Architecture of the Middle

Ages

Romanesque & Gothic

Architecture
Medieval Times 500-1050
Dark Ages 400-800

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Around 400 A.D. the Roman Empire fell to invading armies 2
In the 8th
century,
Charlemagne
brought
Europe
together as a
civilized
continent.

Charlemagne (742-814) 3
The architecture at the end of the
Middle Ages is
divided into two periods
1. Romanesque: 1050 – 1150
2. Gothic: 1150-1500

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Germany

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Church of St. Gertrude, Nivelles

Architectural History: Romanesque

Period - Germany
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St. Michael’s at Hildesheim

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St. Michael’s at Hildesheim

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St. Michael’s at Hildesheim

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St. Michael’s at Hildesheim
On the virtual tour of
St.Michael you will see:

1. Foundation Stone
2. Cloister
3. Chancel Barrier
4. Prop Change
5. Stone-bust of Bernward
6. Wooden Ceiling
7. 360° panoramic view of the
crypt
8. 360° panoramic view from
the altar
9. 360° panoramic view from
the high chancel

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 Romanesque in Germany
 Churches were planned on a large scale
 They used to be very high
 They had an apse or sanctuary at each end.
 Numerous round or octagonal towers that
conferred them a picturesque silhouette.

Maria Laach
Cathedral

Worms 12
Cathedral
Worms Cathedral about 1168-1181. Worms, Germany 13
large scale

Worms
Cathedral

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Wooden roofs are Towers or campaniles
replaced by masonry
barrel vaults which
eliminated the danger
of fire and produced
better acoustics

Worms Cathedral
typifies Romanesque
architecture in
Germany.

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 Speyer Cathedral 16
Towers, and a choir at each end
Worms cathedral, the smallest of the three Rhenish "Kaiserdome" (the other two 17
are Speyer and Mainz) in late Romanesque style, built 1130-81.
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 4 3
2 1

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Four round towers, two large domes, and a choir at each end
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The cathedral is 110  m long, and 27 m wide, or, including the transepts, which
are near the west end, 36 m (inner measurements). The height in the nave is
26 m; under the domes it is 40 m.

Cathedral of Worms [plan]

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 Worms
Cathedral
1171

(It is today not a Cathedral in the

proper sense, in German, it is called a
"Dom", which as you may know, does
not necessarily imply a Cathedral. It is,
however, a Basilica minor since 1925.)

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Speyer Cathedral
Begun 1030

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Mainz Cathedral - Germany 36
Mainz Cathedral -
Germany

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Maria Laach Cathedral

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St. Michael’s Hildesheim
BARREL VAULT

GROINED VAULT
(CROSS VAULT)

RIBBED VAULT

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France
Se de Lisboa Frente

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Fontenay Abbey, 1139-47
Comparisons
Italy - France
Italian: France:
• Variation of • Lack of materials
comparing with
materials in Italy.
Italy. • It’s muddy earth ,
so they used
bricks.
Italian
France
• Confirming on
• Confirming on
crossing.
crossing
• ( plans) with
• ( plans) with
vaults.
towers
 ITALY: • .
FRANCE:
In Italy, In France circular
where the churches were
sometimes built,
church plan
and, when it was
was similar necessary to enlarge
to that of them, the circular
the Roman building was
retained as the
basilica, the sanctuary, a
baptistery rectangular nave
stood alone. being added for the
use of the people
 Italian
• Classic culture , and roman background.
• Unique artistic school .
• There were professionals in all the
domains
( stones, bricks, marble,….).
More artistic
In France:
• Because of the
pilgrimage line and the
cathedrals all the way to it
, in France was larger
and more huge than
Italian ones.
 Rose
windows
St. Sernin, Toulouse 1080-1121

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 transept

ambulatory
Nave with barrel vault apse

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St. Sernin, Toulouse (nave) 72
St. Sernin, Toulouse (aisle)
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Apse - St. Sernin, Toulouse 76
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Ste. Madeleine,
Vezelay, France. 1120-32

Romanesque features

Exterior View

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Exterior view from the southeast, showing the Gothic choir, ambulatory
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chapels, and wall of the chapter house.
The spacious narthex (c.1140-50), looking east to the central portal with its
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celebrated tympanum of the Pentecost (c.1115).
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Panoramic view of the narthex, looking west towards the entrance.
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Vezelay, nave: Groined vaults rather than single barrel vaults
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 Tympanum

Sculpture used to teach religion to people since most could not read. This
type of sculpture is called architectonic since it is part of the architecture.
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Vezelay, exterior tympanum (Mission of the Apostles)
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Angouleme
cathedral

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ANGOULÊME
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Plan of Cathedral at Angouleme
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Castles

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Bodiam Castle in England
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As galore as 1000 men are believed to hump worked on the construction, the craftsmen
were recruited from all over England.
Butrón castle, Spain. Its history goes back to century XI, in which a medieval 124
tower was constructed on the old house of Butrón,
Castle ruins in Worms Germany 125
Nouaillé Maupertuis

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Architecture:

Castles: fort like

dwellings with high
Walls and towers,
protected further
By a moat and
drawbridge

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 Gothic Art 1200 AD
Gothic Art is the style of art produced in
Northern Europe from the middle ages up
until the beginning of the Renaissance.
Typically rooted in religious devotion, it is
especially known for the distinctive arched
design of its churches, its stained glass,
and its illuminated manuscripts. People
moved from the countryside into towns.

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 The Pointed Arch

Here, the construction begins with an equilateral triangle,

the simple rule of thumb
for which is - all sides are equal.
Now adjust your compass to half the length of the baseline,
and from point A construct a semicircular arch.
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   World Trade Center, New York.
                                                                     

With your compass still adjusted to half the length

of the baseline, construct a concave arch from
point B.
Repeat at point C.
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There are several features
that Characterize Gothic
construction. There is an
overall feeling of verticality
as architects tried to make
the interiors as high as
possible, as if reaching
toward heaven.

Chartres Cathedral

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Chartres
Cathedral,
Nave with
Labyrinth,
1194-1260

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Chartres, flying buttresses 134
St. Etienne, Bourges 135
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Interior of Salisbury Cathedral
Pillars carry most of the ceiling’s weight 137
Fan Vaulting broke the vaulting into many umbrella spokes
and also lightened the pressure of the ceiling 138
Gargoyles: a protecting
ornament on a building carved
in the shape of a fantastic
animal or grotesque creature;
meant to look like spirits
fleeing or being driven from
the holy building, could also
have been to entice non-
believers to enter the
cathedral. 139
Can you
guess
were this
gargoyle
is
located?

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If you guessed Parliament hill you were right! There are four
gargoyles on the Peace Tower which are characteristic of
Gothic Architecture.

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Rose
Window:
A large round
stained
glass window
in the front of
the church

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In Italy Romanesque style dominated over Gothic. (Basilica San Francesco) 146
The Capture
of Christ

A Fresco is a
painting created
when pigment is
applied to a section
of wall spread with
fresh plaster.
Fresco is the Italian
word for “fresh”

Fresco
Upper Church of San
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Francesco, Assisi
Madonna
Enthroned with
the Child, St
Francis and four
Angels (detail)
1278-80
Fresco, 73 x 60
cm (full painting:
320 x 340 cm

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Apocalyptical Christ
(detail)
1280-83
Fresco, 350 x 300 cm
Upper Church, San
Francesco, Assisi

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St Matthew

1280-83 Fresco,

Upper Church,
San Francesco,
Assisi

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The fresco decorations in the Arena Chapel at Padua have long been
considered the greatest of Giotto's works, and one of the major turning
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points in the history of European painting.
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Presentation
of Christ

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The Birth
of the
Virgin

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 The
Vision of
Joachim

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Giotto. Lamentation 1305-1306 Madonna and Child (1320-30)

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Simone Martini.
c. 1315 (or later).
Tempera on wood.
Louvre, Paris, France

The Road to
Calvary.

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Les très riches heures
du Duc de Berry (The
very rich book of hours)
is the classic example
of a medieval book of
hours. Calendars,
prayers, psalms and
masses for certain holy
days were commonly
included.

January
The month of giving gifts
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August The month of hawking April The arrival of spring, hope and new159
life
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December February Winter in a peasant village.
 For more on medieval art

http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHmedieval.html

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