ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE

Romanesque architecture was the first distinctive style to spread across Europe after the
collapse of the Roman Empire. Despite the misconception of 19th century art historians that
Romanesque architecture was a continuation of Roman styles, Roman brick and stone building
techniques were lost in most parts of Europe. In the northern countries Roman style and
methods were only adopted for official buildings, and in Scandinavia they were unknown. The
exception was several great Constantinian basilicas that continued to stand in Rome as an
inspiration to later builders. However, these did not inspire the Emperor Charlemagne’s Palatine
Chapel in Aachen, Germany, built around the year AD 800. Instead, the greatest building of the
Dark Ages in Europe was the artistic child of the octagonal Byzantine Basilica of San Vitale in
Ravenna, built in the sixth century.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE

Combining features of Roman and Byzantine buildings along with other local traditions,
Romanesque architecture is distinguished by massive quality, thick walls, round arches,
sturdy piers, groin vaults, large towers, and decorative arcades . Each building has clearly
defined forms and a symmetrical plan, resulting in a much simpler appearance than the Gothic
buildings that would follow. The style can be identified across Europe, despite regional
characteristics and materials.
ARCHITECTURE IN SPAIN AND PORTUGAL
• The Romanesque style of architecture was introduced in Portugal between the end of
the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century. In general, Portuguese cathedrals have a
heavy, fortress-like appearance, with crenellations and few decorative elements apart
from portals and windows.

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
CATHEDRAL
One of the pinnacles of Romanesque architecture, Santiago De Compostela is a true gift to behold. With an entrance
said to be one of the greatest pieces of medieval art known as the Portico de la Gloria, or Porch of Glory, with its
amazing tympanum hosting a beautifully carved central male figure with additional heavenly figures, the magnificent
cathedral invites all to view its splendor (Britannica). This glorious sculpture houses numerous figures, the largest
being a robed figure sitting in the center of the sculpturing with both hands raised. Above the center figure lies a row
of smaller figures, arranged in a semi-circular fashion, whom are also sitting. To either side of the central figure, are
smaller figures situated around the center of the portal. On either side of the central entrance of the Porch of Glory
are smaller entrances decorated with smaller, but no less impressive, carvings (Britannica). The cathedral holds
mainstays of Roman style architecture, such as thick, rounded marble columns, as well as rounded arches. Built with
what appears to be stonework and marble, including the roof, the cathedral is massive in size, with various styles of
vaulting in the ceilings depending on where in the cathedral you are in, with groin vaults in the aisles and barrel vaults
high above the nave, with ribbed vaulting in other parts still (“Cathedral”). The cathedral has various chapels
connected to it, a commonality of such huge cathedrals. The main chapel of the cathedral is where an integral tomb is
held, the resting place of what is said to be the remains of St. James and houses a stone image of the
aforementioned Saint as well as other gold and silver works of art from more recent times (“Main Chapel”).

Santa Maria de Repoll

• The original monastic church had a nave and four aisles, roofed by barrel vaults. The nave and
aisle terminated in five apses, later increased to seven when apses were added to the transepts
also. The current church dates to Rogent's reconstruction in 1896, and although maintaining
features of the original church, the present building has only two aisles. The transept houses the
tombs of the counts of Besalú and of several counts of Barcelona, from Wilfred the
Hairy to Ramón Berenguer IV.

• The cloister contains more of the original structure than the church itself, the first floor having
been built between 1180 and the early 15th century. The second floor dates to the 15th and
16th century. It is formed, on each side, by thirteen semicircular arches supported by small pairs
of columns with carved Corinthian-like capitals, sculpted by Pere Gregori and Jordi de Déu. Each
one of the latter has a different decoration, inspired by mythological themes or by daily life.

• The portal, although damaged by fires and restored in modern times, is a notable example of
Catalan Romanesque sculpture. The frontal section features a relief from the mid-13th century
(stylistically similar to the tomb of Ramón Berenguer III in the cloister), divided in seven
horizontal bands. The upper two show God enthroned, near whom are the symbols of the Four
Evangelists; the scene is completed by several angels in adoration and the Twenty-four Elders.
The central bands are dedicated to the story of David and Solomon (left) and Moses (right). At
the bottom are various mythical animals commonly identified with the visions of the prophet
Daniel.

• The portico is flanked by two statues, nearly destroyed, of St. Peter and St. Paul. Around them
are various scenes, including the stories of Cain and Abel, that of Jonah and others

San Tirso, Sahagun

• A Mudejar church.

• It has a triple apse and sanctuary. It is made up of a tower above the straight section of the
central apse, a compartmentalised transept and 3 naves, with a wooden roof. Both the church
and the apse were begun in stone slabs, but continued in Mudejar style, as the boxed
semicircular arches remind us.

La Lugareja, Arevalo

• The hermitage of the Lugareja or church of Santa María de Gómez Román is a hermitage ,

located 1.5 km south of the Avila town of Arévalo , considered one of the most
outstanding Mudejar monuments . A scale model of this building can be found in
the Mudéjar de Olmedo theme park .

• Built in the 12th century, the building that remains was the head of the church of
the Cistercian convent of Santa María de Gómez Román. 2 This was mentioned for the first time
 in April 1179 and abandoned around 1240 by its occupants - canons -, at which point it was
handed over to nuns of the Cistercian order . It has a triple apse decorated with a series of
arches. Above the transept there is a dome mounted inside based on a dome on pendentives ,
decorated on the outside by a series of seven brick arches on each façade.

• The hermitage belongs to the diocese of Ávila and was declared a historical-artistic monument
on June 4, 1931. 3 . Despite being the property of the bishopric, the owners of the farm in which
it is registered do not allow the passage to it except for one hour a week, on Wednesdays from 1
to 2 p.m.

• 13th-century temple more characteristic of the mudejar style of the tierra de Arévalo.

• It has three apses with tall blocked up arcades, a dome and a tambour inside the large 12th-
century lantern over crossing tower. They are the remains of a medieval monastery and only the
triple wall and the transept arm are still standing. The remains are reminiscent of the late
Romanesque and early Gothic style of the capitals and the style of the roofs and ornamentation.

San Martin de Fromista

• San Martín has a typical Romanesque exterior. The three-level façade shows the
differing height of the nave and aisles of the interior; at the sides are two cylindrical bell
towers. The transept is as high as the central nave. Horizontally, it does not exceed the
aisles. In the crossing, the interior extends upward into an octagonal dome. The nave
and the aisle, covered with barrel vaults, end with three apses.
• The church has four entrances, one in the north, one in the west and two in the south.
However, only two are currently used. The walls have a solid appearance, with the few
windows enclosed in rounded arches. All the four sides are topped by some
300 modillions with human, animals and fantastic figures, including some erotic scenes.
Above the main portal is a chrismon with six arms.
• One of the most remarkable facts of Frómista's sculpture is that the famous "Maestro
de la Orestíada", also called "Maestro de Jaca-Frómista", worked on it. This author was
inspired by a Roman sepulchre coming from the nearby Palencia town of Husillos, which
today is exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid. The result is that
his sculptures -of great plastic quality- partially recover the naturalism and perfection of
the naked human body typical of classical Greco-Roman sculpture. In addition to the
Maestro de la Orestíada, several sculptors worked in the workshop with different
techniques, although the homogeneity of the whole is not lost.