The term Romanesque ("Roman-like") was first used to designate a style of architecture that used Roman arches and had thick, heavy walls, based upon the basilica. The style is pervasive throughout Europe.

The Romanesque period is marked by: - Immense relief the world hadn’t ended at the turn of the millenium - The resurgence of cities and trade - The emergence of Europe as we know it - Strengthened Papal authority - The emergence of a middle class and merchant class - Evolution of the Romance languages - The peak in feudalism as a poloitical system

Nave of St. Savin Poitou, France c. 1100

There was continued growth in monasticism with two prominent orders:
- Cluniac - education, music and art
- Cistercian - manual labor and self denial

Monasteries also housed the relics of saints and during the Romanesque period the cult of relics became a major cultural factor influencing architecture and particular. Because, devout Christians would undertake long pilgrimages in order to visit and venerate the relics of saints and martyrs. People traveled widely to visit sites and see relics believing them to have curative powers. These large numbers of people traveling created standard routes from one monastery to another "Pilgrimage Roads" - they became routes of trade/commerce and travel.

To meet the needs of large numbers of travelers large scale building projects were undertaken - the first massive building resurgence since the Roman Empire (600 years before)

At this time Rome was seen as a great model of legendary proportion. Since there was no contemporary tradition in building large structures people looked at what was around them - Roman buildings (or their remnants)

This is also the time of the crusades which from one point of view were seen as the ultimate pilgrimage. The Crusades stimulated trade (both mercantile and intellectual) with the east , Byzantium and Islam and within Europe. This lead to the growing wealth and strength of cities that supported and profited from the travel associated with the crusades, for instance Genoa which was a major port and naval center (Christopher Columbus was from Genoa).

Two French Pilgrimage Churches

St. Sernin
Toulouse 1080 - 1120

Romanesque architecture is characterized by:
- thick heavy walls which support stone roofs
- a blocky, earthbound appearance
- large, simple geometric masses
- the exterior reflects the interior structure and organization
- interiors tend to be dark because of the massive walls that dictate small windows
- growing sophistication in vaulting to span the large spaces - barrel vaults, groin vaults and rib vaults are used

St. Sernin floor plan	View down the nave toward the apse

A major boom in building was due to the need, in some cases, to replace wooden churches which had been burned by the Norsemen and the continued growth in the cult of relics and pilgrimages.

French and English builders built some of the most adventurous buildings in terms of pushing the limits of the design technology

San Sernin, in Toulouse, is a typical pilgrimage style church in the Burgundian style.
The floor plan is a Latin cross w/ clearly defined parts
- basilica plan modified for large crowds - large apse
- the square of the crossing / module for the rest of the plan
- 1/2 half of the crossing square = 1 bay
- side aisles = 1/4 of the crossing square

The 4 side aisles form continuous circuit around the transept nave and transept.
The ambulatory aisle enclosed the choir- the area east the transept- separated by a screen to give privacy to monks doing the mass or other services.
- the side aisles allow visitors to walk back to view the relics without disturbing anything going on in the nave or choir areas

St. Sernin, looking toward the altar and apse	Looking up at the dome in the crossing. Note the massive blocks of multi-colored stone

A prominent feature of many Romanesque churches is the addition of multiple chapels "radiating chapels".
Early Christian churches had 1 alter - 1 focus. During the Romanesque period churches are in the relics business- more relics - more business - donations.
Each chapel would have different relics funded by wealthy donors

Very rhythmic vertical motion in the nave- two story elevation - nave arcade & gallery
- Early Christian churches had 1 level
The gallery was both structural and practical it could provide overflow space for crowds on big feast days.

The gallery walls also support the barrel vaulted roof - a stone roof.
Early Christian churches (basilicas )had wooden roofs
- Stone barrel vaults require massive support create a lateral thrust requiring heavy, buttressed walls

Sainte-Foy
Conques, France, c. 1050-1120

Sainte-Foy is one of the earliest surviving examples of a Romanesque style pilgrimage church. That is, a church designed specifically to accomodate visting pilgrims. Sainte Foy, who the church is dedicated to, was martyred as a child in 303. The church was built above the site of her tomb and it holds relics associated with her.

You can see from  the plan of Sainte-Foy that it shares much in common with the plan of St. Sernin. Sainte-Foy, however, is much shorter in proportion. It does have radiating chapels and a circumambulatory aisle - characteristics of pilgrimage churches. A view of the chapels and the apse

Another view of the apse, transept and bell-tower. This is a nice illustration of the massive quality of Romanesque buldings.

In this view of the nave, looking towards the altar, you can see how dark the interior seems. Notice the windows around the base of the bell-tower near the upper-left of the image.

St. Etienne Caen (Normandy) 1067 - 1120 St. Etienne is a good example of the Norman style of Romanesque architecture. The style developed during the rule of William the Conqueror, he's buried here at St. Etienne. Buttresses divide the facade into three bays - tripartite - there are also 3 horizontal divisions The spires were added during the Gothic period. St. Etienne is seen as a precurssor of the Gothic style of church architecture that emerges in 1140 with the re-building of St. Denis in Paris.

Looking east in the nave of St. Etienne	Floor plan of St. Etienne

The floor plan reflects a regular system of square modules. Ribbed groin vaults (or just rib vaults) replace barrel vaults allowing the addition of clerestory windows
Rib vaults are groin vaults reinforced with extra stone ribbing. These vaults at St. Etienne are some of the earliest ribbed vaults. They are supported by large complex piers covered with pilasters and engaged columns

St. Etienne also makes use of the alternate support system where simple engaged columns -- engaged columns alternate with larger, more massive piers w/framing pilasters

The vaults may be described as sexpartite vaults as there are 6 elements to each rib vault

St. Etienne
A view of the apse and towers of the east end.

Durham Cathedral
Durham (northern England),1093 - 1272

Continental designs moved to England with the Norman conquest of William the Conqueror in 1066

Two views of the nave at Durham

Like St. Etienne Durham Cathedral makes use of ribbed groin vaults, a 3 part elevation with nave arcade, gallery/tribune, and clerestory.

Unlike St. Etienne though it has 7 part vaults - septpartite
- also supported by an alternating support system with large compound piers carrying transverse arches
- simple (large) pillars carry the center of the ribbed groin vaults

Durham Cathedral, plan

St. Ambrogio Milan, late 11th c. - 12th c.

St. Ambrogio has an atrium as, it is thought, old St. Peter's had
The crossing is capped by an octagonal tower similar to the one on the
crossing of Speyer Cathedral
- the clerestory windows in the tower provide most of the light in the building
- the taller tower is much more decorated (12th c.) than the shorter one (10th c.)

- 2 side aisles = 1/4 of nave bay
- regular square bays with alternate support system

Pisa Cathedral
Pisa, 1053 - 1272

View of Pisa Cathedral with the baptistery in the foreground	What familiar structure is part of the Pisa Cathedral group?

Notice how (as is common in Romanesque architecture) you can discern the inner structure of the cathedral from the exterior view. Can you identify where the side aisles would be?

The Baptistery was remodeled and had some Gothic features added. The highly carved decorative panels are called encrustation

The campanile (the Leaning Tower) tilts as the result of the foundation settling
- it is currently 21’ out of plumb (off vertical)

Baptistery of San Giovanni
Florence, 11th c.

Architecture in Italy during the Romanesque period is much more closely based in classical models due to the ready availability of models to work from.

Early scholars thought that the Baptistery of Florence Cathedral dated back to the 5th or 6th century.

Its design is related to churches such as the Pantheon and Santa Costanza. It is decorated in the distinctive Florentine style of inlayed stone.

Information provided by: http://www.coco.cc.az.us