Romanesque Architecture

Mar 18, 2016
2 min read

Romanesque architecture saw its birth when Europe was coming out of the early Middle Ages when the west was starting to regain a sense of unified identity resulting from improved roads and the crusades. Although a common view of Romanesque architecture claims that the style was mainly prevalent in small, rural parishes (probably due to its bare, simple base style), the architectural movement gave rise to some of Europe’s most renowned structures, including Durham Cathedral (England), Mont-Saint-Michel (France), Trier Cathedral (Germany, below) and the Piazza dei Miracoli (Italy).

The term Romanesque was created by French Medievalists to distinguish this period from the Carolingian and Ottoman eras (8th-10th centuries) and the following Gothic period (late 12th-14th centuries). As the name implies Europe wanted to rediscover and take pride in its Roman roots, particularly in the rediscovery of ancient Roman architectural techniques and materials. Domes, columns, arcades and arches dominate Romanesque structures. It was common in the High Middle Ages to borrow actual materials (known as spolia) from old Roman sites to save on time and labor, and this was seen only in the use of old columns in the Romanesque period, in contrast to other periods in which more brickwork was taken and used as well. The “borrowed” columns were then used to furnish doorways and entrances or for interior decorative schemes.

Although a few state buildings were built in Romanesque style, churches are by far the most plentiful examples of the style. The Romanesque churches saw a huge increase in both volume and height compared with earlier structures (note the Maria Laach Abbey, Germany, to the left). The early Romanesque styles were primarily formed in Basilica style (again harkening back to the Romans), although the later Romanesque styles did see a revival of centrally planned churches. Normally the churches during this time were accompanied by bell towers (or keeps) that soared into the sky in order to inspire people to God and emphasizes man’s humble nature. This element, however, was not seen in the actual church itself. Columns were seen as the closest

architectural component to the human body and were used to show the building being attuned to man instead of transcending him as was the case in later Gothic architecture. In addition to the prevalent use of arches and domes, Romanesque churches also had high vaulted ceilings and thick walls that were designed to make the building fire-proof and acoustical (for choirs). This holds true for almost all the Romanesque churches except the Stave Churches (made from wood), which became popular in Norway between the Romanesque and Gothic periods.