Romanesque Art

Age of Pilgrimages

Age of Pilgrimages11th-12th Centuries

• 1000 AD- World did not end!!!

• You became a Crusader or Pilgrimage

• Major pilgrimage routes spring up across

Europe

– Relics: objects associated with major saints

– Church of Santiago de Compestela in Spain

Romanesque

• 1050-1200

• “Roman-like”- term coined in 19th cent

• Roman like architecture:

– Rounded arches

– Barrel vaults

• Influences evindent from other

cultures/periods as well

Pilgrimage Church:

• Relics- (bones, teeth, hair, fingernails, cloth, splinters and nails from True Cross); held miraculous powers

• Build new churches to accommodate flocks of pilgrims- building becomes an obsession!

• Inspired by Roman buildings (barrel vault, round arches, columns, basilica plan)

Romanesque= “Roman-like”

• Roman architects- concrete, stamp of Roman authority

• Romanesque builders- stone, glory of God

Plan Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France, ca. 1070-1120

Classical Romanesque arch.

• Increased length of nave

• Doubled side aisles

• Crossing square

• Ambulatory- walkway around apse

• Radiating chapels around apse

• Plan of “proportional relationships” or geometric organization

Interior Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France, ca.

1070-1120

Exterior Saint-Sernin

Romanesque Architecture:

1. Round arch

2. Barrel vault

3. Groin vault

4. Small rounded windows

Look for regional styles:

• French

• Germany

• English

• Italian

Plan, Speyer Cathedral, Speyer, Germany, b.

1030, nave vaults ca. 1082-1106

Interior Speyer Cathedral, Speyer, Germany

• Groin vault

– Lighter than barrel

vault

– Require less

buttressing

Saint’ Ambrogio, Milan, Italy, late 11-12th cent.

Plan Saint’ Ambrogio, Milan, Italy,

late 11-12th cent.

Interior Saint’ Ambrogio, Milan, Italy, late 11-

12th cent.

Saint E-tienne (west façade), Caen, France, b. 1067

Plan Saint E-tienne, Caen, France, b. 1067

Interior Saint E-tienne, Caen, France, b. 1067

• Slight deviations from

Romanesque style:

Three stories with

clerestory= more light

Sexparite ribbed vault

• Rounded arches

• Small windows in

clerestory

Plan Durham Cathedral, England

Interior Durham Cathedral, England, b. ca.

1093

• Slight deviations from

Romanesque style:

Groin vaults with pointed

arches

Larger windows in

clerestory

• Maintains rounded

windows

• Nave arcade with columns

• Blocky, heavy look

Nave column in Durham Cathedral, England,

Example of color on typical Romanesque

pillar

Describe the regional variations in the plan and architecture of

Romanesque churches.

1) German:

2) French

3) English:

4) Italian:

Romanesque Portal

Romanesque Portals:

• Portal- entrance to a church

• Doorjambs- stone pieces on sides of door

• Lintel- beam that spans over the top of door

• Trumeau- vertical stone that seperate two

doors

• Typanum- semi-circular area above door for

sculptural relief

Romanesque Sculpture:

• Most Europeans were illiterate

• Church used exterior sculpture as way to

communicate biblical scripture

– Most decoration is outside (advertisement)

Last Judgment, Portal at Autun, France,

Gislebertus, ca. 1120-1135

Last Judgment, Portal at Autun, France,

Gislebertus, ca. 1120-1135

Detail Last Judgment, Portal at Autun

Discuss:

• Explain the role of art within (and on)

Romanesque churches.

– Example: Christ in Majesty

Vision of Hildegard of Bingen, Germany,

1050-1079

Bayeux Tapestry, France, ca. 1070-1080,

embroidered wool on linen

Summary:

• 1000- world did not end

• Pilgrimages- required the building of larger

churches

• Illuminated manuscripts/ two-dimentional

art- remains the same

• Sculpture- no free standing (false idols)

– Portals of Romanesque churches visually

narrate Biblical stories (Last Judgment, The

Temptation, Original Sin)

Review:

• Nave

• Ambulatory

• Crossing square

• Clerestory

• Barrel vault

• Rib vault

• Pilgrimage

• Relic

• Buttress

• Portal

• Typanum

• Trumeau

• Mandorla