List of regional characteristics of Romanesque churches

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France, Saint-Front, Perigueux. Perigueux Cathedrale Saint Front a.jpg
France, Saint-Front, Périgueux.

Romanesque is the architecture of Europe which emerged in the late 10th century and evolved into Gothic architecture during the 12th century. The Romanesque style in England is more traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.

Contents

The style can be identified across Europe with certain significant architectural features occurring everywhere. There are other characteristics that differ greatly from region to region.

Most of the buildings that are still standing are churches, some of which are very large abbey churches and cathedrals. The majority of these are still in use, some of them having been substantially altered over the centuries. [1]

This list presents a comparison of Romanesque churches, abbeys and cathedrals of different countries. The second section describes the architectural features that can be identified within pictures of major architectural elements.

Romanesque architecture, regional characteristics

Features of Romanesque architecture that is seen in different areas around Europe.

Features which are regionally diversified

These features often have strong local and regional traditions. However, the movement of senior clergy, stonemasons and other craftsmen meant that these traditional features are sometimes found at distant locations.

Romanesque churches in Italy

Influences

Characteristics

The lion supporting a column of the porch at Ancona Cathedral is typical of Northern Italy. Ancona S.Ciriaco leone.JPG
The lion supporting a column of the porch at Ancona Cathedral is typical of Northern Italy.

Notable buildings

Romanesque churches in France

Influences

Characteristics

Tympanums such as this from la Madaleine, Vezelay are a feature of French churches. 02 Basilique Ste-Marie-Madeleine de Vezelay - Tympan.jpg
Tympanums such as this from la Madaleine, Vézelay are a feature of French churches.

Notable examples

Romanesque churches in Britain and Ireland

Influences

Characteristics

The door of Kilpeck Church demonstrates the chevrons and "barbaric" ornament common in Britain Kilpeck church, tympanum.jpg
The door of Kilpeck Church demonstrates the chevrons and "barbaric" ornament common in Britain

Notable examples

Romanesque churches in Spain, Portugal and Andorra

Influences

Characteristics

Frescoes such as this from Sant Climent de Taull remain is some churches of Spain 051 Absis de Sant Climent de Taull, el Crist amb angels i el Tetramorf.jpg
Frescoes such as this from Sant Climent de Taüll remain is some churches of Spain

Notable examples

Romanesque churches in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands

Influences

Characteristics

Lombard bands at the Church of St Gallus, Brenz, Germany Brenz St. Gallus Bogenfries 57.JPG
Lombard bands at the Church of St Gallus, Brenz, Germany

Notable examples

Romanesque churches in Scandinavia

Influences

Characteristics

Detail of the stave church at Urnes shows zoomorphic interlace ornament. La pared original de la Urnes stavkyrkje copy.jpg
Detail of the stave church at Urnes shows zoomorphic interlace ornament.

Notable examples

Romanesque churches in Poland, Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic

Influences

Characteristics

Sulejow Abbey church portal, Poland Sulejow portal1.jpg
Sulejów Abbey church portal, Poland

Notable examples

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanesque architecture</span> Architectural style of Medieval Europe

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Romanesque is characterized by semicircular arches, while the Gothic is marked by the pointed arches. The Romanesque emerged nearly simultaneously in multiple countries ; its examples can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. Similarly to Gothic, the name of the style was transferred onto the contemporary Romanesque art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic architecture</span> Architectural style of Medieval Europe

Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture. It originated in the Île-de-France and Picardy regions of northern France. The style at the time was sometimes known as opus Francigenum ; the term Gothic was first applied contemptuously during the later Renaissance, by those ambitious to revive the architecture of classical antiquity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Saint-Denis</span> Basilica in Saint-Denis, France

The Basilica of Saint-Denis is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and architecturally as its choir, completed in 1144, is widely considered the first structure to employ all of the elements of Gothic architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral floorplan</span> Floor plan showing sections of walls and piers

In Western ecclesiastical architecture, a cathedral diagram is a floor plan showing the sections of walls and piers, giving an idea of the profiles of their columns and ribbing. Light double lines in perimeter walls indicate glazed windows. Dashed lines show the ribs of the vaulting overhead. By convention, ecclesiastical floorplans are shown map-fashion, with north to the top and the liturgical east end to the right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of cathedrals and great churches</span>

Cathedrals, collegiate churches, and monastic churches like those of abbeys and priories, often have certain complex structural forms that are found less often in parish churches. They also tend to display a higher level of contemporary architectural style and the work of accomplished craftsmen, and occupy a status both ecclesiastical and social that an ordinary parish church rarely has. Such churches are generally among the finest buildings locally and a source of regional pride. Many are among the world's most renowned works of architecture. These include St Peter's Basilica, Notre-Dame de Paris, Cologne Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, Antwerp Cathedral, Prague Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint-Denis, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Basilica of San Vitale, St Mark's Basilica, Westminster Abbey, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Antoni Gaudí's incomplete Sagrada Família and the ancient cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, now a mosque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nave</span> Central part of a church

The nave is the central part of a church, stretching from the main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type building, the strict definition of the term "nave" is restricted to the central aisle. In a broader, more colloquial sense, the nave includes all areas available for the lay worshippers, including the side-aisles and transepts. Either way, the nave is distinct from the area reserved for the choir and clergy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rayonnant</span> Architectural style of Medieval France

Rayonnant was a very refined style of Gothic Architecture which appeared in France in the 13th century. It was the defining style of the High Gothic period, and is often described as the high point of French Gothic architecture. French architects turned their attention from building cathedral of greater size and height towards bringing greater light into the cathedral interiors and adding more extensive decoration. The architects made the vertical columns and supports thinner, made extensive use of pinnacles and moldings. They combined the triforium gallery and the clerestory into single space and filled it with stained glass. They made extensive use of moldings and bar tracery to decorate the exteriors and interiors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speyer Cathedral</span> Church in Speyer, Germany

Speyer Cathedral, officially the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen, in Latin: Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae in Speyer, Germany, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Speyer and is suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamberg. The cathedral, which is dedicated to St. Mary, patron saint of Speyer and St. Stephen is generally known as the Kaiserdom zu Speyer. Pope Pius XI raised Speyer Cathedral to the rank of a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in 1925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architectural development of the eastern end of cathedrals in England and France</span>

The larger medieval churches of France and England, the cathedrals and abbeys, have much in common architecturally, an east–west orientation, an external emphasis on the west front and its doors, long arcaded interiors, high vaulted roofs and windows filled with stained glass. The eastern end of the building contains the Sanctuary and the Altar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bordeaux Cathedral</span> Historic Catholic cathedral in Bordeaux

Bordeaux Cathedral, officially known as the Primatial Cathedral of St Andrew of Bordeaux, is a Catholic church dedicated to Saint Andrew and located in Bordeaux, France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Bordeaux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cefalù Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Sicily

The Cathedral of Cefalù is a Roman Catholic basilica in Cefalù, Sicily. It is one of nine structures included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French architecture</span> Overview of the architecture in France

French architecture consists of architectural styles that either originated in France or elsewhere and were developed within the territories of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of San Zeno, Verona</span> Church in Verona, Italy

The Basilica di San Zeno is 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. It stands adjacent to a Benedictine abbey, both dedicated to St Zeno of Verona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early Gothic architecture</span> Architectural style in France and England

Early Gothic is the term for the first period of Gothic architecture which lasted from about 1120 until about 1200. The early Gothic builders used innovative technologies to resolve the problem of masonry ceilings which were too heavy for the traditional arched barrel vault. The solutions to the problem came in the form of the rib vault, where thin stone ribs passed the weight of the ceiling to rows of columns and outside the walls to another innovation, the flying buttress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarragona Cathedral</span>

The Primatial Cathedral of Tarragona is a Roman Catholic church in Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. The edifice is located in a site previously occupied by a Roman temple dating to the time of Tiberius, a Visigothic cathedral, and a Moorish mosque. It was declared a national monument in 1905.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visby Cathedral</span> Swedish cathedral

Visby Cathedral, formally Visby Saint Mary's Cathedral, is a cathedral within the Church of Sweden, seat of the Bishop of Visby. It lies in the centre of Visby, the main town on the Swedish island Gotland. It was built as the church of the German traders in the city during the 13th century. The first church was probably a wooden church, which was later replaced by a stone building. Originally built as a basilica, it was successively expanded and rebuilt during the Middle Ages. At the end of this period it had been transformed to a hall church, which it still is. In 1361, Gotland and the church became part of Denmark. Following the Reformation, it was the only medieval church in the city left in use, and in 1572 raised to the status of cathedral. Since 1645 Gotland and the cathedral have been part of Sweden. A major renovation was carried out in 1899–1903 under the guidance of architect Axel Haig.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portuguese Romanesque architecture</span>

The Romanesque style of architecture was introduced in Portugal between the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century. In general, Portuguese cathedrals have a heavy, fortress-like appearance, with crenellations and few decorative elements apart from portals and windows. Portuguese Romanesque cathedrals were later extensively modified, among others the Old Cathedral of Coimbra, although it only had some minor changes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Romanesque architecture</span> Medieval architectural style

Romanesque architecture appeared in France at the end of the 10th century, with the development of feudal society and the rise and spread of monastic orders, particularly the Benedictines, which built many important abbeys and monasteries in the style. It continued to dominate religious architecture until the appearance of French Gothic architecture in the Île-de-France between about 1140 and 1150.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic cathedrals and churches</span> Overview of building classification

Gothic cathedrals and churches are religious buildings created in Europe between the mid-12th century and the beginning of the 16th century. The cathedrals are notable particularly for their great height and their extensive use of stained glass to fill the interiors with light. They were the tallest and largest buildings of their time and the most prominent examples of Gothic architecture. The appearance of the Gothic cathedral was not only a revolution in architecture; it also introduced new forms in decoration, sculpture, and art.

References

Notes
  1. Fletcher 1996
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter VII, pp. 303–308
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter VII, pp. 308–310
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter VIII, pp. 311–319
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter VIII, pp. 320–328
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter VIII, pp. 329–333
  7. 1 2 3 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter IX, pp. 340–347
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter IX, pp. 335–340
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter IX, pp. 347–352
  10. 1 2 3 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, pp. 386–397
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, pp. 379–386
  12. 1 2 3 O'Keeffe 2003
  13. 1 2 3 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, p. 402
  14. 1 2 3 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, p. 490
  15. Cox & Ford 1961 , pp. 47–48
  16. Clifton-Taylor 1986 , p. 15
  17. Clifton-Taylor 1986 , pp. 29–65
  18. 1 2 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, p. 496
  19. Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, p. 506
  20. Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, p. 493
  21. Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, p. 505
  22. 1 2 3 4 Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, p. 397
  23. Fletcher 1996 , Chapter XII, p. 501
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 Banister Fletcher, pp. 635–639
  25. 1 2 3 Toman, Romanesque, Bruno Klein, Romanesque architecture in Spain and Portugal, pp. 178–179
  26. Bruno Klein, pp. 180–181
  27. The Romanesque , Andorra, the official site, (accessed 13 Aug 2012)
  28. Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí , UNESCO World Heritage List
  29. 1 2 Romanesque in Castile-León , Spain thenandnow, (accessed 13 Aug 2012)
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Banister Fletcher, pp 353–357
  31. 1 2 3 Banister Fletcher p. 570
  32. 1 2 3 4 Banister Fletcher, p. 357
  33. 1 2 3 Banister Fletcher, pp. 363–364
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wischermann 1997a
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Wischermann 1997b
  36. World Monuments Fund: Pécs Cathedral
Bibliography

Further reading

St-Sernin basilica, Toulouse, France: east elevation (1080-1120). StSerninToulousDB22.jpg
St-Sernin basilica, Toulouse, France: east elevation (1080–1120).