Traits of Romanesque Church Architecture - Research Paper Example

The similarities and differences between the Romanesque Church architecture of Germany and the Low Countries, Lombardy and Tuscany. Background The Romanesque architecture refers to the architecture that was prevalent in Europe in the late years of the 10th Century and later evolved to the Gothic style of the 12th century. The phrase “Romanesque” implies “originating from Roman”, and was first employed to define the type of architecture used in the early Europe in the 19th century (Watkin 23-27). Although the date of the commencement of the Romanesque architecture is a contentious issue with suggestions ranging from the 7th to the 10th centuries, examples found across the continent makes the Romanesque architecture the first architectural style in the region (Watkin 34-42). This style of construction and building can be identified in almost all parts of Europe. The most notable buildings that are still standing presently are the churches, with some of these being the large cathedrals and abbey churches (Jackson 32-34). According to Fletcher (25-27), the church was the ultimate emblematic structure of the Romanesque architecture, and since they were constructed to meet specific needs of liturgy, their construction was depended on the needs. These churches had similar architectural designs that included the thick walls semi-circular arches, towers, roofs and round arches in arcades, doors, windows and vaults (Jackson 36). However, these churches differed in the ground plans, the shape and position of towers, shape of columns, piers and the east end, and the building materials (Fletcher 28). This paper seeks to give the similarities and differences between the Romanesque Church architecture of Germany and the Low Countries, Lombardy and Tuscany. Similarities The Romanesque architects constructed myriad buildings with most of them being abbey and village churches, castles and cathedrals (Itcher 23). All these churches were constructed to shelter, welcome and hold the faithful in an environment that was dignified and gave a sense of depth and an ambulatory apse (Flecher 31). The Romanesque churches were built with an interior that was complex and with a densely molded material typified by strong chiaroscuro differences that strengthened the plastic outlines of the columns and heightened the sense of encrusted distinctive thickness and spatial depth (Jackson 44-45). From a structural standpoint, this was successful due to the implementation of the system of anchorages taken as longitudinal units; they were made to be spatial bodies that were added to the next one in a symmetrical manner (Icher 49). The buildings had an isolated crossing that was a normal aspect that engrossed the pivot of the entire building. The edges of the buildings were built in such a way that it could be dissembled and have openings through which people could enter and leave the place (Flecher 33). The walls of the buildings were constructed with thick walls of massive support and had few and small openings and did away with the need for supports. Another common attribute among Romanesque architectures was the ornamentation and wall sculptures (Jackson 42). Additionally, a common attribute of the Romanesque architecture was the inseparability with the natural setting (Watkin 63). Perfect examples include the abbey of Mont-St-Michael in Normandy, which is held between the earth and water, and the Cathedral of Trani, Lombardy, which overlooks the Adriatic with its bell tower functioning as a welcome inspiration for mariners (Icher 56). The Romanesque buildings had semi-circular arches. The doors and windows are narrow and are topped with a stone lintel and any other openings of the buildings were arched (Jackson 58-59). Additionally, these buildings had arcades. An arcade engrosses a row of arches, reinforced on either piers or columns (Fletcher 35). The columns in either of the churches were either hollow core for the large ones or drum like if small. The piers were either rectangular or square in shape (Jacksdon 67-69). On the other hand, the materials used in making the roofs were almost similar. The roofs were made of either stone or wood. The vaulted roofs usually contained groin and barrel-vaults made of stone such as San Zeno (Fletcher 72-73). However, these vaults progressed to the jagged ridged arch employed in Gothic architecture. One of the notable similarities between the Lombardy and German Romanesque architecture is the continuous barrel vaults (Icher 62-65). These vaults offered outstanding acoustics for the church services and were relatively incombustible. However, they failed in offering light. Differences One of the notable difference between the Romanesque architecture of Germany and the Low Countries, Lombardy and Tuscany was the materials employed in construction. The churches in Tuscany betrayed the influence of the Byzantine traditions and were built with colored and white marble, which was available in the northern Italy (Fletcher 37). This made the churches in the Tuscany Romanesque architecture more stylish and less vigorous than those of Lombardy and Germany. The churches in Tuscany were Basilicas and had timber ceilings (Janson $ Janson 16). One of the striking attribute of the Tuscany churches was the external wall arcades occupying the whole height of the wall and had flat pilasters, in arranged stages of small arches on slim columns that stood free on the hedge. An example of such a church is the Duomo Cathedral that is 312 feet in height and 118 wide with a rich arcaded facade and hooped edges that portray the unconstructive but decorative methods of the Tuscany Romanesque architecture (Janson $ Janson 17-19). On the other hand, the Lombardy and German and the Low Countries had their architecture influenced by the Byzantine traditions of decorations (Jackson 82-88). The churches in German and the Low Countries were decorated with fresco. Additionally, since timber and stone was widely available in Germany and the Low Countries and Lombardy, almost all the churches were built with stone and timber (Fletcher 53). The roofs and ceilings of the churches were made of timber and one of the sides of the churches were decorated with wooden carvings as seen in St. Michael’s, Hildesheim (Fletcher 57). Another distinctive difference is the presence of the apses at the end of the churches (Fletcher 61). The Lombardy and Germany and Low Countries churches had apses at the two ends of the churches as seen in the plan of St. Gall (Jackson 92). This was designed in this way because the Bishop would preside on one side and the abbot on the other. Additionally, as opposed to the Tuscany Romanesque architecture churches, the German and Lombardy churches had an octagonal tower (Fletcher 67). For instance, St. Ambragio in Millan has arches on both ends and an octagonal tower. This is different from the Tuscany Romanesque churches that were circular such as those at Pisa Cathedral (Janson 19-20). Works Cited Icher, François. Building the great cathedrals. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998. Print. Fletcher, Banister . Cruickshank, Dan, ed. Sir Banister Fletchers A History of Architecture on the Comparative method (20 ed.). London: Architectural Press, 1996. Print. Jackson, Thomas. Byzantine and Romanesque Architecture. CUP Archive, 2007. Print. Janson, Horst W., and Anthony Janson. Romanesque Architecture in Tuscany: Pisa, Piazza Dei Miracoli, Florence Baptistery, Prato Cathedral, San Miniato Al Monte, Republic of Pisa, Basilica of San Frediano, Palazzo Pubblico, Abbey of Santantimo, Val DOrcia, Lucca Cathedral, Santi Apostoli, FL. General Books, 2011. Print. Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2000. Print. Read More