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Home & Garden > Architecture What are flying buttresses?

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Throughout Europe during the Gothic era (12th -16th century) flying buttresses were the key component in the construction of cathedrals. The simple purpose of a buttress is to alleviate the pressure from a wall by creating a structure parallel to the wall to absorb some of the load. With a much stronger wall now available, extra load can be placed on them. This results in walls which can be used as a more decorative feature than previously, when walls were mostly structural. These stress-free walls are then able to contain stained glass windows, bringing light into a cathedral, and allowin...

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