Medieval Europe

The time between the fall of Rome in the 5th century is often called
the Dark ages.
As Europe adjusted to the left over by the demise of
Rome, rivalries and power struggles between local,
regional, and national leaders led to war after war after
war – so much so, that it is difficult to see the history of
medieval Europe, from Dark Ages to the 15th century, as
anything other than long series of bloody battles.

Political stability gradually returned to western Europe,

and by the end of the Middle Ages, the key European
nation states either had emerged – such as England,
France, Spain, Sweden and Portugal or were
recognizable among the principalities and grand duchies
that comprised Germany, Italy.
Medieval Arts
With political stability came economic and cultural
revival, including a great flowering of architecture.

This resulted in some of the world’s finest building,

in the form of the medieval cathedral and
monasteries, and some of the most enchanting
local architecture.

Middle Ages also produce magnificent art, exquisite

literature and book production, imaginative
structural engineering and a revival of ancient
learning – largely through contact with Islamic
scholars in Spain who had kept alive the writings of
Plato, Aristotle and others.

Amid all this death and warfare, chaos and strife,

medieval architecture must have been truly
inspirational. Today, it remains one of the crowning
glories of the art of building.
Romanesque style of architecture to the
Gothic style of architecture.
Romanesque Architecture

Romanesque architecture is an architectural

style of medieval Europe. (lasted from the 5th
to the 15th
The word "Romanesque" means "descended
from Roman" and was first used in English

Romanesque style was the first style to

spread across the whole of Catholic Europe

This style grew in those countries of Western

Europe which had been under the rule of Rome.

With the church as the unifying force, this period

was devoted to the glorification of Christianity
and the church was the predominant building
type.
Religion in the middle age
• Christianity was the chief source of education
and culture.

• THE MONASTIC SYSTEM

– Religious became members of an order with
common ties and a common rule, living in a
mutually dependent community.
– Promoted new methods in agriculture.
– Exercised influence on architecture
Characteristic of Romanesque

• Thick wall which support stone roof

• Round arches
• Sturdy piers
• Groin and barrel vault
• Large tower
• Decorative arcading
• Small window to keep the strength of the wall
strong.
• A blocky earthbound appearance
• Large simple geometric masses
• Interior tend to be dark because of the massive
walls that dictate small window
• Recessed arch entrance
• Blind arcade
• Tympanum
 The cathedral sits at the heart of on of
the most imposing architectural
complexes in Europe, comprising the
cathedral itself, the more or less
contemporary baptistery and the
campanile (the Leaning Tower)

All three are in brilliant white banded

marble and are deliberate.

Pisa Cathedral
San Nicola, Bari
The strong Romanesque church of San Nicola was the first of the
series in this style built across southern Italy.

This church creating what would prove to be surprisingly enduring

local style. The southern tower was never finished, but the exterior of
the church displays a calm symmetry
Gothic Architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture which
flourished in Europe during the high and late medieval
period.

It was preceded by Romanesque architecture and was

succeeded by Renaissance architecture.

The architecture of the medieval Gothic cathedral is one

of the glories of European civilization.

It attempted to lift everyday life up to the heavens using

sensationally high stone vaults, towers and steeples.
Aiming for Heaven

The essence of high Gothic style is the flying buttress,

a device that allowed medieval masons to transfer
weight away from cathedral walls; the higher the
walls the greater the span of the decorated
buttresses.

Using flying buttresses, the cathedral building were

able to construct sensationally high and increasingly
elaborate stone vaults and create even bigger
windows as they gain mastery of this new device.

Gradually the window began to take over from the

walls. Filled with colored glass telling the stories of
Old Testament and the lives of Christ, his apostles,
saints, and martyrs.
Characteristic of Gothic Architecture

• Pointed Pinnacles
• Gargoyles
• Stained Glass Windows
• Gothic Arch
• Gothic Vault
• Flying Buttress
• Pointed Pinnacles

Add strength and stability to the structure

Enables buildings to reach new heights

To make it look light

• Gargoyles

The origins of the word 'gargoyle' are derived from the old
French word 'gargouille' meaning Throat.

Gargoyles came into gothic architecture in the early 13th

century and are defined as "a waterspout, projecting from
an upper part of a building to throw water clear of walls or
foundations."
• Stained Glass Windows

Stained glass windows could now take up much of the wall

space, being ethereal, letting in light and color for a beautiful
and moving effect; understanding medieval perspective of
humanity and divinity.

Important to the Catholic church, it depicts Biblical stories

(people are illiterate) and to entice them to come in and teach
them the word of God
• Gothic Arch

The Gothic architects and builders discovered the

amazing strength and stability of using pointed arches.

The use of the Gothic arch gave the builders

tremendous flexibility.
The arch could not only support greater weights but
could also could span greater distances, allowing
vaults to be taller and wider.
Thinner walls had wider window openings which
encouraged the use of stained glass and the
magnificent Gothic Rose Windows.
• Gothic Vault

The reasons that the cathedrals had so many of

these vaulted roofs is because the medieval
builders thought that they helped reduce the risk
of fire.

Early (barrel) vault roofs were heavy to construct,

so it is finished using timber; thus prone to fire.

Vault roofs, can support itself and made the

inside of the cathedral have a finished look.
• Flying Buttress

It serves to transmit the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards

(which may arise from stone vaulted ceilings or from wind-
loading on roofs) across an intervening space and ultimately
down to the ground.

Another application of the flying buttress is to prop up a wall

which may be leaning with a danger of collapse.

Beside being a structural element, it also is decorative too.

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