Lecture - 14

Medieval

Prepared By : Ar. Kamisetty Nihaarika

Study of principles of design of Roman buildings through study
of proportion, composition, visual effects etc. in
Monumental: Pantheon Module - 4

Medieval :
• Monumental
Ex : Pisa Cathedral
The Campanile
Romanesque Architecture
 Romanesque Architecture
What is Romanesque Architecture?
• Romanesque is inspired by Roman Architecture.

• Similarities between Roman and Romanesque include round arches, stone

materials, and the basilica-style plan .

• The Romanesque period cannot be precisely defined – but Romanesque

architecture generally dates from 1000 to 1150.

• In some conservative regions, Romanesque-style churches continued to be built

well into the 1200s, and there was considerable overlap between the styles. Features
that lie somewhere between Romanesque and Gothic are called "Transitional”.

• The term "Romanesque" was coined in 1818 by Charles-Alexis-Adrien de Gerville

to describe the form of art and architecture that preceded Gothic.
 Romanesque Style
• Combining features of
contemporary Western Roman and
Byzantine buildings, Romanesque
architecture is known by its massive
quality, its thick walls, round arches,
sturdy piers, groin vaults, large
towers and decorative arcading.

• Each building has clearly defined

forms and they are frequently of
very regular, symmetrical plan so
that the overall appearance is one
of simplicity when compared with the Gothic buildings that were to follow.

• The style can be identified right across Europe, despite regional characteristics and
different materials.
 Romanesque Architecture
Characteristics of Romanesque
Architecture:
• Harmonious proportions

• Stone barrel vault or groin vault

• Thick and heavy walls

• Thick and heavy pillars

• Small windows

• Round arches supporting the roof

• Round "blind arches" used extensively for decoration inside and out (especially
exteriors)

• Nave with side aisles

• Galleries above the side aisles, separated from the nave by a triforium.
 Romanesque Architecture
• A transept (section crossing the nave at a right angle, giving the church a cross
shape)

• An apse (semicircular niche, usually in the east end)

• An ambulatory (often with radiating chapels) around the apse

• Multiple towers, usually at the west end and over the transept crossing

• Sculptured decoration on portals, capitals and other surfaces (except in Cistercian

monasteries)

• Painted decoration throughout the interior (little of which survives today)

Vaults :
• Barrel vault

• Groin vault

• Ribbed vault & Pointed arched vault

 Romanesque Architecture
Barrel Vault :
• A tunnel vault or a wagon vault.

• The simplest type of vaulted roof is the

barrel vault in which a single arched surface
extends from wall to wall, the length of the
space to be vaulted.

• The barrel vault generally required the

support of solid walls, or walls in which the
windows were very small.
 Romanesque Architecture
Groin Vaults :
• A groin vault or groined vault (also
sometimes known as a double barrel vault
or cross vault) is produced by the intersection
at right angles of two barrel vaults.

• The word groin refers to the edge between

the intersecting vaults; cf. ribbed vault.

• Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are

pointed instead of round.

• In comparison with a barrel vault, a groin

vault provides good economies of material
and labor.

• The thrust is concentrated along the groins

or arrises (the four diagonal edges formed along the points where the barrel vaults
intersect), so the vault need only be abutted at its four corners.
Romanesque Architecture
 Romanesque Architecture
Ribbed Vault :
• In ribbed vaults, not only are there
ribs spanning the vaulted area
transversely, but each vaulted bay has
diagonal ribs.

• In a ribbed vault, the ribs are the

structural members, and the spaces
between them can be filled with lighter,
non-structural material.

• Because Romanesque arches are nearly

always semi-circular, the structural and
design problem inherent in the ribbed
vault is that the diagonal span is larger
and therefore higher than the transverse
span.

• One was to have the centre point where the diagonal ribs met as the highest point,
with the infill of all the surfaces sloping upwards towards it, in a domical manner.
 Romanesque Architecture
• Another solution was to stilt the
transverse ribs, or depress the diagonal
ribs so that the centerline of the vault
was horizontal.
 Romanesque Architecture
Pointed Arched Vault :

• Late in the Romanesque period

another solution came into use for
regulating the height of diagonal
and transverse ribs.

• Use arches of the same

diameter for both horizontal and
transverse ribs, causing the
transverse ribs to meet at a point.
Pisa Cathedral
Pisa Cathedral
 Pisa Cathedral
• Resembles early basilican church in plan

• Nave, double aisles

• Long rows of columns connected by

arches

• Usual timber roof

• Exterior – bands of red and white marble

• Ground storey faced with wall arcading

• Transepts end in apses

• Elliptical dome over the crossing is a

later addition

• Good proportions

• Delicacy of its ornamentation

 Pisa Cathedral
• At first glance, the cathedral resembles an Early Christian basilica with a timber
roof, columnar arcade, and clerestory but the broadly projecting transept with apses,
the crossing dome, and the facade’s multiple arcaded galleries distinguish it as
Romanesque.

• Begun in 1093, Pisa Cathedral (Duomo di Pisa) is a masterpiece of Romanesque

architecture.

• The first stone of Pisa Cathedral was laid in 1093, initiating what would become
the distinctive Pisan Romanesque style.

• The facade is marble.

• The bottom section has tall blind arcades with pastel-colored marble inlay and
three portals with bronze doors.

• Above this are four rows of open arcades with delicate columns rising to the top
of a gable that is much taller than the cathedral roof.

• The granite Corinthian columns between the nave and the aisle came originally
from the mosque of Palermo, captured by the Pisans in 1063.
Pisa Cathedral
 Pisa Cathedral
• Earlier the church had a coffered ceiling.

• Above the doors are four rows of open galleries with, on top, statues of Madonna
with Child and, on the corners, the Four evangelists.

• Also in the facade is found the tomb of Buscheto (on the left side) and an
inscription about the foundation of the Cathedral and the victorious battle against the
Saracens.

• At the east end of the exterior, high on a column rising from the gable, is a
modern replica of the Pisa Griffin, the largest Islamic metal sculpture known, the
original of which was placed there probably in the 11th or 12th century, and is now in
the Cathedral Museum.

• The interior is faced with black and white marble and has a gilded ceiling and a
frescoed dome.

• It was largely redecorated after a fire in 1595, which destroyed most of the
Renaissance art works.
Pisa Cathedral
The Campanile
The Campanile
 The Campanile
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre Pendente di Pisa in Italian) is one of the great
icons of Europe.

• Begun in 1173, the bell tower of Pisa Cathedral is famous for the shifting of its
sandy foundations that has led to a significant lean of 5.5 degrees.

• The campanile was begun in 1173 as the final structure of the magnificent
cathedral complex on the Campo dei Miracoli in Pisa.

• The settling of its foundations and resulting lean became apparent before it was
even finished - after only three stories were completed.

• The engineer, believed to be Bonnano Pisano, tried to compensate by making the

new stories a little taller on one side.

• However, the extra materials caused the tower to sink even more.

• Made of gleaming white and pastel marbles, the Leaning Tower has a diameter of
52 feet (16 m) at the base and would stand 185 feet (56 metres) high if it were straight.
The Campanile
 The Campanile
• It currently leans 5.5 degrees, which amounts to about 15 feet or 4.5 metres from
vertical.

• The famous lean of the bell tower often overshadows its magnificent architecture,
which is an exceptional example of the Romanesque style.

• The round tower is made of fine multi-coloured marble and has eight stories in
all, each surrounded by an arcaded gallery.

• The repeating registers of arches give the tower an exceptionally harmonious and
rhythmic appearance.

• The bottom register of the tower has a blind arcade and an ornately carved portal,
which features grotesque sculptures of animals.

• The second through seventh stories have open arcaded galleries and the eighth
story houses the bell chamber.

• The medieval bells remain in place, but for stability reasons are no longer rung.

• Inside the tower is a 294-step spiral staircase leading to the bell chamber.
The Campanile
 The Campanile
• The Tower was designed to be "vertical“, and started to incline during its
construction.

• During its construction efforts were made to halt the incipient inclination through
the use of special construction devices; later columns and other damaged parts were
substituted in more than one occasion; today, interventions are being carried out within
the sub-soil in order to significantly reduce the inclination and to make sure that Tower
will have along life.

• The building is formed by a cylindrical body of masonry encircled by arcades

with arches and columns resting upon the base, surmounted by a belfry.

• The central body of the structure is composed of a hollow cylinder, formed by an

external wall facing of shaped ashlars in white and grey San Giuliani limestone, an
inner wall facing also of worked limestone and, between these two wall facings, an
annular masonry area.

• Within this masonry area is a spiral stair, which, with 293steps, climbs up to the
sixth arcade.
The Campanile
 The Campanile
• Surrounded at its ground level by an order of tall blind arcades resting on half
columns, following an architectural plan similar to the front of the cathedral

• Above ground level are six floors of aerial open galleries.

• The first floor is surrounded by pillars with classical capitals, leaning against
blind arches.

• At its highest part lies the cylindrical belfry of a smaller diameter encircled by
small arcades resting upon consoles or small columns framing the various openings.

• From the fourth floor up, the columns are thinner on the side of leaning to lighten
the weight in that part.

• The bas-reliefs, inscriptions, and graffiti found in the Campanile, in the Cathedral
or in the Baptistery have no value but decorative, they Pisa Campanile 1174 – 1271 –
Pisa, Italy.
The Campanile
Bibliography