VM211 Gothic Studies: Flirtations with Classicism

Gothic architecture was born just outside of Paris in the 12th century and sparked a rapid and widespread revolution in art and architecture across France and Europe. Through structural innovations and masterful artistry in stone, glass, and paint, this new style made tangible a mystical philosophy of divine light as a bridge between heaven and the earthly realm. Paris, with its rich layers of history, contains traces of each phase of the Gothic style as it evolved from its Romanesque roots through to the Renaissance. Over the course of four sessions, these walks aim to reveal those layers by visiting eight churches in roughly chronological order, each church offering a window into the ways in which Gothic architects, artisans, and patrons experimented with light, structure, and technique to create a reflection of heaven in their medieval world.

Beginning at the architectural treasure box which is Saint-Etienne-du-Mont behind the Pantheon, we’ll use this tour to study late Gothic creations and the ways in which Renaissance ideas from Italy start to make their way into ecclesiastical French architecture. Heading downhill from there and across the river, we’ll enter the elegant late Gothic church of Saint Gervais and study its influence on later Classical church architecture.

Matt Potts is a licensed architect in the US, where he practiced for 10 years after studying architecture in New York and Rome. He has lived in France since 2022 where he founded his own interior architecture firm. Matt is passionate about France’s rich built heritage - whether renovating a 16th-century manor house in the Burgundian countryside for his family, designing thoughtful renovations for his clients’ historic properties across France, or studying great works of Gothic architecture. He splits his time between Paris and Burgundy, enjoying the best of city and country life in France with his wife and their two sons (one human, one canine).