Gothic - 1
Introduction

Gothic is the name of the art style that appeared in the 12th century in Northern France, spread all over Central and Western Europe and lasted until the 16th century. One of the main characteristics of the Gothic style are the stone roofs with ribbed, crossed vaultings supported by flying butresses, which distributed better the weight of the roofs and allowed the walls of the buildings to be thinner and carry large windows. Gothic churches are generally much higher than Romanesque ones (vertical tendency instead of horizontal), while the large Gothic windows allow much more light to get inside, contrasting with the little light that could enter the narrow openings of Romanesque churches. Another typical characteristic of Gothic is the almost exclusive use of the pointed arch, instead of the perfect round arch of Romanesque or the horseshoe arch of Pre-romanesque. Gothic windows often had panels of coloured glass panels depicting Biblical and other stories, as well as more abstract motifs (surviving glass panels are very rare in Portugal).

Monastic beginings: In Portugal, Gothic appeared towards the end of the 12th century and substituted the Romanesque style slowly. Churches from this early phase show a mix of Romanesque and Gothic elements. Of great importance in the spreading of the Gothic style were the religious monastic orders of the Cistercians (Alcoba�a) and, specially, the mendicant orders of Franciscans and Dominicans, which dotted Portuguese cities with monasteries in a clean, simple Gothic style called the mendicant (mendicante) style. Late Gothic forms in use in other parts of Europe were introduced in the early 15th century with the construction of the Monastery of Batalha. The beginning of the 16th century saw the arrival of Manueline, a Portuguese style that fused late Gothic and early Renaissance. Only by the middle of the 16th century was Gothic/Manueline totally replaced by the Renaissance style.
Madonna with Child. 14th-century polychromed wooden sculpture.

Machado de Castro Museum, Coimbra

Image: Instituto Portugues de Museus
Cathedrals: Great cathedrals in Gothic style, like the ones found in Northern France or in other Iberian kingdoms, are mostly absent from Portugal. Construction on the early mediaeval Portuguese cathedrals (Braga, Coimbra, Oporto, Lisbon, Viseu, Lamego) was being finished or well under way when Gothic was being introduced in the country (late 12th century). Due to this, Portuguese mediaeval cathedrals were mostly Romanesque, although early Gothic elements can be seen, for instance, in the cathedral of Oporto with its flying butresses along its Romanesque nave. Mixed Romanesque and Gothic features can also be seen in the somewhat later (13th-14th century) cathedral of Evora. Only in Silves and Guarda there are mediaeval cathedrals in late Gothic and late Gothic/Manueline styles, respectively. Important additions in Gothic and Manueline style were done, however, to many of the old Romanesque cathedrals, specially Lisbon (Gothic deambulatory and main chapel), Braga (Gothic porch and chapels, Manueline main chapel), Viseu (Manueline ribbed vaulting in the nave). Cloisters in Gothic style were also added to many cathedrals (Coimbra, Lisbon, Oporto, Evora).
Palaces: During the Gothic period, many of the old Romanesque defensive castles were turned into confortable residences. Important examples can be seen in the castles of Estremoz, Leiria and, specially, in the National Palace of Sintra, which is the best preserved mediaeval palace in Portugal.
Other arts: Compared to the predeeding period, the Gothic era in Portugal was the time of considerable artistic development. Portuguese sculpture of the time concerns mainly religious images and small retables, as well as monumental tombs for the members of the royal and noble families, bishops and rich merchants. Good examples of Gothic tumular sculpture can be seen in many Portuguese cathedrals and many churches. Outstanding examples are the tombs for King Peter I and Ines de Castro (middle of the XIV century) in the church of the Monastery of Alcoba�a.

Although surviving paintings from this period are exceedingly rare, some examples of the second half of the 15th century are outstanding. The main painting school of the period is that of Nuno Gon�alves, court painter of Afonso V. The main work atributted to him is the Polyptich of Saint Vicent (Poliptico de Sao Vicente), a monumental series of six panels showing various representatives of the Portuguese society of the 1470's. The panels were originally in Lisbon Cathedral, were then transferred to the Monastery of Saint Vicent in the same city and are now at the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon.
Portrait of Saint Joana (circa 1475). Attributed to the school of Nuno Gon�alves. Joana was a Portuguese princess, daughter of King Afonso V and Queen Isabel. She entered the Convent of Jesus in Aveiro in 1472, where she spent a pious life refusing to marry. She was canonised in the XVII century. Her beautiful painted portrait is displayed in the Museum of Aveiro.
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