Romanesque

= Romanesque = Popular in the late 10th century to the 12th century The word, Romanesque, actually means "descended from Rome." and that is exactly how this style came to be. After the Fall of Rome, there was much chaos between the population. Many kingdoms were established and battles over land. Once things began to settle down, the new leaders wanted important and massive buildings to show their victories. Designers looked to their past and took elements such as roman's domes, arches and other details and evolved them into the new Romanesque style. Most buildings designed in this style had a massive quality to them with thick walls, round and sturdy piers, large towers and decorative arcading. Popular in mostly in castles and churches, this style can be seen all over Europe. But is most common in France, Northern Italy, Spain and Germany. The reasons behind its popularity in these countries was the influence of ancient Rome and the current Popes. The Romanesque Revival or Neo-Romanesque occurred in the 19th century. These buildings tended to have simplified arches and windows compared to the original time. It was widely popular on American university campuses

The Three Sections of the Romanesque Style
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = == Characteristics of the Romanesque Style: == **Walls-** thick, with a few small openings, they were relied upon to hold up the ceilings. They were usually double shelled and filled with rubble. the ribs to meet at a point.
 * Piers-** these are supported arches, built of masonry either square or rectangular, and built in sections. On them were horizontal moldings at the base to represent capitals.
 * Columns-** These were a lot like the Roman's columns and sometimes even the columns were reused from the Roman's. There were //drum colum////ns and// //hollow columns// were hollow and filled with rubble. It was common in this style to alternate piers and columns.
 * Arches and Openings-** Arches were semi-circular, and the openings tended to be small windows with stone lintel or large arched windows. Doorways were usually a semicircle arch.
 * Vaults-** There are many different types of vaults used in the Romanesque Style. A //Barrel Vault// is the simplest vault, it is a single arch from wall to wall. A //Groin Vault// are always square in plan and their construction intersects at right angles. A //Ribbed Vault// span transversely with diagonal ribs and the spaces are filled with lighter building material. A //Pointed Arched Vault// have the same diameter ribs both horizontally and transversely. This causes

Buttresses- ** were generally flat and had a square profile that never went very far from the walls -**Transept** -section crossing the nave at a right angle, giving the church a cross shape) -**Apse** -semicircular niche, usually in the east end -**Ambulatory** (often with radiating chapels) around the apse -The building material greatly different depending on where the building was located. For example, brick was used in Italy, Poland and much of Germany. Other places used granite, flint, or limestone. These were often in small pieces and bedded in mortar. -The roofs were mostly wooden since many walls couldn't support stone roofs. - Romanesque Buildings were often very decorative with arcading and murals. It differed from the Lombard Band (ornamental arches) to sculptures of scenes carved into the stone of a building. Murals were painted on large and open walls or vaults but most have faded or been damaged over time. Another popular decoration was stained glass.
 * Towers-** These came in a variety of forms (square, circle and even octagonal). Large towers had corner buttresses and as the tower rose the number and size of openings increased.

Works Cited Created By: Maggie Golden- February 22, 2010