This divides into three periods: the Early Gothic of the 12th century, the High or Rayonnant Gothic of the 13th and 14th centuries, and the Flamboyant Gothic of the 15th century.

In the 12th century churches become more spacious and higher, but the walls remained massive and the openings small: it was the revolution of the pointed arch, of the cross-ribbed vault, supported from the outside by flying buttresses. The nave of Notre Dame is the most beautiful example of this period.

High or Rayonnant Gothic is the high point of this architecture: upward thrust, lightness, and light. Great bays and sparkling stained-glass rose windows opened up in the walls which were only slender supports thrusting skyward. The Sainte Chapelle together with the transept and chancel of Notre Dame are the jewels of this period, which also includes a remarkable example of civil architecture: the Conciergerie, the former Palace in the historical heart of Paris, with its Salle des Gens d’Armes (Hall of the Men-at-Arms).

Last came Flamboyant Gothic, with its lacy stonework, its ogee or three-centered arches, and its vaults with their complex ribbings, heralding the end of the Middle Ages and the arrival of the Renaissance. It invaded the churches of Saint Merri, Saint Séverin and Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois, but also manifested itself in the Hôtels of Cluny and Sens, garnishing them with finely wrought dormer windows, with mullioned or transomed windows and with finely sculpted balustrades.