The Romanesque churches And Gothic Cathedrals Period - Essay Example

Comparison Between The Romanesque churches And Gothic Cathedrals Period Introduction This essay will focus in comparing two architectural objects in the middle ages, Romanesque churches and Gothic Cathedrals period. These periods were famous for the architecture designs rather than the famous art objects. Body Both the styles used during the period were from western region of Europe. This was known as the middle ages in spite of the architectural styles being different. That first style to be used was Romanesque, which came into light in the seventh century and spread to the other parts of Europe as continent within a specific period of time. The style was widely used and was dominant in the region until the12 century before ushering in an era of Gothic architecture. The Gothic architecture styles first gathered fame in France and England in the 12 century. However, at the start of the 13th century, the use of the style spread to other regions in Europe like Germany before being adopted in various buildings in different parts of Europe (Ross 68). In spite of the Gothic period coming after the Romanesque period, the two periods, however did not use similar elements in their architectural designs. The main ideology following the Romanesque churches and Gothic cathedral were the ideologies which were used in their construction. The age during the period was known as the middle ages and was synonymous with poverty. Due to the change in the way of life between these two periods, the architecture adopted also shared a number of similarities and differences. The ideology used in the construction of Romanesque architecture was based on centered on protection. An example is that during the period, monasteries served as shelters for relics and saints, hence the practices of the two groups serving as a basic purpose in the construction of different structures. On the contrary, architectural constructions adopted by the Gothic were big churches known as cathedrals. These buildings were designed with towers which were as tall as skyscraper seen in major cities of the world today. The ideology behind such a design was to make the people believe further in a presence of an almighty being who were placed upwards towards divinity. The cathedral designed during the Gothic period was meant to symbolize the faith and dedication of the people towards their religion. Lastly, the spirituality practiced by individuals during the Gothic period was stronger as compared to individuals living during the Romanesque (Blanke 78). The ideal majorly practiced during the middle ages period was one that was centered on classical background. However, during the Gothic period, individuals changed their ideal towards various issues turning into a more shuddered era as they loved experimenting using their new discoveries. The logic used during the Romanesque period was one of a more static age known for restlessness.The characteristics of buildings or structures or building erected during the Romanesque period was that internal space was much bigger compared to other periods, the structures were cotted in barrel vaults, the entries of the structures were round and the walls were thicker in size. On the contrary, structures during the Gothic period were characterized by a pointed arch, ribbed groin vaults and the use of vertical and flying buttresses. In addition, structures constructed during the Romanesque period were constructed and designed based on the small windows, hence they were known to have a lot of weight and were not adequately lighted. Designs used in the Gothic cathedrals were much less heavier as the walls were not thick, creating room for luminosity hence allowing more lights to enter the rooms. Gothic structures were characterized to pose large windows which were the opposite of the Romanesque period. The window styles used during the Romanesque period were splayed creating a lack of lumunosity as compared to Gothic windows. Gothic architecture was also characterized based on the heights. However, the heights were also disadvantageous during the period because higher walls led to force exertion in an outward direction. This was, however, corrected by the use of buttresses which were used to provide support for the tall structures. On the contrary, Romanesque architectural designs were characterized with lower heights due to lack of technological advancements of the side of the builders. Therefore, their buildings could support weight of any kind. Moreover, the churches constructed during the Romanesque period resembled the Latin cross whereas Gothic cathedrals resembled a more compact and condensed Latin cross (Clark 73). The decoration style applied in the Romanesque constructions was plane and bear, but scarcely used during the period. On the other hand, that used during the Gothic period was based ornamental and easily destroyed and all parts forming the structure based on structural elements.The door used for entering the cathedrals during the Gothic period had sculptures incorporated in their finishing with a hemispherical arch at the top of the door known as tympanum. However, during the Romanesque period sculptures used in the door were not realistic and proportionate as its tympanum was a heavily decorated using different geometrical aspect making their appearance unrealistic (Bayard 60). Corrugated vaulting was important during the middle ages as they had a structural significance of enabling decorations and completion of task on the ribs to allow light through their delicate appearance. New ornamental techniques were adopted during the Gothic period. Such an example of ornaments used was the gargoyles which served the function of acting as a shootout to stop damages of the buildings and a bore a religious significance of sending away evil spirits. Example of a beautiful Gothic cathedral was witnessed during between the periods of 12th and 14th century and some of them were Notre Dame and Salisbury while an example of churches during the Romanesque period was St.Sernin located in France (Ross 53). Conclusion In conclusion majority of the Gothic architectural constructions displayed the advancement in the field of technology as it grew roots for a time period of five centuries. However, in the present century, the constructions are doomed to fail because of environmental changes and catastrophe like tornadoes and others. My preference is the architectural designs used during the Romanesque period as they symbolize the current designs of buildings which are characterized by their resistant ability. Works Cited Bayard, Emile. The Abc of Styles. New York: Parkstone International, 2012. Internet resource. Blanke, David. The 1910s. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2002. Print. Clark, William W. Medieval Cathedrals. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2006. Print. Ross, Leslie. Artists of the Middle Ages. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2003. Print. Appendices Samples Of Romanesque Architecture Sample Of Gothic Architecture Read More