Gothic Cathedrals

 The Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England was built between 1220 and 1258 AD, or CE. It was erected on the site of another cathedral that was brought to ruin during a storm that was originally built during the Roman Empire. However, regardless of how long it may seem that it took to build the Salisbury Cathedral, it was actually a remarkably short build – it fit within one generation. This is in stark contradiction to the cathedral at Amiens, which took nearly two centuries – closer to three or four generations. This is similar to the cathedral at Florence, which also took nearly two centuries.

It’s amazing to think that there is such a difference in the times that it took to build such incredible structures that are so similar overall.