A similar style, Decorated Gothic, appeared in England in the late 13th century. The English were very interested in decoration and articulation and linear patterns on surfaces, Bork. says. They werent as interested in pushing the envelope structurally as the French were, but they developed fantastic vaulting and window tracery and were very innovative in that respect. Prominent examples include Westminster Abbey, Salisbury Cathedral, and Wells Cathedral.Late GothicThe Late Gothic period, which began in the late 14th century, introduced Flamboyant style. Known for S-shaped, flame-like tracery and purely ornamental ribs in the vaults, this iteration of Gothic architecture was popular across all of Europe. In France, it can be seen at Rouen Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle; in Spain, at Burgos Cathedral and Segovia Cathedral; and in the Czech Republic, at St. Vitus Cathedral. 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 youre still caught in wonderment, Hutterer says.Segovia Cathedral in SpainPhoto: Vanni Archive/Getty ImagesPerpendicular style was Englands version of Late Gothic, featuring straight, vertical tracery, oversized windows, and fan vaults. The Decorated style was only around for a few decades, whereas the Perpendicular style stuck around for 150 years, Gajdoov says. It was still relevant even in the early 16th century, when St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth is buried, was finished. That particular style of Gothic had a really lasting effect.What are the defining features of Gothic architecture?Identifying Gothic architecture is easier when one knows the elements that comprise it. Consider the following list.External featuresPointed archesFlying buttressesThinner wallsTraceryRose windowsVertical proportionsSpiresTowersPinnaclesInternal featuresRib vaultsHigh, vaulted ceilingsStained glass windowsColumnsPiersGallery arcadesNarrow walkwaysWhat does the name Gothic architecture mean? Where does it come from?Gothic architecture was originally called opus Francigenum, which means French work in Latin. It wasnt until the 16th century, when Giorgio Vasari published his book Lives of the Artists, that the term Gothic architecture was coinedand it wasnt complimentary. Its a totally false, misleading slur, Bork says. It refers to Germanic barbarians, the Goths, who sacked Rome seven centuries before the pointy architecture came around. The Italian theorists were trying to disrespect the architecture they were fighting against. Even though its unfair and coming from a bad place, it has a little kernel of truth to it. Gothic is the alternative to the old Roman way of doing things.What are the differences between Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance architecture?The prevailing style of architecture from about 1000 to 1150, Romanesque drew its influences from ancient Roman structures. They used round arches and barrel vaults like the Romans did, but they were working on a smaller scale, building Christian churches instead of temples, Bork explains. They also deviated from the Greco-Roman system of proportion, so you get columns that are stretched out slender like taffy. Its still fairly dark, an architecture of walls and planes and volumes.