Flèche (architecture)
Spires in Gothic architecture / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A flèche (French: [flɛʃ]; French for 'arrow')[3] is the name given to spires in Gothic architecture. In French, the word is applied to any spire, but in English it has the technical meaning of a spirelet or spike on the rooftop of a building.[4][5] In particular, the spirelets often built atop the crossings of major churches in mediaeval French Gothic architecture are called flèches.[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Notre_Dame_de_Paris_Est_side.jpg/320px-Notre_Dame_de_Paris_Est_side.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Fl%C3%A8che_et_rosace_transept_sud_Notre-Dame_de_Paris.jpg/640px-Fl%C3%A8che_et_rosace_transept_sud_Notre-Dame_de_Paris.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%28%D0%98%D0%BD%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9%29_%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BA%2C_%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%BD%D1%8F_%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B8.jpg/640px-%D0%9C%D0%B8%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%28%D0%98%D0%BD%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9%29_%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BA%2C_%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%BD%D1%8F_%D1%86%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B8.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Maquette_de_la_charpente_de_la_fl%C3%A8che_de_la_cath%C3%A9drale_Notre-Dame_de_Paris.jpg/640px-Maquette_de_la_charpente_de_la_fl%C3%A8che_de_la_cath%C3%A9drale_Notre-Dame_de_Paris.jpg)
On the ridge of the roof on top of the crossing (the intersection of the nave and the transepts) of a church, flèches were typically light, delicate, timber-framed constructions with a metallic sheath of lead or copper.[6] They are often richly decorated with architectural and sculptural embellishments: tracery, crockets, and miniature buttresses serve to adorn the flèche.[6]
Flèches are often very tall: the Gothic Revival spire of Notre-Dame de Paris (1858–2019) by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was about 100 feet (30 m) before its destruction in the Notre-Dame de Paris fire, while the 16th century flèche of Amiens Cathedral is 148 feet (45 m) high.[6]
The highest flèche in the world was built at the end of the 19th century for Rouen Cathedral, 157 metres (515 ft) high in total.[7]
A short spire or flèche surrounded by a parapet is common on churches in Hertfordshire; as a result, this type of flèche is called a Hertfordshire spike.[8]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Fl%C3%A8che_St._Peter%27s_Church%2C_Leuven.jpg/640px-Fl%C3%A8che_St._Peter%27s_Church%2C_Leuven.jpg)