Churches during this time period eliminated the gallery level, and sculpture incorporated an exaggerated sway or S-curve, which reflects an interest in the beautiful. This time period is:

This time period is the Gothic era of architecture (12th to 16th centuries), which originated in medieval France.

This movement was started by the Capetian dynasty in the Paris area, who built new cathedrals and basilicae as expressions of their power and religious faith. French kings at the time believed that monarchy represented God on earth, and the exaggerated features of Gothic churches such as Notre Dame de Paris were meant to represent divine gandeur.