Romanesque Architecture Notes

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE PILGRIMAGE-is a journey to a sacred place
● Long trips to visit the relics of Saints

● Charlemagne, a Frankish Carolingian king, ● Allowed for the exchange of ideas , including
was barbarian Europe’s most effective ruler those of architecture and construction
In 800 AD, he was crowned Emperor by Pope ● The Pilgrims’ way was filled with
Leo III – established the Holy Roman Empire, Romanesque churches, monasteries, inns,
tried to be as grand as the Roman and and castles.
Byzantine emperors before him. ● Larger churches were needed to
accommodate the numerous monks and
● Charlemagne was the most successful priests, as well as the pilgrims who came to
warrior-king in European history. view saints' relics.
● His wars in the east also had religious Crusades-were a series of religiously sanctioned
aspects of them. military campaigns waged by western Christian
Europe
● Built his palace in Aachen, based on ● Objective: To restore Christian Control over
Byzantine palace and chapel in the Holy Land
Constantinople▪ Conquered parts of ● Effect: Brought about different movements
Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain resulting in “roman-like” decoration of
buildings
● In 814 AD, Charlemagne’s empire began to
break up, splitting into 3 kingdoms. ROMANESQUE
● “Roman-like”
● Charlemagne’s political successors continued ● the manner of the Romans, was first coined
to rule much of Europe, leading the gradual in the early nineteenth century.
emergence of the separate political states ● First used to designate a style of architecture
that were eventually welded intonation by that used Roman arches vaults and had thick,
allegiance or defeat. heavy walls, based upon the basilica plan
type.
● The invasion of England by William Duke of ● This style grew in those countries Western
Normandy in 1066 led to the construction of Europe which had been under the rule of
castles and churches to reinforce the Norman Rome
Presence. Several significant churches built ● The Romanesque is the first international
at this time were founded as seats of style in Western Europe since antiquity—
temporal and religious power or places of extending across the Mediterranean and as
coronation and burial. far north as Scandinavia.
1 GEOGRAPHICAL Romanesque Architecture is the

combination of the Roman and Byzantine
ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE Architecture, basically Roman in style. They grew in
the countries under Roman rule.
● The transmission of ideas was facilitated by
increased travel along the pilgrimage routes 2 GEOLOGICAL The most common materials used
shrines such as Santiago de Compostela for construction were stone,brick marble or
Spain terracotta, as well as ready-made columns and
● or as a consequence of the crusades which features from the Roman Buildings.
passed through the territories of the
Byzantine empire. 3 RELIGION Art and Architecture during this period
is church-centered because the central ruling body
was the Pope and the unifying element was the PLAN
Christianity. Latin Cross Plan Abbey and cathedral churches
generally follow the Latin Cross plan which is in the
4 CLIMATE shape of a cruciform. The simplest Romanesque
Northern Portion churches are aisle less halls with a projecting apse.
-Dull climate
-large windows to admit light EXTERIOR
-high pitch roof to throw off rain and snow ● Thick Walls Massive supporting walls had
Southern Portion few and comparatively small openings and
-small windows to minimize sun arches had to be constructed for large
-flat roof openings.
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER-SOBER & ● TOWERS

DIGNIFIED Towers which were earlier constructed as a
Opposite of ROMAN CHARACTER (ostentatious & defensive measure became a regular feature
ornateness) of Romanesque Architecture. They were
usually circular, octagonal or square.
Throughout Europe
-Developed in Italy, France, Germany and England ● ROOFS (Helm Roof) It is a pyramidal roof on
Distinct Features towers of square plan. Each of the four sides
-Use of Massive, Architectural wall structures,Round of the roof is rhomboid in form, with the long
Arches & Powerful Vaults diagonal running from the apex of the roof to
Arches one of the corners of the supporting tower.
-Use of corbelled Arches found underneath the
eaves of a church ● BUTTRESS
Rib & Panel Vaulting A buttress is a vertical support member that
-Quadripartite and Sexpartite rests on a wall to provide additional support.
● OPENINGS
A characteristic feature of Romanesque
CHURCH for every church there is a “Monastery” architecture, both ecclesiastic and domestic,
● Monastic Church is the pairing of two arched windows or
● Cloister Court arcade openings, separated by a pillar or
● Inner Court colonette and often set within a larger arch.
● Common Court
● ROSE WINDOW Or Wheel window
(circular windows divided into segments)
were a popular characteristic.
● EXTERNAL ARCADES
External arcades are frequently called "blind
arcades, " with only a wall or a narrow
passage behind them.
● BLIND ARCADES
A series of arches, often used in
Romanesque and Gothic buildings, that has
no actual openings and has no load- bearing
function, and that is applied to the surface of
a wall as a decorative element.
INTERIOR
● ROMANESQUE VAULTING
Vaulted roofs generally featured barrel-vaults
and groin vaults made of stone or brick.
● COLUMN
Columns were often used in Romanesque
architecture, but they varied in building
material and decorative style.
● STAINED GLASS
Stained glass murals were small pieces of
coloured glass stitched together to form a
picture. They usually depicted mythological The Romanesque period was a time of
characters and stories. frequent conflict. Much of Europe was
affected by feudalism in which peasants
● SCULPTURES held tenure from local rulers over the land
Sculptures were majorly used for that they farmed in exchange for military
ornamentation in mature Romanesque service and employment on building
Architecture. A sculptural frieze was a projects. This resulted in the building of castles at
common element. It was also used to depict strategic points, many of them being
various celestial characters. Mainly bronze constructed as strongholds of the Normans,
and stone were used to make the sculptures. descendants of the Vikings who invaded
northern France in 911.
● FRESCOES
Fresco is a type of mural painting on freshly Keep: A type of fortified tower built within castles
laid plaster. Frescos were painted on vaulted during the Middle Ages. Usually they refer to large
ceilings to elaborately illustrate the life of towers in these castles that were fortified residences,
Christ and teachings of the church. used as a refuge of last resort if the rest of the castle
fall to an adversary.
● MANDORIA
A mandorla is an almond- shaped areola, i.e. In France, there are numerous castles that still
a frame that surrounds the totality of an have remains of the primitive Romanesque
iconographic figure. fortresses.
The feudal castles from this period had usually a
robust tower or keep* (donjon), where the feudal lord
lived with his family and servitude.
● ROMANESQUE FORTIFICATION
During the 12th century, features that were to This tower had two or three floors with a spacious
become typical of Gothic architecture began to room on each one: the bottom floor was used as a
appear. The Romanesque period was a time of great warehouse for weapons, utensils and food; on the
development in the design and construction of main floor was the living room, which served as
defensive architecture like castles. dining room or even as a dormitory; the upper parts
were destined to the servitude.
Sometimes this big tower was attached to a smaller

tower which enclosed a ladder, and these both were
separated from the rest of the fortress by an interior
moat*.
Surrounding the tower it was the area with the

farms for the servants’ families and barns for
cattle, these in turn were protected by a second moat
and a wall.
Moat: A deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with

water, that surrounds a castle, fortification, building
or town, to provide it with a preliminary line of
defense.
In the most important castles, the outer wall was

interrupted by regularly spaced towers with
battlements or merlons* Joined together by a
walkway.
Battlement: In a fortified structure a battlement refer

s to a parapet or defensive low wall between chest-
height and head-height), in which rectangular gaps
or indentations occur at intervals to allow for the
discharge of arrows or other missiles from within the
defences. These gaps are termed “crenels”. The
solid widths between the crenels are called merlons.
Battlements on walls have protected walkways
behind them.
Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint- Michel and its surrounding bay were

inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage
Sites in 1979 for its unique aesthetic and importance
as a medieval Christian site.
It is visited by more than three million people each

year. Over 60 buildings within the commune are
protected in France as monuments historiques

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ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE PILGRIMAGE-is a journey to a sacred place

● Long trips to visit the relics of Saints

1 GEOGRAPHICAL Romanesque Architecture is the

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER-SOBER & ● TOWERS

Sometimes this big tower was attached to a smaller

Surrounding the tower it was the area with the

Moat: A deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with

In the most important castles, the outer wall was

Battlement: In a fortified structure a battlement refer

Mont-Saint- Michel and its surrounding bay were

It is visited by more than three million people each

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