ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE

INFLUENCES
A.

HISTORY
Constantine halved the empire into
Western and Eastern parts
the old Roman political system
ended in 476 AD
the decline of the Roman empire
led to the rise of independent
states and nations across Europe
this went on for three centuries,
from 500 to 800AD
800AD Frankish king Charlemagne
was crowned emperor by the pope

established the Holy Roman

Empire

civilization restored upon

Europe
new religious enthusiasm:
- the crusades against Muslims
- Papacy rose to great power
- great monastic foundations
- Christianity was source of
education, culture and
economy
religious fervor expressed in:
- art
- cathedrals & monastic bldgs.

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE
D.

RELIGIOUS
RELIGIOUS ORDERS
Benedictine Order (Black Monk)
Clunlec Order
Carthusion Order
Clotercion Order (White Monk)
Secular Canon
ORDERS OF CANON Regular
Augustinian Canon
Gilbertine Canon
MILITARY ORDER
The Knights Templer
The Knights Hospitaller
The Mendicent Orders of Friors

under monastic rule, survival of

Roman law

science, letters, art and culture

were the monopoly of orders
gave impulse to architecture,
fostered art and learning

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

SOBER
DIGNIFIED

Architecture governed by
classical traditions
Roman-esque
Concentrated on beauty
and delicacy of
ornamental details

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North Italy

INFLUENCES
A.

HISTORY
Milan, Venice, Ravenna, Pavia,
Verons, Genoa cities competed to
constructed glorious bldgs.

Link with:
- Northern Europe (through Alpine
passes)
- Constantinople (through Venice &
Ravenna)
B.

GEOLOGY & CLIMATE

- clay for bricks
- marble from hills

temperate climate

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

Plan:

- churches had basilican plan

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

Facade:
- arcades all over facade
- wheel window
- central projecting porch, with
columns on crouching beasts

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

Structurally:
- rib of panel vaulting framework
of ribs supported thin stonepanels

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

Ornament:
- character was less refined due to
use of stone & brick, instead of
marble
- roughly carved grotesque figures
of men & beasts (shows
Northern European influence)

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

S. Ambrogio, Milan
S. Fedele, Como
S. Michele, Pavia

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North Italy

EXAMPLES
BAPTISTRIES
used three times a year: Easter,
Pentecost & Epiphany

large separate buildings (connected

to cathedrals through atrium)
- octagonal in plan
- with projecting porch
- pilaster strips
- corbel
- arcading at faade & apse
- octagonal lantern on top

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North Italy

EXAMPLES
CAMPANILLE
served as civic monuments,
symbols of power, watch towers

- square-plan, no buttresses
- faade of simple pilaster strips
- loggia on top, displaying bells
- pyramidal roof

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: South Italy

INFLUENCES
A.

HISTORY
underwent Greek, Roman,
Byzantine, Muslim and Norman

B.

GEOLOGY & CLIMATE

- mountainous, with limestone
- almost sub-tropical

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: South Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
Plan:
- churches had basilican plan

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: South Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

Facade:
- richer in design and color
- elaborate wheel windows w/c is
made of sheets of pierced
marble
- greater variety in columns &
capitals
- elaborate bronze doors & bronze
pilasters

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: South Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
Byzantine influence:
- mosaic decorations
- no vaults, used domes
Muslim influence:
- used of strip marbles
- stilted pointed arches
- colorful, geometric designs as
predominant interior decoration

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: South Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
Cefalu Cathedral, Sicily
- 1131 to 1248 AD
- most distinct Romanesque
church in Sicily

Monreale Cathedral, Sicily

- most splendid under Norman
rule in Sicily
- basilican & Byzantine planning

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Italy

INFLUENCES
A.

HISTORY
Rome, Florence, Naples, Piza
cities rich in pagan history
Pisa had commercial link with the
Holy Land; fought with Muslims

B.

GEOLOGY & CLIMATE

- great stone & minerals wealth at
Tuscany: tufa, travertine, marble
- ruins of classical bldg.
- brilliant athmosphere

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
- concentrated on ornamental details,
rather than new construction
system
Plan:
- resembled basilican churches
used wooden-framed roofs walls
needed no buttress; could be pierced
or arcuated

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

Facade:
- ornamental arcades
- doors & windows are small &
unimportant (even wheel
window)

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
Inside:
- use of antique columns to separate
nave from aisle
Ornament:
- classical precedent was used only
to suit the fragments of old
ornaments used in new bldgs.

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Italy

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
Pisa Cathedral
- forms one of most famous bldg.
group in the world-Cathedral,
Baptistery, Campanille & Campo
Santo
- resembles other early basilican
churches in plan
- exterior of red & white marble
bands

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Italy

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Italy

EXAMPLES
BAPTISTERY
- 39.30 m. circular in plan
- by Dioti Salvi

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Italy

EXAMPLES
CAMPANILLE
- the Leaning Tower of Pisa
- by Bonanno Pisano
- 8 storeys, 16m in diameter
- due to failures of foundations,
overhangs 4.20m

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North France

INFLUENCES

GEOLOGY & CLIMATE

- fine Caen stone
- pumice & tufa
- wintery in north
remains of old bldgs. were less
abundant they had greater
freedom of developing style

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North France

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
Plan:
- basilican type
- rib-vaults & semi-circular or pointed
arches over the nave and aisles
- timber-framed roofs of slate finish
& steep slope to throw off snow

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North France

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

Facade:
- 2 flanking square towers with
pyramidal or conical roofs
- imposing doorways with sculptural
tympana
- faade divide into wall arcades by
string courses or horizontal
mouldings
- filled with ornaments of foliage,
men & animal figures

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North France

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

Sides:
- massive walls with flat buttresses
- windows with semi-circular heads,
sometimes grouped together &
enclosed in larger arch

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North France

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS

Ornament:
- capitals & bases are rough
Corinthian imitations

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: North France

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
S. Madeleine
- has nave & aisles earliest with
pointed cross-vault in
France

Abbey in St. Denis, Paris

- among the first instances of
using the pointed arch
- ribbed vault, pointed arch &
flying buttresses
successfully combined

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: South France

INFLUENCES

GEOLOGY & CLIMATE

- abundant good stone
- easily quarried & freely-used
- sub-tropical climate

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: South France

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
Plan:
- cruciform
- semi-circular east end, as an
ambulatory with radiating chapel
- nave & 2-storeyed aisles

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Europe

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
Aachen Cathedral
- built by Emperor Charlemagne
as his tomb house
- polygonal of sixteen sides,
32m in diameter
- dome on top, 14.5m in
diameter

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Central Europe

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
Worms Cathedral
- eastern & western apses-end
octagons
- 2 circular tower flanked each
- octagon at crossing, with
pointed roof

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Spain

EXAMPLES
RELIGIOUS BLDGS.
Features:
- use of both basilican & Greekcross forms
- use of horseshoe arch
Sta. Maria, Ripoli
Sta. Tirso, Tahagon
St. Martin de Fromista
Monastery of Pobiet, Catalonia

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: Spain

EXAMPLES
RELIGIOUS BLDGS.
Santiago de Compostela
- finest achievement of
Romanesque in Spain

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: England

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRALS
3 Foundations:
- old foundations served by
secular clergy
- monastic foundation served by
regular clergy or monks
- new foundation to which bishops
have been appointed

Norwich Cathedral
St. Albans Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral
Worchester Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: England

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRAL
Peterborough Cathedral
- fine Norman interior
- original timber ceiling over
nave

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: England

EXAMPLES
CATHEDRAL
Durham Cathedral
- rib & panel vaulting with
pointed arches

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: England

EXAMPLES
CASTLES
- 1500 castles in England in 11th and
12th century

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: England

- began as motte & bailey

earthworks

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: England

- later became citadels with stone
curtain walls
- developed donjons or keeps
Windsor Castle
Tower of London
Castle Hedingman, Essex
Conisborough, Yorkshire

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE: England

Windsor Castle
Tower of London
Castle Hedingman, Essex
Conisborough, Yorkshire