The development from High Gothic to the Rayonnant style through Reims Cathedral and the Sainte-Chapelle

The Gothic style introduces an incredibly influential set of engineering and design principles for architecture and architectural decoration in art history. It emanated from France in 1140 and evolved through 1500. Architects and patrons developed the style through centuries constantly innovating their building techniques in order to elevate and complicate their enormous structures. These architects\u27 objective was to increase the height of the churches, intensifying their verticality. In the late middle ages, France was governed by a powerful monarchic dynasty, the Capetians. The royal family was powerful, wealthy and closely allied with the Catholic Church. This dynasty strongly encouraged religious art and facilitated the development of Gothic styles. Art and education, unlike previous generations where they had generally been fostered within monasteries, began to grow in cities and more specifically in Cathedrals and Universities. This accelerated the spread of gothic architecture throughout France