Sublime > Architecture > Intro

Sublime effects in architecture were often associated with the Gothic style. The high, pointed, cavernous ceilings of Gothic cathedrals were said to produce sublime effects of mystery, terror and transcendence on users of the building. In addition, the use of gargoyles and other grotesque ornamentation on medieval Gothic cathedrals, and the brilliant, jewel-like colors of medieval church painting, were seen the same way. The faux “ruins” produced in the Picturesque tradition usually did not achieve sublimity however, and neither did the solid “English country” Gothic style of early eighteenth-century manor houses.