Flying buttresses were one of the great architectural innovations of the Gothic architectural period which last fom the 12th to the 16th centuries, and was perhaps most spectacular in France. Alongside the pointed arch and the ribbed vault, the use of flying buttresses was a definitive characteristic of the Gothic style.
Flying buttresses allowed cathedrals to exceed previous height limitations without harshly darkening the massive interiors, by strengthening the structure enough to allow for the structural weakness of vast stained glass windows, allowing light to enter the towering vaulted halls.
Flying buttresses worked to strengthen the huge
gothic cathedrals because they extended from the walls of the structure to the foundation, thus transferring the horizontal thrust of the arches and domes, vertically, 
down into the
ground.
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