Romanesque Architecture

The Architectural style of

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

Religion The Church

The Monastery
Why Romanesque? The Fortified Town
The Castle

Materials
TIME AND PLACE

Period: 1000-1200 AD
Place: Western Europe
The Migration and Invasion of the Tribes
 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.

Carolingian from Carolus, latin

Charlemagne (Reign: 768-814) 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 Crusades 10951270
The Crusades were a series of religiously
sanctioned military campaigns waged by
much of Western Christian Europe,
particularly the Franks of France and the
Holy Roman Empire. The specific crusades
to restore Christian control of the Holy
Land were fought over a period of nearly
200 years, between 1095 and 1291.

The Crusades brought about a very large

movement of people and, with them,
ideas and trade skills, particularly those
involved in the building of fortifications
and the metal working needed for the
provision of arms, which was also applied
to the fitting and decoration of buildings.

The continual movement of people, rulers,

nobles, bishops, abbots, craftsmen and
peasants, was an important factor in
creating a homogeneity in building
methods and a recognizable Romanesque
style, despite regional differences.
 The Crusades originally had the goal of
recapturing Jerusalem and the Holy The Crusades
Land from Muslim rule and their Godefroy de Bouillon a French knight, leader of
campaigns were launched in response the First Crusade and founder of the Kingdom of
to a call from the Christian Byzantine Jerusalem.
Empire for help against the expansion
of the Muslim Seljuk Turks into
Anatolia.
Crusaders took vows and were granted
penance for past sins, often called an
indulgence.
There was a total of nine crusades in
the Middle Ages.
Although Europe had been exposed to
Islamic culture for centuries through
contacts in Iberian Peninsula and Sicily,
much knowledge in areas such as
science, medicine, and architecture was
transferred from the Islamic to the
western world during the crusade era.
 RELIGION

Across Europe, the late 11th and 12th centuries

saw an unprecedented growth in the number of
churches. A great number of these buildings, both
large and small, remain.
 Religion in the Middle Ages
Christianity was the chief source of
education and culture. The
erection of a church often
resulted in the foundation of a
city.

The Monastic system the

religious become 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
Angoulme Cathedral, France
1128 AD
In medieval times, people made long trips to visit
the relics or resting places of revered saints.
The Pilgrimage
However, as the number of pilgrims increased,
there were simply too many people to be
housed in monastic buildings and so inns and
boarding houses offered an alternative.
The pilgrimages allowed for the exchange of ideas
including those of architecture and
construction. The pilgrims way was filled with
Romanesque churches, monasteries, inns and
castles.

Head reliquary Medieval society was often divided sharply

of St Martin of into rich and poor. But, on a pilgrimage,
Tours people from all walks of life could meet
and travel together.
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.
ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE

Romanesque architecture was the first distinctive

style to spread across Europe since the Roman
Empire. It is used to describe the style which was
identifiably Medieval and prefigured the Gothic.
WHY ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE?
On the decline of the Roman Empire in 478AD, the Romanesque style grew up
in those countries of Western Europe which had been under the rule of
Rome.

Romanesque style is called that because it is a little like Roman architecture

with similarities between the barrel vault and Roman arch, but it is made
around 1000-1200 AD instead of during the Roman Empire.

Apart from its Roman origin, from which it took its name, the Romanesque
style owed something to Byzantine art, which was carried westwards along
the great trade routes, by way of such centers as Venice, Ravenna, and
Marseilles.

With the church as the unifying force, this period was devoted to the
glorification of Christianity and the church was the predominant building
type.
 Climate and Materials
Geographical position determined many of the peculiarities of the style in each
country.

Use of local materials (stone or brick, marble or terra-cotta, ready-made

columns) depended on the region. The use of local materials, whether stone or
brick, marble or terra-cotta, as well as of ready-made columns and other
features from old Roman buildings, accounts for many of the varying
characteristics in each country over this wide area, with its different geological
formations.

Climatic conditions contributed to differences of treatment north and south of

the Alps & Pyrenees.

North window openings were enlarged

high-pitched roofs
South small window openings
flat roofs
 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.

Sant'Ambrogio, Milan is constructed of

bricks, 1099AD. San Vittore alle Chiuse, Genga, Italy, of undressed
stone, has a typically fortress-like appearance. 1011AD
 CHARACTERISTICS

Distinctive features of Romanesque

walls, openings, roofs, columns,
mouldings and ornaments.
 Characteristics of Romanesque:

thick walls which support

stone roofs
round arches
sturdy piers
groin and barrel vaults
large towers
decorative arcading
small windows to keep the
strength of the walls strong

Right: Abbaye-aux-Hommes,
Caen, France 11th C
 Characteristics of Romanesque:

stone was cut with precision

a blocky, earthbound
appearance
large, simple geometric masses
the exterior reflects the interior
structure and organization
interiors tend to be dark
because of the massive walls
that dictate small windows
growing sophistication in
vaulting to span the large
spaces
system of construction: San Antonino, Piacenza, Italy 1104 AD
arcuated
WALLS
characterized by
corbelleza arches at the
cornice, one series of
corbel is called corbel
table or blind arch
OPENINGS
a) introduced the wheel window
b) the recessed plane of door jambs also
called as the order with quarter shaft.
ROOF
a) used the dome which is normally
found at the intersection of the nave
and transept

b) use of vaults

Left: a corbel table Above: wheel window and recessed arches,

San Pedro, Avila, Spain 1100
Columns
1. used variation of the Corinthian and the Ionic capital with
a twisted shaft known as the scallop

2. developed the cushion or cubiforal type

and the scalloped capital

Used the following shafts:

a. fluted c. twisted or scallop e. wreathed columns
b. zigzag d. chevron
Moldings
1. usually in vegetable form/animal form
2. elaborately carved

Ornament
1. principal ornamentation were fresco paintings
2. characteristic ornamentations in sculpture, carvings
and fresco painting usually :
a. vegetables
b. animal forms
 Other Romanesque features
Recessed arch entrance
Arches
Groin and barrel Vaults
Blind arcade
Absidioles and Ambulatory
Square Towers
Columns paired, attached, decorated
Tympanum
Historiated capitals
Underground vaults
Westwork
Recessed arched entrance
 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 Cathedral Facade of Angoulme Cathedral, France
Belgium, 12th century with buttresses. with towers and rounded arches.
 Domes
At St. Andrew's Church, Krakw, the The Cathedral of Saint-Front, Prigueux, France,
paired towers are octagonal in plan and has five domes like Byzantine churches, but is
have domes of the Baroque period. Romanesque in construction.
 Columns with attached shafts, internal horizontal divisions

The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain,

has large columns constructed of drums, with
attached shafts

Mainz Cathedral, Germany, possibly the

earliest example of an internal elevation of 3
stages
 Paired and decorated columns

Paired columns like those at Duratn, near Seplveda,

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

St. Michael's, Hildesheim has alternating

piers and columns.

The "blind arcade" beneath this window at Canterbury Cathedral

has overlapping arches forming points, a common decorative
feature of Romanesque architecture in England
 Dwarf galleries, stone mouldings

Dwarf Galleries encircle Speyer Cathedral.

On these much-restored mouldings
around the portal 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 and paired motifs.
The tympanum of Vzelay 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 The painted crypt of San Isidoro at Len,
vaults and simplified Corinthian capitals. 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.

The westwork of Corvey Abbey (873-885) St Pantaleon, Cologne (960, 1150-60)

ORNAMENTS and PATTERNS

Some of the ornamentation and

patterns of the Romanesque
originated from the Northern tribes.
 Decorative Patterns

Chevron
A zigzag molding used in
Romanesque archs

Billet
molding formed by a series of circular,
cylinders, disposed alternately with the
notches in single or multiple rows
Lozenges
tongue-like protrusions. A diamond
shape decoration found carved on pillars
and arches.

Star
also called chip-carved star,
motive star flower, or saltire cross
Nailheads
moulding featuring a series of small
contiguous projecting pyramids

Cable
a convex molding carved in
imitation of a rope or cord, and used
to decorate the moldings of the

Romanesque style
 Frescoes and Stained Glass
Fresco from Church of St. Clement, now in
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya . Stained glass, the Prophet Daniel from
Augsburg Cathedral, late 11th century.
 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 Capitals
Block, cushion, or cubic capital: A simple cube-like
capital with bottom corners tapered. The block
capital is particularly characteristic of Ottonian
and Romanesque architecture in Germany and
England.
Historiated or figured capital: A capital which is
decorated with figures of animals, birds, or
humans, used either alone or combined with
foliage. The figures need not have any meaning,
although they may be symbolic or part of a
narrative sequence. Historiated capitals were
most commonly used in the Romanesque from
the late eleventh to mid-twelfth centuries.
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. 106392) 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. 106392) 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

Pistoia Cathedral (c. A.D. 1150)

San Paolo Fuori le Mura, Rome
 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, Cremona
The Baptistery, Parma (A.D. 1167)
(A.D. 1196)
 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)

S. Nicholas, Caen (A.D. 1084)

Notre Dame la Grande, Poitiers (A.D.
11th century)
Saint Sernin, Toulouse, France
(1080 1120) Fontevrault Abbey (A.D. 110119)

S. Madeleine, Vezelay (A.D. 1100) Abbey Church of Mont S. Michel

(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. 110119)
 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. 11101200)

Laach Abbey (A.D. 1093-1156)

Lubeck Cathedral (A.D. 1173)

Treves Cathedral (A.D. 101647)

Speyer Cathedral, Germany 1030-1061

 GERMAN ROMANESQUE

Laach Abbey
(A.D. 1093-1156)

Worms Cathedral
(A.D. 11101200)
 GERMAN ROMANESQUE
Lubeck Cathedral (A.D. Treves Cathedral (A.D.
1173) 101647)
 Plans

The cruciform and the Greek plan.

 three.

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.
 Science, letters, art, and culture were
the monopoly of the religious
Orders.
The Mediaeval Monasteries
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 Sienas 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.
 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