rayonnant

Rayonnant is a phase of French Gothic architecture that emerged in the Île-de-France in the mid-13th century and lasted into the mid-14th century. The term, meaning radiant or radiating, describes a design emphasis on light and the visual impression of radiating lines created by window tracery. It followed the early High Gothic developments and sits between High Gothic and the later Flamboyant style.

The defining characteristic of Rayonnant is the transformation of wall surfaces into expansive windows. Architects used slender mullions and delicate tracery to create intricate, lattice-like patterns that allow more light to flood interiors. The transition from heavier plate tracery to finer bar tracery enabled larger window openings and geometric or floral motifs. Flying buttresses remained important, but the emphasis shifted toward achieving greater transparency and vertical lightness in the interior space.

Rayonnant architecture often features prominent rose or wheel windows, slender vertical elements, and a lighter overall appearance than earlier Gothic phases. Exteriors tend to be more uniform and less sculpturally heavy, while interiors emphasize luminous expanses of glass and refined stonework.

The style is associated with Paris and its surroundings, where royal patronage spurred innovations in glazing and tracery. It contributed to a broader liturgical and aesthetic program of the period, influencing later Gothic developments and helping to shape the look of late medieval French architecture. Notable exemplars include Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, widely cited as a quintessential radiating-gothic work.