Gothic Cathedrals 

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Oxford Art Online - Oxford's combined art databases, Dictionary of Art and Encyclopedia of Esthetics, searchable uniformly or individually.  Scholarly entries signed by authorities in the Medieval area, as well as all others. 

Enciclopedia dell’arte medievale. 12 vols.  Rome : Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana, 1991-2002.  Divinity and Lilly Reference N5965 .E52 1991   - excellent plates and bibliography, even if you don't read Italian.

Encyclopedia of World Art - hardcopy only.  Lilly, Perkins and Divinity Reference N31 .E4833 1959
- older, but longer essays on art topics and issue  + half of every volume is plates, may in color; - older

Pelican History of Art (series) Lilly Reference [various titles depending on period] Lilly N5300.P38
- the standard English-language history of art.  Continuously updated.  + extra images; good beginning bibliography
- Renaissance volumes include

Dodwell, C. R.  Pictorial arts of the West 800-1200.  New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, 1993.  Lilly Reference N5300 .P456 v.2  

Frankl, Paul. Gothic architecture; revised by Paul Crossley.  Rev. ed.  New Haven : Yale University Press, 2000.   Lilly  N5453 .F683 2000

Symbol Dictionaries

Hall, James.  Dictionary of subjects and symbols in art.  Edition  2nd ed.   Boulder : Westview Press, c2008.  Lilly Ready Reference N7560 .H34 2008

Saints

Kaftal, George. Iconography of the saints in the paintings of [region] Italy. Florence, Italy : Casa Editrice le Lettere, 1985.  Lilly Reference N8080 .K255 1985
 

Baring-Gould, Sabine. Lives of the saints. 16 vols.  Edinburgh, J. Grant, 1914. Lilly and Divinity Reference BX4655 .B3 1914.

Artists Biographical Dictionaries

Dictionary of artists - "Benezit".  Paris : Gründ, 2006.  14 vols. Lilly Reference N40 .D5213 2006

The rise of the medieval world, 500-1300 : a biographical dictionary / edited by Jana K. Schulman.  Westport, Conn. ; London : Greenwood Press, 2002.  Perkins/Bostock Reference  CT114 .R57 2002  

Period Dictionaries

Dictionary of the Middle Ages / Joseph R. Strayer, editor in chief.   New York : Scribner, 1982-1989.  Lilly Reference D114 .D5 1982   - general reference dictionary of the medieval period.  Good for general historical overview and discussions of people and themes.

Crosby, Everett Uberto. Medieval studies : a bibliographical guide.  New York : Garland Pub., 1983.  Lilly Reference CB351 .C767 1983   - annotated bibliographies organize articles by topics much more narrowly than catalogs and, they're just the better works.

Decorative Arts

Grove Encyclopedia of the Decorative Arts - a decorative arts dictionary strong on Renaissance terms and objects

Architecture

The Art of Gothic : architecture, sculpture, painting / edited by Rolf Toman; photography by Achim Bednorz. 
 Cologne : Könemann, c1999.  Lilly NA440 .A78x 1999   - most surveys are poorly written fluff.  The Könemann series on architecture combines great (really great) plates, reliable text (quoting famous art historians) in a readible tome.

Grodecki, Louis.    Gothic architecture /  in collaboration with Anne Prache and Roland Recht. New York : H. N. Abrams, 1977, c1976.  Lilly NA480 .G7613 1985 - part of the History of world architecture series, includes cut-aways of buildings and spectacular plates.

SEE ALSO A LIST OF STARTER BOOKS UNDER THE "Starting Your Paper" TAB

Villard, de Honnecourt. Facsimile of the sketch-book of Wilars de Honecort, an architect of the thirteenth century; with commentaries and descriptions by M. J. B. A. Lassus and by M. J. Quicherat, trans. and ed. with many additional articles and notes, by the Rev. Robert Willis.   London, J. H. and J. Parker, 1859.  Lilly Locked Stacks NA1053.V6 A3 1859  

Duke RBMSCL (Rare Book, Manuscrpt, and Special Collections Library) has a vast array of facsmile books, rare-book printed material and manuscripts from the Renaissance era.  Since many titles are not extensively cataloged, it's best to consult RBMSCL reference librarians directly on what might be there in a certain area.