The Gothic style originated in Northern France, more precisely with the Abbey of St Denis neat Paris, where most of the Kings of France are buried since Clovis. The name "Gothic" has no relation with the Gothic people (a Germanic tribe). It was first used in the 16th century as a pejorative term to describe what Renaissance men thought of as overly complicated and "barbaric" architecture, as opposed to the simplicity of the classical Greco-Roman style.
Ironically, the Gothic style was most popular in the former parts of the Western Roman Empire (especially France, Belgium, England, Spain and Portugal), while the Romanesque style (inspired by Ancient Rome) prevailed in most of Germany.
The very first examples of Gothic architecture in 12th-century Picardy are called Early Gothic or Proto-Gothic. The style then developed into Classical Gothic characterised by very tall structures (Amiens, Reims, Bourges, Chartres). The Rayonnant Gothic style started in the Abbey of St Denis again, when the choir was repaired in 1231. It lasted until around 1350, and was supplanted by the Flamboyant Gothic style, also called Late Gothic.
Oldest Gothic building by country
1122 : France (Abbey Church of St Denis)
1174 : England (Cathedral of Canterbury)
1178 : Portugal (Monastery of Alcobaça)
1189 : Belgium (Cathedral of Liège)
1205 : Spain (Cathedral of León)
1209 : Germany (Cathedral of Magdeburg)
1230 : Italy (Santa Maria della Spina, Pisa)
Name of the edifice
Beginning of construction
Region, Country
Abbey Church of St Denis
1122
Ile-de-France, France
Cathedral of Noyon
1140
Picardie, France
Cathedral of Senlis
1153
Picardie, France
Cathedral of Laon
1155
Picardie, France
Cathedral of Paris
1163
Ile-de-France, France
Cathedral of Tours
1170
Centre, France
Cathedral of Canterbury
1174
Kent, England
Cathedral of Soissons
1176
Picardie, France
Monastery of Alcobaça
1178
Leiria, Portugal
St. Lambert Cathedral, Liege
1189 (destroyed in 1794)
Wallonia, Belgium
Cathedral of Wells
1190
Somerset, England
Cathedral of Strasbourg
1190
Alsace, France
Cathedral of Bourges
1192
Centre, France
Cathedral of Lincoln
1192
Lincolnshire, England
Cathedral of Chartres
1194
Centre, France
Cloth Hall, Ypres
1200 (rebuilt after WWI)
Flanders, Belgium
Cathedral of Rouen
1202
Normandy, France
Cathedral of Winchester
1202
Hampshire, England
Cathedral of Leon
1205
Castile and León, Spain
Cathedral of Magdeburg
1209
Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Cathedral of Sées
1210
Normandy, France
Cathedral of Reims
1211
Champagne, France
Cathedral of Bayonne
1213
Aquitaine, France
Cathedral of Auxerre
1215
Burgundy, France
Cathedral of Amiens
1220
Picardie, France
Cathedral of Toul
1220
Lorraine, France
Cathedral of Metz
1220
Lorraine, France
Cathedral of Beauvais
1220
Picardie, France
Cathedral of Salisbury
1220
Wiltshire, England
York Minster
1220
Yorkshire, England
Cathedral of Ypres
1221 (rebuilt after WWI)
Flanders, Belgium
Cathedral of Burgos
1221
Castile and León, Spain
Cathedral of Brussels
1226
Brabant, Belgium
Cathedral of Toledo
1226
Castile-La Mancha, Spain
Cathedral of Hereford
1226
Herefordshire, England
Cathedral of Peterborough
1230
Northamptonshire, England
Freiburg Münster
1230
Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Santa Maria della Spina, Pisa
1230
Tuscany, Italy
Elisabeth Church, Marburg
1235
Hesse,Germany
Belfry of Bruges
1240
Flanders, Belgium
Westminster Abbey
1245
London, England
Sainte-Chapelle, Paris
1246
Ile-de-France, France
Cathedral of Clermont
1248
Auvergne, France
Cathedral of Cologne
1248
North-Rhine-Westphalen, Germany
St. Mary's Church, Lübeck
1250
Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice
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