Far Eastern University

Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

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WEEK NO. 2
Topic: ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE

Overview
This lecture explains the historical development leading to the evolution of Romanesque Architecture as an
architectural style during the 9th to 12th century. The lecture will discuss stylistic features of the period as well as
architectural examples from different parts of the world. Notable architects, builders and patrons of architecture and art
will likewise be explained in the course of the lecture.

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to:
• Explain the historical developments before and during the Age of Faith of the Romanesque period;
• Identify architectural and art forms during this period;
• Recognize notable artists, architects, builders and patrons of art and architecture and their contributions to
architectural historical development; and,
• Draw and write about architectural examples and features or details of the Romanesque architectural styles.

Additional Readings/Materials
• Romanesque Architecture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSiD5Jinpuw&list=PLl9BT2mzg58sVd_0wcJYxXtFC_wgf6zfG
• Romanesque Architecture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jxm1X_hDo8
• A Beginner’s Guide to Romanesque Art and Architecture
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/romanesque-art/beginners-guide-
romanesque/a/a-beginners-guide-to-romanesque-art
• Romanesque Architecture: Characteristics, Examples & History
https://study.com/academy/lesson/romanesque-architecture-characteristics-examples-history.html

References
• Burden, Ernest E., Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture. New York: McGraw-Hill, c2012.
• Ching, Francis, A Visual Dictionary of Architecture. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, c2012.
• Cruickshank, Dan, Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture (Twentieth Edition). Oxford: Architectural
Press, c1996
 Far Eastern University
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

___________________________________________________________________________

Week no. 2
Topic: ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE

INTRODUCTION
A style of architecture emerging in Italy and Western Europe in the 9th century and lasting until the advent of Gothic
architecture in the 12th century. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, means "descended from Roman“.
Architecturally, the term was first applied in French by the archaeologist Charles de Gerville or his associate Arcisse
de Caumont, in the early 19th century, to describe Western European architecture from the 5th to the 13th centuries.
The term “Romanesque” is now used for the more restricted period from the late 10th to the 12th century. The word
was used to describe the style which was identifiably Medieval and prefigured the Gothic, yet maintained the rounded
Roman arch and thus appeared to be a continuation of the Roman tradition of building.

Romanesque architecture can further be classified according to dynasty and period. The following are:
1. Carolingian architecture – Carolingian Architecture is the early Romanesque architecture of the Frankish
dynasty that reigned in France AD 751-987 and in Germany until AD 911, and is characterized by antiquity
modified by ecclesiastical requirements
2. Lombard Architecture - The early Romanesque architecture of northern Italy during the 7th and 8th centuries,
characterized by the use of Early Christian and Roman forms and the development of the ribbed vault and
vaulting shaft
3. Anglo-Saxon Architecture - The early Romanesque architecture of England before the Norman Conquest
in 1066 and is characterized by the translation of timber prototypes into stone
4. Ottonian Architecture - The early Romanesque architecture of the German dynasty that ruled as emperors
of the Holy Roman Empire from AD 962-1002. It is characterized by the development of forms derived from
Carolingian and Byzantine concepts
5. Norman Architecture – This is the Romanesque architecture that was introduced from Normandy into
England before the Norman Conquest and flourishing until the rise of Gothic architecture in the 12th century
and is characterized by the building of great Benedictine abbeys, the two-tower façade supplementing a
central tower over the crossing, and the use of geometric ornamentation

INFLUENCES
1. The first distinctive style to spread across Europe since the Roman Empire. After the Early Christian and
Byzantine influences, little or no continuation of the Roman type of building followed.
2. Several significant churches that were built at this time were founded by rulers as seats of temporal and
religious power, or places of coronation and burial. The invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy,
in 1066, saw the building of both castles and churches which reinforced the Norman presence.
3. Much of Europe was affected by feudalism. Feudalism is when peasants held tenure from local rulers over
the land that they farmed in exchange for military service, the result of this was that they could be called upon,
not only for local and regional spats, but to follow their lord to travel across Europe to the Crusades, if they
were required to do so.
4. The Crusades brought about a very large movement of people and, with them, ideas and trade skills,
particularly those involved in the building of fortifications and the metal working needed for the provision of
arms, which was also applied to the fitting and decoration of buildings
5. The continual movement of people, rulers, nobles, bishops, abbots, craftsmen and peasants, was an
important factor in creating a homogeneity in building methods and a recognizable Romanesque style, despite
regional differences.
6. Across Europe, the late 11th and 12th centuries saw an unprecedented growth in the number of churches. A
great number of these buildings, both large and small, remain. They include many very well-known churches
in Rome, Florence and Verona.
 Far Eastern University
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

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7. The monasteries, which sometimes also functioned as cathedrals, and the cathedrals which had bodies of
secular clergy often living in community, were a major source of power in Europe. Bishops and the abbots of
important monasteries lived and functioned like princes
8. The Nobility of Europe, upon safe return, thanked God by the building of a new church or the enhancement
of an old one. Likewise, those who did not return from the Crusades could be suitably commemorated by their
family in a work of stone and mortar
9. It was during this period that the Christian church donned the role of the militant leader. It was the duty of the
church to fight the dark powers on earth until the end of the world as described in Revelations. The crusaders
became representatives of this militant church as they set out to seize Jerusalem from the Muslims, claiming
this Holy City in the name of Christianity

CHARACTERISTICS
The general impression given by Romanesque architecture, in both ecclesiastical and secular buildings, is one of
massive solidity and strength. Early Romanesque was marked with the employment of rubble walls, smaller windows
and unvaulted roofs. Latter part of the period marked refinement by increased use of the vault and dressed stone.

1. Walls
The walls of Romanesque buildings are often of massive thickness with few and comparatively small
openings. The building material differs greatly across Europe, depending upon the local stone and building
tradition. In Italy, Poland, much of Germany and parts of the Netherlands, brick is generally used. Other areas
saw extensive use of limestone, granite and flint. The building stone was often used in comparatively small
and irregular pieces, bedded in thick mortar. Smooth ashlar masonry was not a distinguishing feature of the
style, particularly in the earlier part of the period, but occurred chiefly where easily worked limestone was
available.

2. Piers
Piers are vertical supporting structure, as a section of wall between two openings or one supporting the end
of an arch or lintel. In Romanesque architecture, piers were often employed to support arches.

3. Columns
Columns are an important structural feature of Romanesque architecture. In Italy, during this period, a great
number of antique Roman columns were salvaged and reused in the interiors and on the porticos of churches

4. Capitals
The Corinthian style provided the inspiration for many Romanesque capitals. Some capitals bear illustrations
of Biblical scenes and depictions of beasts and monsters, others are lively scenes of the legends of local
saints

5. Alternation
A common characteristic of Romanesque buildings, occurring both in churches and in the arcades which
separate large interior spaces of castles, is the alternation of piers and columns. The most simple form that
this takes is to have a column between each adjoining pier. Sometimes the columns are in multiples of two or
three.

6. Arches and Openings

Arches in Romanesque architecture are semicircular. Larger windows are nearly always arched. Doorways
are also surmounted by a semi-circular arch. A lunette is an area in the plane of a wall framed by an arch or
vault, containing a window, painting or sculpture. With the exception of a very small number of buildings such
 Far Eastern University
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

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as Autun Cathedral in France and Monreale Cathedral in Sicily in both of which pointed arches have been
used extensively. It is believed that in these cases there is a direct imitation of Islamic architecture.

7. Vaults and Roofs

Majority of buildings have wooden roofs. Vaults of stone and brick took on several different forms
Barrel vault – a vault having a semicircular cross section
Groin vault – a compound vault formed by the perpendicular intersection of two vaults forming arched
diagonal arrises called groins

8. Domes
Domes in Romanesque architecture are generally found within crossing towers at the intersection of a
church's nave and transept, which conceal the domes externally. Romanesque domes are typically octagonal
in plan and use corner squinches to translate a square bay into a suitable octagonal base

ROMANESQUE CHURCHES
Abbey and cathedral churches generally follow the Latin Cross plan. The following are the elements of a Romanesque
church:
1. Nave – the principal or center part of a church extending from the narthex to the choir or chancel
2. Aisle – any of the longitudinal divisions of a church separated from the nave by row of columns or piers
3. Arcade – series of arches or piers
4. Chancel – the space about the altar of a church for the clergy and choir, often elevated above the nave and
separated from it by a railing or screen
5. Triforium – an arcaded story in a church, between the arches and the clerestory and corresponding to the
space between the vaulting and the roof of an aisle
6. Ambulatory – the aisle encircling the end of the choir or chancel of a church
7. Apse – the semicircular termination of a church sanctuary
8. Chevet – the rounded east end of a cathedral including the apse and ambulatory
9. Buttress – an external support built to stabilize a structure by opposing its outward thrusts, especially a
projecting support built into or against the outside of a masonry wall
10. Clerestory – a portion of an interior rising above adjacent rooftops and having windows admitting daylight to
the interior

Romanesque church facades are usually symmetrical. Towers were an important feature of Romanesque churches
and a great number of them are still standing. They take a variety of forms: square, circular and octagonal, and are
positioned differently in relation to the church building in different countries. In northern France, two large towers, such
as those at Caen, were to become an integral part of the facade of any large abbey or cathedral. In central and southern
France this is more variable and large churches may have one tower or a central tower. Large churches
of Spain and Portugal usually have two towers. A campanile (detached bell tower) was common in Italy. A rose window
can be seen at the façade of the church. Rose windows are circular windows, usually of stained glass and decorated
with tracery symmetrical about the center.

Romanesque church facades, generally to the west end of the building, are usually symmetrical, have a large central
portal made significant by its mouldings or porch, and an arrangement of arched-topped windows. In Italy there is often
a single central ocular or wheel window. The common decorative feature is arcading. Smaller churches often have a
single tower that is usually placed to the western end in France or England, either centrally or to one side, while larger
churches and cathedrals often have two.
 Far Eastern University
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

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EXAMPLES OF ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE

1. NORTH ITALY

A. Cathedrals
Cathedrals were basilica-type churches, with flat, severed facades across the whole church, masking the
division on nave and aisles. A wheel window is normally found on the façade of the church, with a central
projecting porch on the façade, often two-storey, with columns. The cathedrals in North Italy are less refined
in character due to the use of stone and brick, instead of marble. Ornament shows a departure from classic
precedents, showing rough northern European grotesque style instead.

Basilica di San Zeno, Verona

B. Baptisteries
Baptisteries were used three times a year, for Easter, Pentecost and the Epiphany. These are large, separate
buildings, usually octagonal in plan
C. Campaniles
Campaniles are a product of the Romanesque period but carried out into the Gothic period. Campaniles are
straight tower shafts, generally standing alone as civic monuments or symbols of power, rather than integral
parts of the church.

2. SOUTH ITALY
Cathedrals are of Byzantine influence in rich mosaic decorations. Muslim influence can be seen on the use of
striped marbles.

Cefalu Cathedral
 Far Eastern University
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

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3. CENTRAL ITALY
Cathedrals are concentrated on beauty and delicacy of ornamental details, instead of new construction systems.
Cathedrals resemble early basilican churches in plan. The most renowned example is the Pisa Cathedral.
The Pisa Cathedral forms one of the most famous building groups in the world – the campanile and Campo Santo.
The baptistery is designed by Dioti Salvi. The campanile is also known as the ‘Leaning Tower of Pisa’.

Pisa Cathedral Campanile, Pisa

4. NORTH FRANCE
Remains of old buildings were less abundant, which developed a greater freedom of developing a new style

Abbey of St. Denis

5. SOUTH FRANCE
Cathedrals follow the cruciform plan with a semi-circular east end, as an ambulatory with radiation chapels. Use
of old Roman architecture features is evident.

Vienne Cathedral Notre Dame du Port

 Far Eastern University
Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts

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6. CENTRAL EUROPE
Cathedrals of Central Europe exhibit Carolingian and Lombard influence.

Worms Cathedral

7. SPAIN
Religious buildings in Spain used both the basilica and the Greek-cross forms

Santiago de Compostela
8. ENGLAND
Cathedrals had three foundations old foundation (served by secular clergy), the monastic foundation (served by
regular clergy of monks, later by secular canons) and the new foundation (to which bishops had been appointed)

Durham Cathedral