哥特式教堂的一个关键特性是他们的高度。The supports on the sides were added to prevent structural problems. Known as "flying butresses", these supports were transformed from simple structural elements into elaborate ornamentation.

"Gothic" architecture describes the dominant forms in Western European architecture from about the twelfth century to the sixteenth century. Gothic cathedrals are monumental in scale and scope, structured around buildings that are cross-shaped when viewed from above, and feature lots of ornamentation and design elements, including vaulted arches, statuary, rose windows, flying buttresses, and grand columns.

Flying buttresses are ornate supports that stick outside the walls of Gothic church architecture, particularly cathedrals. Buttresses were necessary to keep the new, massive stone cathedrals of the middle ages standing. While they were originally functional, church builders made them reflect and enhance the design of their buildings.

The Flamboyant (or Late) period of Gothic architecture contains a combination of tracery and ogee arches. "Flamboyant," from the French word forflaming, denotes its highly decorative style.

Gothic architecture, particularly in the building of churches and cathedrals, featured a number of ornate features. One of the most peculiar was the use of gargoyles, small stone figures of grotesque characters that were placed on the sides of buildings. These figures would often be placed between sculptures of saints and kings, and were viewed as protective features. Some gargoyles also functioned as drainage pipes (through holes in their mouths).

The depressed arch was much different from the other arches found in Gothic architecture. It was designed to look as though it had been flattened by a great pressure, and was very wide. There is no such thing as an Italian arch.

Stained glass, semi-circular arches, and groin vaults are all contributions of the Romanesque architectural movement, which preceded Gothic architecture. Deliberately incomplete architectural elements are a feature of Baroque architecture. Gothic architecture is responsible for the flying buttress.

Gargoyles, while used somewhat during the many centuries of medieval art and architecture, are most commonly thought of as a Gothic architectural attribute. While used for decoration, they also commonly had the function of diverting water from the building. Gargoyles were frequently monstrous and grotesque, because they were meant to strike fear into the peasants who saw them and motivate them to attend church.

The "rose window," as seen in Gothic architecture, is large, circular, often centralized window, that is divided by an intricate pattern. Sometimes the window looks like a wheel, and other times it seems to resemble a flower; however, the window is never flower-shaped. It is always circular, but sometimes has a visible flower within.

Although arches, and, to come extent, columns and the use of gold were all stylistic choices of the Gothic period, the answer is "light," because light was more than a simple stylistic choice. Light was a representation of divinity, and the large amounts of interior light were important for worship.