Flying Buttresses: The Engineering Marvel Behind Gothic Cathedrals

When you think of Gothic cathedrals, you picture soaring spires and walls full of colored light—but none of that would exist without flying buttresses, external arched supports that transferred the weight of heavy stone roofs away from walls. Also known as arched buttresses, they were the secret weapon that let builders reach higher than ever before. Before flying buttresses, churches had thick, solid walls just to hold up the roof. That meant small windows and dark interiors. Then came the breakthrough: instead of pushing weight down into the walls, architects used these external supports to push it outward and down into the ground. Suddenly, walls didn’t need to be massive. They could be thin. And filled with glass.

This wasn’t just about looks—it changed how people experienced sacred space. Light became part of the design. rib vaults, interlocking stone arches that directed weight to specific points worked hand-in-hand with flying buttresses, letting ceilings rise higher while keeping everything stable. And once the walls were freed up, stained glass, large, colorful windows that told biblical stories through light exploded in size and complexity. You weren’t just walking into a building—you were stepping into a painting made of light and stone.

These weren’t decorative add-ons. They were the reason Gothic architecture worked. Without flying buttresses, Notre-Dame, Chartres, and Salisbury Cathedrals would’ve collapsed under their own weight. Today, you can still see them on cathedrals across Europe—and even in modern buildings that borrow their logic. They’re proof that beauty and function don’t have to compete. Sometimes, the most elegant solution is also the strongest one.

What you’ll find here are posts that dig into how these structures shaped the look and feel of medieval cities, how they influenced later styles, and why architects still study them. From the engineering behind them to the art they made possible, this collection shows how one idea—pushing weight outward—changed the skyline forever.