Gothic Revival and Duke University

Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or Neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. Its popularity grew rapidly in the early 19th century, when admirers of neo-Gothic styles sought to revive medieval Gothic architecture, in contrast to the neoclassical styles prevalent at the time. This movement led to Collegiate Gothic style in North America in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. A good example of the style is Duke University's architecture.

I visited Duke University in the spring, and it has a nice campus. Almost all buildings are of Gothic style, but the most impressive one is Duke Chapel, which is at the center of the campus.

Duke chapel is characterized by pointed arches, lancet windows, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, which allow for vast open spaces, uninterrupted by columns needed for support. In the chapel, steel trusses are used in place of traditional wooden ones to eliminate the need for large flying buttresses.

On the outer arch above the entrance portal are carved three (!) figures pivotal to the American Methodist movement: Bishop Francis Asbury, Bishop Thomas Coke, and George Whitefield. On the left wall within the portal are carved Girolamo Savonarola, Martin Luther, and John Wycliffe. On the right wall are Thomas Jefferson, Sidney Lanier, and Robert E. Lee was removed.