A study of the Roughness of Gothic rose windows

The rose window is one of the most representative elements of Gothic art and architecture. In this work we analyze fifteen rose windows from fifteen Gothic cathedrals using fractal geometry. Specifically, we examine the texture and roughness of these rose windows focusing on three factors, their designs, glass areas and solid areas. In this investigation we generate parameters which provide a measure of roughness of the rose windows in order to find out if they show a general non-random fractal pattern. The paper concludes that statistically, there is a characteristic fractal pattern in the solid and glass areas of the rose windows of the Gothic style, but not necessarily in their overall design.