He flying buttressalso called flying buttress arch is an exterior structural element used at the request of the construction and that has a form of half arch in charge of collecting the pressure at the start of a vaulttransmitting it to a buttress or abutment that will appear attached to the wall of a lateral nave.
The buttress is a characteristic element of gothic architecture with him pointed arch and ribbed vault.
As it is an external discharge arch, it usually appears in an inclined arrangement, for this situation it is considered a tranquil arch, it has its starts at different heights.
Meanwhile, the lower part of it is supported by a buttress abutment and the upper part acts as a support, in most cases of a ribbed vault; the stirrup is crowned by a pinnacle (typical decorative element of Gothic architecture that has a pillar shape and is topped by a pyramidal or conical figure at the top).
It is worth noting that the flying buttress can always be seen from the outside.
This exterior structural element first used in the 12th century at the behest of the construction of the central nave of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Parisbetter known as notre damethe oldest cathedral representative of the Gothic style, with the clear mission of reinforcing its ogive vault.
Thanks to the construction of the mentioned flying buttress, it was possible to transfer the pressures from the start of the high vaults to the buttresses on the outside, thus opening openings in the walls of the central nave. And the pointed arch managed to magnify the height of the building.
The flying buttress arose as a replacement for the abutments used at the request of Romanesque architecture in order to avoid the lateral thrusts of the vault, because by freeing the wall from the task of buttressing the buildings could be made higher and allow light to enter through the stained glass.
Likewise, the flying buttress is usually used to conduct rainwater from the roofs to the outside; Traditionally, this type of drain can be found adorned with some grotesque figure, called gargoyles.