In the earliest the round arch was used, but the later and more perfect styles having employed the pointed arch almost exclusively, the latter became characteristic of Gothic art generally. It is a style of architecture and ornament usually applied to churches, and well adapted to moist and cold climates on account of the sloping roof. Clustered columns, the spire or belfry, the arched roof, and the division of the interior into nave, transept, and choir, are leading features. Natural as well as conventional treatment of plants is another important characteristic. [Illustration] The Gothic style flourished principally in England, France, and parts of Germany. Nearly all the principal cathedrals and churches in these countries, and many in our own, are built after this style. The most beautiful example in this country is St. Patrick's Cathedral, in New York. The finest specimen in the world is probably the Cathedral of Cologne, which was commenced in the 14th century, but was not completed until many years later. III. MODERN ART. In the 15th century a remarkable revival occurred in literature and the fine arts, showing a decided tendency to return to the old classic ideas of the Greeks and Romans. After an almost complete neglect, which lasted for centuries, artists and men of letters turned their attention to the long neglected relics of pagan civilization as worthy of study for their intrinsic beauty alone. Symbolism was relegated to a minor position, and beauty was once more cultivated for its own sake. This epoch is termed the Renaissance--which literally means a rebirth or revival. 1. _Renaissance Style._--The term Renaissance is also applied to one of the early styles which came into vogue at this time. It flourished principally in southern Europe. It is not a pure style, but marks a transition period from the old popular Gothic and Saracenic forms to the revivified classic. It naturally exhibits a queer mixture of conflicting elements--classic and mediæval thrown together without much regard to propriety or fitness. It still showed traces of symbolism.