saint-julien cathedral, le mans, france, 1988
"flying buttresses were constructed of vertical masonry piers with arches curving out from them like fingers. the fingers pressed against remnant wall sections between the great windows. the function of buttresses was to absorb thrust from the main body of the church, a serious threat to the structure during high winds.
... with time, systems tended to become less massive and more fanciful. at the cathedral of saint-julien in le mans, buttresses came in clusters of three, interlocked in a y shape when seen from above."
from "the gothic revolution," july 1989, national geographic magazine
圣朱利安大教堂，勒芒，法国，1988
飞梁结构，灵感来自于带拱形的垂直石质桥墩，外形像弯曲的手指。拱梁衬托着大窗户之间的墙壁，在大风的时候，风对主体建筑有很大的威胁，所以拱梁的作用主要是平衡主体建筑的压力。
随着时间的推移，这种结构慢慢演变得更富有幻想而不再那么厚重。在勒芒的圣朱利安大教堂里，每一串拱梁都有三个拱形，从上面看起来，它们就连接起来形成字母y的形状。