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Romanesque Architecture

This document provides an overview of Romanesque architecture between the 8th and 12th centuries. It discusses the geographical, geological, climatic, religious, and political influences on the style. Some key characteristics included the use of thick stone walls, rounded arches, barrel or groin vaults, and decorative carvings drawing from nature. Examples of prominent Romanesque buildings mentioned are the Cathedral of Pisa and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

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Hazel Antiquiera
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63 views

Romanesque Architecture

This document provides an overview of Romanesque architecture between the 8th and 12th centuries. It discusses the geographical, geological, climatic, religious, and political influences on the style. Some key characteristics included the use of thick stone walls, rounded arches, barrel or groin vaults, and decorative carvings drawing from nature. Examples of prominent Romanesque buildings mentioned are the Cathedral of Pisa and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Uploaded by

Hazel Antiquiera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ROMANESQUE

ARCHITECTURE
I. INFLUENCES
GEOGRAPHICAL
THE STYLE WHICH GREW UP ON THE DECAY OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, AND IS
KNOWN AS ROMANESQUE, WAS CARRIED ON THROUGHOUT PRACTICALLY THE WHOLE OF THE
WESTERN EMPIRE THAT IS, IN THOSE COUNTRIES WHICH HAD BEEN DIRECTLY UNDER THE RULE
OF ROME. THE POSITION OF EACH COUNTRY WILL BE SLIGHTLY TOUCHED UPON UNDER ITS
OWN HEADING. THE INFLUENCE OF BYZANTINE ART BROUGHT THROUGH RAVENNA AND VENICE
ALSO INFLUENCED THE ITALIAN ROMANESQUE IN LOMBARDY AND EUROPE GENERALLY.
GEOLOGICAL
IN THESE EARLY TIMES A ROUGH USE OF THE MATERIAL AT HAND CHARACTERIZES
THE STYLE IN EACH COUNTRY, AND WILL BE REFERRED TO UNDER THE SAME.
CLIMATE
LOCAL STYLES WERE FAVORED BY THE VARIATIONS OF CLIMATE NORTH AND
SOUTH OF THE ALPS, AS REFERRED TO IN EACH COUNTRY.
RELIGION
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, WHICH WAS THE CIVILIZING AND EDUCATING AGENCY OF
THE PERIOD, WAS STRIVING TO EXTEND ITS BOUNDARIES IN NORTHERN EUROPE, AND THE
ERECTION OF A CHURCH WAS OFTEN THE FOUNDATION OF A CITY.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
THE SYSTEM OF FEUDAL TENURE, OR THE HOLDING OF LAND ON CONDITION OF
MILITARY SERVICE, WAS GROWING UP, AND CAUSED IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THE SOCIAL AND
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF STATES. WHILE THROUGH ITS OPERATION THE CLASS OF ACTUAL
SLAVES DIED OUT, STILL THE POORER FREEMEN GRADUALLY CAME TO BE SERFS, BOUND TO
THE LAND AND PASSING WITH IT, ON A CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP.
HISTORICAL
IN THE YEAR A.D. 799 THE ROMAN EMPIRE IN THE WEST PRACTICALLY PASSED
FROM THE HANDS OF THE ROMANS, BY THE ELECTION OF THE FIRST FRANKISH KING,
CHARLEMAGNE, WHOSE ELECTION IS A CONVENIENT DATE TO MARK THE END OF THE ROMAN
EMPIRE AS SUCH.
I . ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• THE GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER IS SOBER AND DIGNIFIED, WHILE
PICTURESQUENESS IS OBTAINED BY THE GROUPING OF THE TOWERS, AND PROJECTION OF
THE TRANSEPTS AND CHOIR.
• ROMANESQUE, FOR ON THE COLLAPSE OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE, THE QUARRY OF
THE RUINS OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS LARGELY INFLUENCED THE WORK DONE, BOTH IN
CONSTRUCTION AND DECORATIVE TREATMENT, FOR THE EARLIER BUILDINGS OF THE PERIOD
WERE OFTEN BUILT FROM THE REMAINS OF ANCIENT ROMAN BUILDINGS IN THE VICINITY.
• THE ROMAN SYSTEM OF PLAIN CROSS VAULTING, AS USED IN EUROPE 4 UP TO THE
TWELFTH CENTURY, WHEN IT BEGAN TO BE SUPERSEDED BY THE "GROIN-RIB" TYPE OF
VAULTING, IN WHICH A FRAMEWORK OF RIBS SUPPORTED VAULTING SURFACES OF THINNER
STONE, KNOWN AS "SERVERIES," OR " IN-FILLING."
• ON THE CONTINENT, ESPECIALLY IN GERMANY AND FRANCE, THE VAULTING RIBS WERE
USUALLY PORTIONS OF CIRCULAR CURVES OF SIMILAR CURVATURE STARTING FROM THE SAME
LEVEL, THUS THE DIAGONAL RIB, HAVING THE LONGEST SPAN, ROSE TO A GREATER HEIGHT
THAN THE TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL RIBS.
• THE PANELING WAS THEN FILLED IN ON THE TOP OF THESE RIBS, AND IN CONSEQUENCE
THE STRUCTURE WAS HIGHLY DOMICAL.
• IN VAULTING AN OBLONG COMPARTMENT, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HEIGHTS OF THE
DIAGONAL AND WALL RIBS WAS STILL GREATER AND PRODUCED AN AWKWARD WAVING LINE
OF THE GROINS ON PLAN.
• IN SOME INSTANCES, THE INTERMEDIATE PIER WAS CARRIED UP AS A VAULTING SHAFT
AND FORMED THE VAULTING COMPARTMENT INTO SIX PARTS ON PLAN, WHICH WAS THEN
KNOWN AS " SEXPARTITE " (SIX PART) VAULTING.
I I. EXAMPLES

THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. PETER


LEANING TOWER OF PISA
IV. COMPARATIVE
PLAN
TRANSEPTS WERE USUALLY ADDED, AND THE CHANCEL PROLONGED FURTHER
EAST THAN IN THE BASILICAS, THE CHURCH PARTAKING MORE AND MORE OF A WELL-DEFINED
CROSS ON PLAN, AS AT S. MICHELE, PAVIA. THE TRANSEPTS WERE THE, SAME BREATH AS
THE NAVE, WHICH WAS USUALLY TWICE THE WIDTH OF THE AISLES. THE CHOIR WAS RAISED
CONSIDERABLY BY MEANS OF STEPS, AND UNDERNEATH, SUPPORTED ON PIERS, WAS FORMED
A VAULTED CRYPT AS AT S. MINIATE, FLORENCE AND S. MICHELE, PAVIA, IN WHICH THE SAINTS
AND MARTYRS WERE BURIED.
WALLS
ROMAN WORK AND PRECEDENT, OF COURSE, INFLUENCED ALL CONSTRUCTIVE ART
IN EUROPE, ALTHOUGH TECHNICAL SKILL WAS AT A VERY LOW EBB DURING THIS PERIOD.
WALLS WERE IN GENERAL COARSELY BUILT, HAVING ON THE EXTERIOR, BUTTRESSES FORMED
AS PILASTER STRIPS OF SLIGHT PROJECTION, CONNECTED AT THE TOP BY HORIZONTAL
MOLDINGS, OR BY A ROW OF SEMICIRCULAR ARCHES RESTING ON A CORBEL TABLE
PROJECTING FROM THE WALL. SEMICIRCULAR ARCHES, RESTING ON RUDELY FORMED CAPITALS,
ALSO OCCUR. OTHER PECULIARITIES ARE REFERRED TO IN THE COMPARATIVE TABLE OF EACH
COUNTRY.
OPENINGS
THE DOOR AND WINDOW OPENINGS ARE VERY CHARACTERISTIC. THE PRINCIPLE
UPON WHICH THE JAMBS WERE FORMED WAS IN RECEDING PLANES, OR RECTANGULAR
RECESSES, KNOWN AS "ORDERS," IN WHICH WERE PLACED CIRCULAR COLUMNS OR SHAFTS.
ROOFS
THE GENERAL EMPLOYMENT OF VAULTING, ESPECIALLY OVER THE SIDE AISLES
IN THE ELEVENTH CENTURY, WAS DUE TO THE DESIRE OF FIRE-PROOFING THE BUILDING, BUT
THE CENTRAL NAVE WAS STILL OFTEN COVERED WITH A PLAIN WOODEN ROOF.
COLUMNS
THE SHAFTS OF THE COLUMNS HAVE A VARIETY OF TREATMENTS, FLUTINGS
BEING USED (NOS. 98 B, 107 L), OF VERTICAL, SPIRAL, OR TRELLIS WORK FORM, OR THE
WHOLE SHAFT IS SOMETIMES COVERED WITH SCULPTURED ORNAMENTS.
MOULDINGS
THESE WERE OFTEN CARVED ELABORATELY, AS WILL BE REFERRED TO IN ENGLISH
ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE.
ORNAMENT
OFTEN OVERHANGS THE PLINTH. G. ORNAMENT. THE CARVING AND ORNAMENTS
WERE DERIVED FROM MANY TYPES OF THE VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL KINGDOM AND TREATED
IN A CONVENTIONAL WAY, OFTEN BUT RUDELY CARVED. IN THE INTERIORS FRESCO IS MORE
COMMONLY USED THAN MOSAIC, WHICH REQUIRED GREAT TECHNICAL SKILL. EARLY STAINED
GLASS WAS INFLUENCED BY BYZANTINE MOSAIC.

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