Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture of Northern France: Where Art Meets Economics

Gothic cathedrals were financed in many ways and their building could take centuries to complete. The process was long and arduous costing enormous sums of money over a sustained period of time. Their construction depleted both capital and skilled labor from the surrounding areas spurring both the donors and workers to be represented in the cathedral. The materials used to build these massive structures drew greatly on the region and dictated their architectural form. When the donors, religious figures, aristocracy, and workers are represented it validates the sacrifices they made towards building the cathedral as well as showing their social and economic standing in society to the viewer