Romanesque Architecture

The Architectural style of Medieval

Europe
 Outline
 Introduction  Characteristics
Time and Place
 Building types and
 History and Society
Examples

The Church
 Religion
The Monastery
The Fortified Town
 Why Romanesque?
The Castle

 Materials
Time and Place
Period: 1000-1200 AD
Place: Western Europe
 The Decline of Rome and the
beginning of the Dark Ages
Rome was occupied by ‘barbarians’ in 476. The
Roman Empire in the West had already come to an
end in A.D. 475.
 Franks – France
 Burgundians-Burgundy
 Lombards-Lombardy
 Goths/Visigoths-Gothic
 Vandals-”vandalism”

Because of these invasions, Romanesque architecture was

obsessed with security, each building was a fortress. Constant
warfare rendered the condition of the people unsettled and
craftsmanship was consequently at a low ebb.
 The Romanesque World
Period: 1000-1200 AD

Romanesque building types

 Churches
 Castles
 Monasteries
 Fortified Towns
Norman – Romanesque in Britain
Ottonian – Romanesque in Germany

Medieval society:
 Landowning lords and knights
 Peasants and laborers
 Monks and priests
HISTORY AND SOCIETY

Charlemagne
Feudalism
The Pilgrimage
The Crusades
 The election of the first Frankish
King Charlemagne (A.D. 799)
as Holy Roman Emperor
marks the beginning of a new
era.

 Between the time of

Charlemagne (about 800 AD)
and the beginning of
Romanesque two hundred
years later, people had built
practically no big new
buildings.

 Charlemagne was crowned

Holy Roman Emperor on
Xmas Day 800. He
encouraged the building of
churches and monasteries
using masonry.
Charlemagne (Reign: 768-
814)  Carolingian – from Carolus,
latin for Charles
 The Politics of Feudalism

The Romanesque period saw the introduction of the system of feudal tenure,
or the holding of land on condition of military service
 The pilgrim route to
Santiago de Compostela
 Santiago de Compostela, 1078

Many pilgrims who were unable to take on the huge prospect of a visit to the Holy
Land would instead travel to Rome, home of the worldwide Roman Catholic
Church, or Santiago de Compostella in Spain, where the shrine of St James was
housed.
 The building material differs greatly across Europe, depending upon the
local stone and building traditions. In Italy, Poland, much of Germany and
parts of the Netherlands, brick is generally used. Other areas saw
extensive use of limestone, granite and flint.

San Vittore alle Chiuse, Genga,

Italy, of undressed stone, has
Sant'Ambrogio, Milan is a typically fortress-like
constructed of bricks, 1099AD. appearance. 1011AD
 Arch, barrel vault and the blind arcade
The half round arch and the
barrel vault. St Sernin,
Toulouse, France. A Lombard band is a decorative
blind arcade, usually exterior.
Below: A Lombard band in the
Basilica di Santa Giulia, northern
Italy.
 The Ambulatory and the Absidiole
Ambulatories-The creation of the ambulatory helped to accommodate the
growing number of pilgrims. In this arrangement, the aisles flanking the nave
were extended alongside the sanctuary and around the apse. Small relic chapels
or niche shrines radiated out from this ambulatory facilitating the flow of
pilgrims.

Absidioles – round chapels around the

ambulatory. Below: Cluny Abbey, France
1131

St Martin of Tours, France

 Square Towers and Round Arches
Facade of Santa Maria, Cosmedin,
with bell tower, 6th C

Round arches at the facade

of the cathedral of Lisbon
 Square Towers and Round Arches
South transept of Tournai Facade of Angoulême
Cathedral Belgium, 12th Cathedral, France with towers
century with buttresses. and rounded arches.
 Domes
At St. Andrew's Church, The Cathedral of Saint-Front,
Kraków, the paired towers are Périgueux, France, has five domes
octagonal in plan and have like Byzantine churches, but is
domes of the Baroque period. Romanesque in construction.
 Paired and decorated columns

Paired columns like those at Duratón,

near Sepúlveda, Spain, are a feature of
Romanesque cloisters in Spain, Italy
and southern France

Durham Cathedral, England,

has decorated masonry
columns and the earliest
pointed high ribs.
 Alternating piers and columns and the blind arcade
The "blind arcade" beneath this
St. Michael's, Hildesheim has window at Canterbury Cathedral
alternating piers and columns. has overlapping arches forming
points, a common decorative
feature of Romanesque architecture
in England
 Dwarf galleries, stone mouldings

On these much-restored
Dwarf Galleries encircle Speyer mouldings around the portal
Cathedral. of Lincoln Cathedral are formal
chevron ornament, tongue-
poking monsters, vines and
figures, and symmetrical
motifs in the Byzantine style.
 Tympanum and Historiated Capitals
A Capital from Seu Vella,
Lleida, Spain, showing spiral
The tympanum of Vézelay and paired motifs.
Abbey, Burgundy, France,
1130s, has much decorative
spiral detail in the draperies
 Doorways with a tympanum
Also called Romanesque Portal. They were later decorated and the space
between the doorhead and the inner arch was filled by a stone slab called a
TYMPANIUM which acted as the focal point of the ornament.

St. Trophime
 Groin vaults and Underground Crypts

Bayeux Cathedral, the crypt

has groin vaults and simplified The painted crypt of San
Corinthian capitals. Isidoro at León, Spain.
 The Westwork
A westwork is the monumental, west-facing entrance section of a Carolingian,
Ottonian, or Romanesque church. The exterior consists of multiple stories
between two towers. The interior includes an entrance vestibule, a chapel and
a series of galleries overlooking the nave.

St Pantaleon, Cologne (960, 1150-

The westwork of Corvey Abbey (873-885) 60)
ARCHES AND COLUMNS

Some examples of arches and

column capitals.
 THE ROUND ARCH
Semi Circular
Arch

~A round arch whose intrados is a

full semicircle.

Segmented Arch
~a shallow arch; an arch that is less
than a semicircle
 THE ROUND ARCH

Stilted Arch
~An arch whose curve begins above the
impost line.

Horseshoe Arch
~also called the Moorish arch and
the Keyhole arch
 Romanesque Historiated or figured capital: A
capital which is decorated with
Capitals figures of animals, birds, or
humans, used either alone or
combined with foliage. The figures
need not have any meaning,
Block, cushion, or cubic capital: A although they may be symbolic or
simple cube-like capital with bottom part of a narrative sequence.
corners tapered. The block capital is Historiated capitals were most
particularly characteristic of commonly used in the Romanesque
Ottonian and Romanesque from the late eleventh to mid-
twelfth centuries.
architecture in Germany and
England.
ROMANESQUE BUILDING
TYPES
Churches
Monasteries
Castles
Fortified Towns
 CHURCHES

Christianity, the chief source of education and culture, was gradually

extending throughout northern Europe, and the erection of a church
often resulted in the foundation of a city ; for the Papacy had been
rising to great power and influence, and rivaled, or even controlled,
such civil government as existed.
 ITALIAN ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE EXAMPLES
CENTRAL ITALY NORTH ITALY
Pisa Cathedral (A.D. 1063–92) S. Antonino, Piacenza (A.D. 1104)

San Michele, Lucca(A.D. 1188, facade S. Ambrogio, Milan (A.D. 1140)

A.D. 1288)
S. Michele, Pavia (A.D. 1188)
Pistoia Cathedral (c. A.D. 1150)
S. Zeno Maggiore, Verona (A.D. 1139)
The Cloisters of S. Giovanni in Laterano,
Rome (A.D. 1234)
The Baptistery, Cremona (A.D. 1167)

San Paolo Fuori le Mura, Rome

The Baptistery, Asti (A.D. 1050)
(A.D. 1241)

The Baptistery, Parma (A.D. 1196)

San Miniato, Florence (A.D. 1013)
Romanesque, Central Italy

Pisa Cathedral (A.D. 1063–92) with Baptistery,

Campanile
 Romanesque, Central Italy

San Martino, Lucca

San Michele, Lucca
(A.D. 1060, facade, A.D. 1204)
(A.D. 1188, facade A.D. 1288)
 Romanesque, Central Italy

San Paolo Fuori le Mura, Rome

Pistoia Cathedral (c. A.D. 1150)
(A.D. 1241)
 Romanesque, Central Italy
The Cloisters of S. Giovanni,
Laterano, Rome (A.D. 1234)
San Miniato, Florence
(A.D. 1013)
 Romanesque, North Italy

San Antonino, Piacenza (A.D. 1104) San Ambrogio, Milan (A.D. 1140)
 Romanesque, North Italy

San Zeno Maggiore, Verona (A.D. 1139),

San Michele, Pavia (A.D. 1188)

 Romanesque, North Italy
The Baptistery, Parma The Baptistery, Cremona
(A.D. 1196) (A.D. 1167)
Romanesque, Southern Italy

Monreale Cathedral (A.D. 1174)

S. Giovanni degli Eremiti, Palermo

(A.D. 1132)

La Martorana, Palermo
(A.D. 1129-1143)

S. Cataldo, Palermo (A.D. 1161)

S. Nicolo, Bari (A.D. 1197)

Monreale Cathedral (A.D. 1174)

 Romanesque, Southern Italy
La Martorana, Palermo
(A.D. 1129-1143)

S. Giovanni degli Eremiti, Palermo

(A.D. 1132)
Romanesque, Southern Italy
S. Cataldo, Palermo
(A.D. 1161)
S. Nicolo, Bari (A.D. 1197)
 FRENCH ROMANESQUE
The Abbaye-aux-Dames, Caen (A.D. 1083)
Notre Dame la Grande, Poitiers
S. Nicholas, Caen (A.D. 1084) (A.D. 11th century)

Saint Sernin, Toulouse, France Fontevrault Abbey (A.D. 1101–19)

(1080 – 1120)
Abbey Church of Mont S. Michel
S. Madeleine, Vezelay (A.D. 1100) (A.D. 1023)

Autun Cathedral (A.D. 1090-1132) The Church at S. Gilles (c. A.D.

1150)
The Abbey of S. Denis (A.D. 1132)

S. Trophime, Arles (A.D. 1150)

S. Philibert, Tournus, Burgundy

 French Romanesque

The Abbaye-aux-Hommes, Caen Abbeye-aux- Dames, Caen

or S. Etienne, 1120AD 1083AD
 French Romanesque
S. Nicholas, Caen Saint Sernin, Toulouse,
(A.D. 1084) (1080 – 1120)
 French Romanesque
S. Madeleine, Vezelay Autun Cathedral
(A.D. 1100) (A.D. 1090-1132)
 French Romanesque
The Abbey of S. Denis S. Trophime, Arles
(A.D. 1132) (A.D. 1150)
 French Romanesque
Notre Dame la Grande, Fontevrault Abbey
Poitiers (A.D. 11th century) (A.D. 1101–19)
 French Romanesque
The Church at S. Gilles
(c. A.D. 1150)

Abbey Church of Mont S.

Michel (A.D. 1023)
 GERMAN ROMANESQUE
Speyer Cathedral (A.D. 1030)

Worms Cathedral
(A.D. 1110–1200)

Laach Abbey (A.D. 1093-1156)

Lubeck Cathedral (A.D. 1173)

Treves Cathedral (A.D. 1016–47)

Speyer Cathedral, Germany 1030-1061

 GERMAN ROMANESQUE

Laach Abbey
(A.D. 1093-1156)

Worms Cathedral
(A.D. 1110–1200)
 GERMAN ROMANESQUE
Lubeck Cathedral Treves Cathedral
(A.D. 1173) (A.D. 1016–47)
 Plans

The cruciform and the Greek plan.

 PLANS USED BY ROMANESQUE CHURCHES
1. adopted the Greek and the Latin cross plan
2. faces the east

Saint Sernin, Toulouse, France,1080 - 1120

 PLANS USED BY ROMANESQUE CHURCHES
The Greek Cross Plan, with
four equal arms

Saint Front, Perigueux, France,

1100
MEDIEVAL MONASTARIES

Monasteries were often sited just

outside the city gates and provided
work, medical care, education, and
hostels for travellers.
 The Mediaeval Science, letters, art, and culture
were the monopoly of the
Monasteries religious Orders.

Schools attached to monasteries

trained youths for the service
of religion; monks and their
pupils were the designers of
the cathedrals.

architecture → “sacred science”

They initiated the agricultural

development of the time:
 grain production
 sheep-rearing
 dry-stone walling techniques
 water wheels
 drainage.

They also trained masons, carvers,

joiners and engineers.

St Martin Canigou, 1001-26

 The Medieval Monasteries

The Abbey Church, Cluny (A.D. 1089-1131)

A Typical
Monastery
 CASTLES

The castles started as defence

structures.
The motte and bailey
 Building type-Castles
Rochester Castle, Kent,
England 1130AD
Cardiffe Castle, England
1091AD
La Zisa, Palermo (A.D. 1154-66), is a rectangular, three-storey Norman castle
with battlemented parapet, and shows the influence of Saracenic art.
 FORTIFIED TOWNS

A defensive wall is
a fortification used to defend a city
or settlement from potential
aggressors.
 Fortified Town
Monterriggioni, 13th C Sienna
In the heart of Tuscany, in the southwest corner of the Chianti region, Monteriggioni
castle was built in the second decade of the thirteenth century by the Republic of
Siena. Its original purpose was as a defensive outpost against Siena’s rival,
Florence.
The Carcassonne, France 1226AD

Since the pre-Roman period, a fortified

settlement has existed on the hill where
Carcassonne now stands. In its present
form it is an outstanding example of a
medieval fortified town, with its massive
defences encircling the castle and the
surrounding buildings, its streets and its
fine Gothic cathedral.
Avila, Spain, 1090AD
Founded in the 11th century to protect the
Spanish territories from the Moors, this
'City of Saints and Stones', the birthplace
of St Teresa and the burial place of the
Grand Inquisitor Torquemada, has kept its
medieval austerity. This purity of form can
still be seen in the Gothic cathedral and the
fortifications which, with their 82
semicircular towers and nine gates, are the
most complete in Spain.
Peniscola, Spain, 1294AD

Peniscola, often called the

"Gibraltar of Valencia," is a fortified
seaport, with a lighthouse, built on a rocky
headland about 67 m high, and joined to
the mainland by only a narrow strip of land.
 The Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, France,
1017AD

A Benedictine Abbey, Normandy, France. It is unquestionably the finest example

both of French medieval architecture and of a fortified abbey. The buildings of
the monastery are piled round a conical mass of rock which rises abruptly out of
the waters of the Atlantic to the height of 300 feet, on the summit of which
stands the great church.
FIN
 Romanesque Capitals
• Cushion Capital ~ A capital resembling a cushion that is pressed
down because of weight on it.

• Scalloped Capital ~ a capital when each lunette is developed into

several truncated cones.
Pisa Cathedral and Campanile, 1063, 1089-1272