- 1. Romanesque Architecture 800 AD to 1100 AD
2. The term Romanesque ("Roman-like") was first used to
designate a style of architecture that used Roman arches and vaults
and had thick, heavy walls, based upon the basilica plan type.
Church buildings, art, and sculpture, were all used for the purpose
to spread the Christian Gospel. The style prevailed all throughout
Europe. Due to the rise of feudalism there began to be some
stability in the European governments and economies during the 11th
Century. Art and architecture from this period is church-centered
because the central "ruling" body was the Pope and the unifying
element was the Christianity. 3. Latin cross plan Use of local
stone Use of round arches, buttressed barrel vaulting and groin
vaulting Towers engaged to faade and large transept towers Dome
often over apse Recessed doorways ornamented with sculpture
Harmonious proportions MAJOR ELEMENTS WERE 4. Thick and heavy walls
and pillars Small windows Sculptured decoration on portals,
capitals and other surfaces Painted decoration throughout the
interior 5. Nave with side aisles Galleries above the side aisles A
transept (section crossing the nave at a right angle, giving the
church a cross shape) An apse (semicircular niche, usually in the
east end) An ambulatory (often with radiating chapels) around the
apse TYPICAL PLAN 6. Tympanum the prominent semicircular lunette
above the doorway proper, comparable in importance to the
triangular pediment of a Greco-Roman temple. Voussoirs the
wedge-shaped blocks that together form the archivolts of the arch
framing the tympanum. Lintel the horizontal beam above the doorway.
Trumeau the center post supporting the lintel in the middle of the
doorway. Jambs the side posts of the doorway. The Romanesque church
portal. 7. South portal of Saint- Pierre, Moissac, France, ca. 1115
1135. Art historians first used the term Romanesque (Roman-like) to
describe stone-vaulted churches of the 11th and 12th centuries, but
the adjective also applies to the revival of monumental stone
sculpture. 8. Use of round arch and buttressed barrel vaulting and
groin vaulting 9. The stone used was extremely heavy. The weight of
the ceilings would tend to buckle the walls outward and large piles
of stone would be stacked along the wall in intervals to buttress
(or support) the walls from pushing outward these piles of stones
became features of Romanesque Architecture and buttresses were
introduced to the basic design and a major characteristic of
Romanesque architecture The window openings of Romanesque
Architecture castles had to be small to keep the strength of the
walls strong 10. Aerial view (looking northwest) of Saint-Sernin,
Toulouse, France, ca. 1070 1120. Pilgrimages were a major economic
catalyst for the art and architecture of the Romanesque period. The
clergy vied with one another to provide magnificent settings for
the display of holy relics. 11. Reliquaries Reliquaries are the
containers that store and display relics. Triptychs Is a work of
art (usually a panel painting) which is divided into three
sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and
folded 12. Saint Michaels,Hildesheim,Germany, 10011031. Built by
Bishop Bernward, a great art patron, Saint Michaels is a
masterpiece of Ottonian basilica design. The churchs two apses, two
transepts, and multiple towers give it a distinctive profile 13.
Duomo Pisa, Italy, Pisa; 1063-1118, Bell Tower 1173-1350; The Duomo
Pisa (Cathedral Pisa) is the largest Romanesque church in Tuscany.
The wall is covered with white and pink marble. The dome at the
Crossing is additional at later period. The Bell Tower was designed
by Bonanno. The tower is inclining since the construction and still
going on. 14. PISA CATHEDRAL COMPLEX The cathedral complex at Pisa
dramatically testifies to the prosperity that the busy maritime
city enjoyed. The cathedral, its freestanding bell tower, and the
baptistery, where infants and converts were initiated into the
Christian community, present an opportunity to study a coherent
group of three Romanesque buildings. Save for the upper portion of
the baptistery, with its remodeled Gothic exterior, the three
structures are stylistically homogeneous. 15. Construction of Pisa
Cathedral began firstin 1063. Pisa Cathedral is large, with a nave
and four aisles, and is one of the most impressive and majestic of
all Romanesque churches. According to a document of the time, the
Pisans wanted their bishops church not only to be a monument to the
glory of God but also to bring credit to the city. At first glance,
the cathedral resembles an Early Christian basilica with a timber
roof, columnar arcade, and clerestory but the broadly projecting
transept with apses, the crossing dome, and the facades multiple
arcaded galleries distinguish it as Romanesque. 16. The cathedrals
campanile, detached in the standard Italian fashion, is Pisas
famous Leaning tower. Graceful arcaded galleries mark the towers
stages and repeat the cathedrals facade motif, effectively relating
the round campanile to its mother building. The tilted vertical
axis of the tower is the result of a settling foundation. The tower
began to lean even while under construction and by the late 20th
century had inclined some 5.5 degrees (about 15 feet) out of plumb
at the top. In 1999 an international team of scientists began a
daring project to remove soil from beneath the north side of the
tower. The soil extraction has already moved the tower more than an
inch closer to vertical and ensured the stability of the structure
for at least 300 years.
