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[[File:Serramonacesca_chiesa_benedettina_05.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px| Figure 2. San Liberatore a Maiella in Abruzzo, Italy]]In the early Medieval period after the fall of Rome, particularly between the 6th and 11th centuries AD, Romanesque architecture developed, which in large part was influenced by the Basilica design and Roman style of thick outer building walls. The designs were generally simple, symmetrical, with pillars, arcades, and arches. The Basilica style that was initially developed during the Roman period was also sustained, with churches having apses and columned central naves and side aisles.<ref>For more information about the development of Romanesque architecture, see: Fernie, Eric. 1995. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0907132898/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0907132898&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=05497b22545cfc5af6a77196fec4d18d Romanesque Architecture: Design, Meaning and Metrology]''. London: Pindar Press.</ref> Famous example Romanesque, Medieval churches include San Liberatore a Maiella located in Abruzzo, Italy (Figure 2). Overall, this style is still commonly seen in content Europe.

[[File:551px-Travee.interieure.cathedrale.Noyon.png|thumbnail|left|250px|Figure 3. The cathedral at Noons is the first complete cathedral entirely built in the Gothic style|200px]]During the 12th century, church architecture once again transformed as increased wealth began to flow to European states, with France first developing an architectural style that became known as Gothic and dominated the rest of the Medieval period. In many respects, this style becomes synonymous with most cathedrals today, where pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses become the hallmarks of new churches and cathedrals building during the later Medieval period.<ref>For information on Gothic architectural style and its history, see: Fitchen, John. 1981. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226252035/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0226252035&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=2cabc6645c7fb73b092bca3f2c93894d The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals: A Study of Medieval Vault Erection]. Phoenix ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.</ref> The evolution of the Gothic style can be traced to the early Romanesque style, where some Romanesque buildings, for instance, began to incorporate ribbed vaulting as part of their interior design. One of the first true Gothic buildings, which was not an addition or reconstruction from an earlier Romanesque building, was at Noyons, France (Figure 3). The main tenant of Gothic churches is they displayed majesty and grandeur to the towns they were in. So they were, on the one hand, expressions of civic pride, while in a religious sense their large, dominating presence in towns reflects the churches and ultimately God’s authority.<ref>

[[File:640px-Petersdom_von_Engelsburg_gesehen.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 4. St. Peter’s Basilica famous dome is a classic example of the Renaissance style]]With the birth of the Renaissance in Europe, the concept and idea of mathematical symmetry being a form of perfection became not only an important philosophical thought but also an idea that transpired in architecture.<ref>For more information regarding symmetry in thought in the Renaissance, see: Thomson, David. 1993. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0719039630/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0719039630&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=a00b166dbdca4d91ec35d523aa8c58c4 Renaissance Architecture: Critics, Patrons, Luxury].</i> Manchester ; New York : ;New York, NY, USA: Manchester University Press Distributed exclusively in the USA and Canada by St. Martin’s Press, pg. 201.</ref> Buildings reflected a revived interest in structures from the Roman and Greek past, as artists, scientists, and philosophers began to take inspiration from the past in their new work. Buildings began to appear geometrically portioned with elements that contained Classical styles, including Roman/Greek style columns, portioned arches, and evenly spaced lintels across buildings. <ref>For more information on the development on Renaissance buildings and church designs, see: Anderson, Christy. 2013. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0192842277/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0192842277&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=657e7b878572abec08f25f57b1c8df00 Renaissance Architecture]. 1st ed. Oxford History of Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pg. 32.</ref> [[File:640px-Petersdom_von_Engelsburg_gesehen.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px|Figure 4. St. Peter’s Basilica famous dome is a classic example of the Renaissance style]] The Renaissance began Italy in the 15th century and spread across Europe over the next two centuries. Perhaps the most famous example that derived from this period is St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican (Figure 4), which was built in Renaissance style with its well-proportioned dome and Classical-influenced layout. The symmetry of such buildings was soon seen as a way to be closer to God, as symmetry was an expression of perfection. The style went on to be highly influential to other similar designs, including Baroque and Palladian architecture. Famous examples outside of Italy include St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.