More Venetian Architecture

The Doge's Palace, or Palazzo Ducale, was the home of the elected ruler of Venice, or Doge, for centuries. It has also been the house of law courts, civil administration, bureaucracy and the city jail. Below is a picture of the Doge's Palace that I took:

Venetian Gothic (as mentioned in my other post) is the named given to the combination of Byzantine, Gothic, and moorish architecture. This style originated in the 14th century with the meeting of these three influences. The window-like structures of the arcade include the pointed arches and the quatrefoil above that is typical of a Venetian Gothic style window. As you can see in the arches below the arcade of the Doge's, There are Gothic pointed arches surrounding the entirety of the Doge's Palace. Part of the style of the Venetian Gothic architecture is a lightness and grace in their architecture. Because of the canals running through the entirety of the city, the space in Venice was limited and every amount of land was necessary space. This sets Venetian Gothic architecture apart from the architecture of many other European cities. Many other cities wanted to make their buildings large and heavy, but due to the land limitations in Venice, Venetians did not make their buildings any larger or heavier than was necessary. This resulted in the very light and graceful structure as seen in buildings such as the Doge's Palace.