††A vault is an extended, or 3-dimensional arch. A ribbed vault is reinforced by independent arches. Durham cathedral in England, which was started in Norman times in 1093, was the first building to bring together 3 technical innovations in architecture: the ribbed vault, the pointed arch and the flying buttress. Gothic architecture, which was prevalent in western Europe from the 12th to the 16th centuries, was characterised by arches, flying buttresses, ribbed vaults and pinnacles.
