summary of romanesque architecture

1. ROMANESQUE
ARCHITECTURE
ARHIS 214
HISTORY OF
ARCHITECTURE 2

2. HANDOUTS: EXPLAINED
In the Middle Ages the population of Europe had diminished
by half since Roman times. Communication and transport,
either by land or by sea, might be difficult of hazardous, and
this intended naturally to divide the country into
neighborhoods. Under these conditions, a great monastery,
like a city, could serve a considerable surrounding area as an
administrative, intellectual, and spiritual Centre and as a
workshop, granary, and refuge. With increasing prosperity, the
monastic building complexes were progressively better
organized, better built, and more impressive. Showing the way
for cathedral and domestic architecture, the great patrons of
the age were the abbots, though not to the exclusion of the
bishops and magnates.

3. North Italy
South Italy
Central Italy
North France
South France
Central
Europe
Spain
England
THE NEIGHBORS

4. INFLUENCE
History
 Dates for 900 to 1200 AD
 Some 1000 to 1150 AD
Religion
Growth of Different Religions
 Dark Ages
 Charlemagne

5. What is Romanesque Architec
Inspired by Roman Architecture
The Architectural style in medieval
Europe
Similarities of Roman Architecture:

6. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
Classical
traditions
Beauty and
delicacy
Sober and
dignified
Beauty - something are its attractive
qualities or features.
Delicacy- is the quality of
being easy to break or harm,
and refers especially to people or
things that are attractive or graceful.
Sober – free from exaggeration
Dignified - they
are calm, impressive and deserve resp
ect.

7. NORTH ITALY Examples:
Cathedrals
Baptisteries
Campaniles
 Milan, Venice,
Ravenna, Pavia,
Verona, Genova
 Clay bricks and
marble
 Extreme Hot and
Cold

8. BASILICA OF
SAINT’AMBROGIO,
MILAN

9. BASILICA OF
SAINT’AMBROGIO,
MILAN
 One of the first streams of Romanesque
architecture in Europe from the 10th
century and the beginning of 11th
century
 Lombard Romanesque
 Its principal decoration for the exterior,
bands of ornamental blind arches are
called Lombard bands. It was
characterized by thick walls and lack of
sculpture in facades, and with interiors

10. BASILICA OF SAN
ZENO, VERONA

11.  also known as San Zeno Maggiore or
San Zenone
 a minor basilica of Verona, northern
Italy constructed between 967 and
1398 AD
 Its fame rests partly on its
Romanesque architecture and partly
upon the tradition that its crypt was
the place of the marriage of
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
BASILICA OF SAN
ZENO, VERONA

12. BASILICA OF SAN
FEDELE, COMO

13.  located in the city center[1] and is
dedicated to Saint Fidelis martyr.
 The present church dates from 1120
 the original three naves irregular
grafted onto a central plant, also
irregular due to the smaller size
compared to the two main apse of
the transept. In the back there is a
barrel vault in the nave with bone-
arched pediment.
BASILICA OF SAN
FEDELE, COMO

14. BASILICA DI SAN
MICHELE
MAGGIORE, PAVIA

15.  one of the most striking example of
Lombard-Romanesque style.
 it differentiates from latter in the use
of sandstone instead of bricks
 The façade is decorated by numerous
sandstone sculptures, of religious or
profane themes; they are however
now much deteriorated.
BASILICA DI SAN
MICHELE
MAGGIORE, PAVIA

16. Basilican-type churches
Flat, severed facades across
whole church, masking
division on nave and aisles.
Wheel window
Central projecting porch on
facades, often 2-storey, with
columns on crouching beasts
Roughly-carved grotesque
figures of men and beasts
Less refined in character due
to use of stone and brick,
instead of marble
Ornament shows a departure
from classic precedent,
showing rough northern
European grotesque style
instead.

17. SOUTH ITALY Examples:
Cathedrals
 Greek, Roman,
Byzantine, Muslim,
Norman rule
 Limestone
 Almost sub-
tropical

18. CEFALU
CATHEDRAL

19.  one of nine structures included in the
UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Arab-
Norman Palermo and the Cathedral
Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.
 Norman architectural style
 The cathedral is preceded by a large
terraced parvis, which was originally a
cemetery. According to tradition, it was
created with earth brought from Jerusalem,
which was believed to have qualities that
caused the rapid mummification of corpses
CEFALU
CATHEDRAL

20. MONREALE
CATHEDRAL

21.  One of the greatest existent
examples of Norman architecture,
 Its size is 102 meters long and 40
meters wide.
MONREALE
CATHEDRAL

22. • Byzantine influence in mosaic decorations
• Muslim influence on use of striped marbles

23. CENTRAL
ITALY Examples:
Cathedrals
 Rome, Florence,
Naples, Pisa
 Pagan Influence
 Stone and mineral
wealth (bricks,
tufa, peperino,
travertine, marble
 Ruins of classical
buildings

24. MATERIALS

25. PISA CATHEDRAL

26. • Concentrated on beauty and delicacy of ornamental
details, instead of new construction systems
• Resembles early basilican churches plan

27. NORTH
FRANCE Examples:
Cathedrals
 Fine caen stone,
Pumice and tufa
 Wintery in North

28. MATERIALS

29. BASILICA OF
SAINT-DENIS,
PARIS

30.  Suger began his rebuilding project at
the western end of St Denis,
demolishing the old Carolingian
facade with its single, centrally
located door. He extended the old
nave westwards by an additional four
bays and added a massive western
narthex, incorporating a new façade
and three chapels on the first floor
BASILICA OF
SAINT-DENIS,
PARIS

31. VEZELAY ABBEY,
BURGUNDY

32.  It was constructed between 1120 and
1150.
 The Benedictine abbey church, now
the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-
Madeleine (Saint Mary Magdalene),
with its complex program of imagery
in sculpted capitals and portals, is
one of the great masterpieces of
Burgundian Romanesque art and
VEZELAY ABBEY,
BURGUNDY

33. Remains of old buildings were less abundant, greater freedom of
developing new style

34. SOUTH
FRANCE Examples:
Cathedrals
 Stone
 Sub-tropical in
south

35. BASILICA OF SAINT-SERNIN,
TOULOUSE

36.  Constructed in the Romanesque style
between about 1080 and 1120, with
construction continuing thereafter,
Saint-Sernin is the largest remaining
Romanesque building in Europe
BASILICA OF
SAINT-SERNIN,
TOULOUSE

37. BASILICA OF NOTRE-DAME DU PORT

38.  From the 10th century to the French
Revolution it was served by a
community of canons, regular until the
13th century, and thereafter secular.
 the Romanesque roof tiles were
replaced by lava slabs.
 Built of arkose, a sort of sandstone, the
building has an almost perfect harmony
supposedly resulting from the
application of the ratio of the Golden
BASILICA OF
NOTRE-DAME DU
PORT

39. - Cruciform plan
- Semi-circular east end, as an ambulatory with radiating
chapels, is common
- Used of old Roman Architecture features

40. CENTRAL
EUROPE Examples:
Cathedrals
 Stone
 Timber
 Brick
 Summer and
winter

41. AACHEN CATHEDRAL

42. WORMS CATHEDRAL

43. Exhibits a Carolingian and
Lombard influence.

44. SPAIN Examples:
Religious Buildings
Castles and town
walls
 Great rock-massif
granite
 Limestone
 Red sandstone
 Semi-marble

45. MATERIALS

46. MONESTIR DE SANTA MARIA DE
RIPOLL

47. CHURCH OF SAN TIRSO, SAHAGUN

48. SAINT MARTIN DE FROMISTA

49. MONASTERY OF POBLET, CATALONIA

50. CITY WALLS OF
ANDALUSIA

51. CITY WALLS OF AVILA

52. ENGLAND Examples:
 Cathedrals
 Monastic buildings
 Castles
 Hardwood
 stones

53. NORWICH CATHEDRAL

54. ST. ALBANS CATHEDRAL

55. WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL

56. BRISTOL CATHEDRAL

57. DURNHAM CATHEDRAL

58. FOUNTAINS ABBEY, YORKSHIRE

59. TOWER OF LONDON

60. CONISBOROUGH, YORKSHIRE