Flamboyant Gothic Architecture

Flamboyant is a lavishly decorated late phase of Gothic architecture that flourished in France and Spain from around 1380 to 1515, taking its name from the French word for flaming, a reference to the flame-like shapes of its double-curved stone tracery. The style is distinguished by tall, narrow pointed arches, enlarged windows filled with S-curved tracery, ornamental ribs in its vaults, decorative gables and the arch in accolade, with reduced wall space given over to elaborate stonework covering both exterior and interior surfaces. It spread beyond France and Spain into the Low Countries, Central Europe and the British Isles before being gradually displaced by Renaissance architecture during the sixteenth century. Surviving examples include the northern spire of Chartres Cathedral, Trinity Abbey in Vendome, and Burgos and Segovia cathedrals in Spain.