushing height and beauty to its limits.
Once the gothic cathedral had been outlined, and there was a known formula to create such a tall and beautiful church, the late middle ages became the time of gothic architecture.  It was completely about verticality and skeletal towers.  The entire church gave an illusion of height from both the inside and outside.  I wanted my map shows the difference between the three types of churches.

Our group discussed the differences between the Salisbury Cathedral in England, and Amiens in France.  There is definitely a regional difference in how the two churches turned out.  One major regional difference to me is that in France, vertical lines were stressed in cathedrals, while in England horizontal lines were emphasized.  At Salisbury they stressed the horizontal moldings and string-courses of masonry.  There were also three horizontal divisions on the interior elevation.
Another regional difference is the plan itself.  The England churches had two transepts, and they had flat east ends, so that they could have a flat stained window wall.
Time, also makes a big difference between these two churches because they were both started in 1220, but Salisbury was finished in 1269, whereas Amiens took much much longer to be finished.  This helped Salisbury to avoid disruptions in the original structure, whereas Amiens was at liberty of the future architects hands.  The churches were almost the same length, yes Salisbury is much skinnier, and much shorter.  They are strikingly different for the amount of similarities they could have had.
I think one of the main reasons they are so different is because each region has its own influences.  For instance, Salisbury was inspired by Cistercian monastic models.

Amiens instantly has a striking verticality to it, while all other elements of the design also accentuate the feeling of height. <sharonarts.eu>

Salisbury looks much lengthier, even though it is actually around the same height as Amiens.  This is because horizontal lines are more of the focus in England than vertical lines. <en.academic.ru>