After the collapse of Beauvais Cathedral in 1284, the desire for architects to rush to the sky through height and scale diminished. How did the evolution of the rayonnat style in the late High Gothic lead to the formation of the Late Gothic, and what specific changes in architecture and ornamentation occurred? In order to best understand this question, we shall look at the late High Gothic structure of Sainte Chapelle (best known for its rayonnat stained glass) and the Late Gothic structure, St. Maclou of Rouen.

       The rayonnat style, so named for the radiant nature of the stained glass and sculpture, and best associated with the court of Louis the IX, was the refinement and continuation of the great Gothic style prevalent in the earlier half of the 13th century. The late half of the 13th century was dominated by this style of swirling, organic stone sculpture and ray-like stained glass. Earlier cathedrals found exterior portals and porches being finished in this style (i.e. Beauvais), as well as stained glass windows (i.e. Notre Dame's rose windows), even if their basic inherent structure was Early or High Gothic. The best known example of the rayonnat style is found in Sainte Chapelle, the royal court chapel built in Paris. Originally built to hold reliquaries acquired by the royal family, this structure certainly reflects its purpose, as it appears like an over-sized repository.

        The interest in stained glass windows and in diminishing the stone walls and structure has been taken to such an extreme in this building, as three-quarters of the structure is stained glass. A relatively small and tiny building, this chapel's attention to extreme slenderness and linear qualities mark a break away from the scale and bulk that earlier High Gothic buildings valued. Sainte Chapelle was the first building to entirely embrace this new, refined style, and it is easy to see how the Late Gothic continued this legacy of refinement and interest in ornamentation in structures such as St. Maclou.

       St. Maclou, 1500-1514, is known today as the best example of Late Gothic due to its delicate tracery, extreme exterior sculptural ornamentation, and petite size. Late Gothic structures are most prevalent in the Normandy and northern region of France, as compared to the central nature of the High and Early Gothic in France. Located near the High Gothic cathedral in the town (Rouen Cathedral), this tiny church exemplifies flamboyant and flame-like ornamentation found in the gables, buttressing, and single tower. St. Maclou has often been compared to that of an ornate wedding cake, with the intricate and tiered effect and central layout.

       Here in the late gothic we find a distillation of the earlier visions of Gothic architects and designers in concentrating purely on the experience of light and atmosphere, as the size, grandeur and broad sweeping stone structures of the preceding Cathedrals become boiled down to the bare essentials of ornamentation. The essence and concerns of the Gothic style has shifted from architectural to that of ornamentation. In addition, the overall size of these structures also reflects the economic state of France during this time, as wars with Britain sapped funding and manpower.

       Gone are the huge, financial and religious projects that the 12th and 13th centuries experienced, and rapidly approaching Renaissance would soon introduce a new, classical style into the minds of architects. With the decline of the Gothic style, we find a similar shift and decline of the values and culture of the middle ages as France moves into a new age of the Renaissance.