List of Gothic edifices by year of construction

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 buildings by country

• France : Abbey Church of St Denis => 1122
• England : Cathedral of Canterbury => 1174
• Portugal : Monastery of Alcobaça => 1178
• Belgium : Cathedral of Liège => 1189
• Spain : Cathedral of León => 1205
• Germany : Cathedral of Magdeburg => 1209
• Italy : Santa Maria della Spina, Pisa => 1230