ROMANESQUE

ARCHITECTURE
RUINS OF ROMAN
ARCHITECTURE

ROMANESQUE
ARCHITECTURE
The Medieval ages..
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Fall of ROME…

People struggled to adjust

to the fall of Rome
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Very little building of anything
but houses in the Western
Europe
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Building of some small churches here and there
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Some developments in Eastern Mediterranean and Italy with few
churches, palaces and Mosques between 600 to 800 AD

By 1000 AD or so, people began to build new style of Architecture in u

Europe.

Romanesque - Architectural style of Medieval Europe

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Architecture during the Middle Ages saw many innovative changes
from the Romanesque style of architecture to the Gothic style of
architecture. e
First distinctive style to spread across Europe since the Roman Empire

Proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th Century to 12th Century

Bigger churches and castles started emerging in the medieval ages.

ROMANESQUE
ARCHITECTURE
About Romanesque architecture..
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The Romanesque style is called that because it is a little like Roman
architecture, but it is made around 1000-1200 AD instead of during the
Roman Empire.
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The reason for this association are the similarities between Roman
Architecture especially the Roman 'barrel vault' and the Roman arch.

Mostly castles and churches are built in the Romanesque style.

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Romanesque buildings are seen all over France, England, Italy, and
Germany, and in northern Spain. l
Romanesque buildings were made of stone, but often had wooden roofs

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because people were still not very good at building stone roofs yet.

If they did have stone roofs, the walls had to be very thick in order to
hold up the roofs, and there couldn't be very many windows either, so
Romanesque buildings were often very heavy and dark inside.
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They had round arches, like Roman buildings, and decorated column
capitals like the Romans too.

Only Romanesque capitals often have carvings of people, animals and

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plants.

ROMANESQUE
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Geographical Factors
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Collapse of Roman Empire, Romanesque architecture developed in
western Europe. This is the direct modification of Roman architecture. n
This style developed in Italy, France, Germany, Central Europe , Spain
and Britain.
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Geological Factors u
Romanesque style had its building materials like stone, brick, marble
or terra-cotta, ready made columns and other remains from ruins of
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Roman buildings. n
Bricks, volcanic tufa, marble were available from Italy whereas good c
building stone, colored pumic stone, were got from France.
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Climatic Factors n
Climate seemed to be varying in Italy, France, England. g
Climate of north being dull, large window openings were provided to
admit sufficient side light, whereas south being hot, small windows
were kept to cut off the dazzling sun-light.
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Also due to the rainfall in the south part, roofs were flat, whereas in
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north high pitched roofs were provided to drain out rain water and
the snow.
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Social Factors
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Constant warfare made the life of people unsettled. Craftsmanship
was very course and poor. n
But as civilization improved, the towns also developed rapidly and
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achieved importance in civic design.
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Historical Factors u
Fall of Roman Empire led to no or very little progress with light
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changes for the few centuries n
Religious Factors c
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Christianity influenced rapid growth in all parts of North Europe.
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Religious feelings became strong and expressed in forms of
Cathedral, churches and monastic buildings.

Bishops were bestowed with authority than government officials.

Planning and designing of churches was entirely done by the monks

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and their pupils and till the end of 13 th century, architecture was
considered as holy science.
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The continual movement of people, rulers, nobles,
bishops, abbots, craftsmen and peasants, was an
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important factor in creating a homogeneity in building t
methods and a recognizable Romanesque style, despite
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Combining features of contemporary Western Roman and Byzantine C
buildings, Romanesque architecture is known by its
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Massive quality thick walls
Round arches in arcades, windows, doors and vaults
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 Towers r
 Sturdy Piers
 Buttresses of shallow projection a
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Portals with sculpture and mouldings c
Decorative arcades
 Cushion capitals t
Romanesque buildings also employed small-sized dressed stones with
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thick mortar joints. r
The cross vaults were replaced by rib and i
panel vaulting.
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Buttresses were introduced as a means of support to the basic design t
in Romanesque architecture in the Middle Ages.
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Each building has clearly defined forms and they are frequently of c
very regular, symmetrical plan so that the overall appearance is one
of simplicity when compared with the Gothic buildings that were to F
follow.
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The style can be identified right across Europe, despite a
regional characteristics and different materials
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Massive Walls C
Massive thickness with few and comparatively small openings h
Double shells, filled with rubble
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Building Materials r
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Brick -- Italy, Poland, much of Germany and parts of the Netherland
Limestone, granite and flint -- other areas
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Building stone -- small and irregular pieces, bedded in thick mortar t
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Piers r
Support arches ; at the intersection of two large arches; Masonry and
square or rectangular in section ; Vertical shafts, horizontal mouldings
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at the level of base s
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Columns
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A great number of antique Roman columns were salvaged and reused
in the interiors and on the porticos of churches in Italy. c
They may have retained their original Roman capitals, generally of the
Corinthian or Roman Composite style
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Salvaged columns were also used to a lesser extent in France.
Romanesque columns were massive, as they supported thick upper
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walls. a
The most common method of construction was to build them out of
stone cylinders called drums. t
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Regional Characteristics C
Features which are regionally diversified h
planning a
Facade r
Position and number of towers
Shape of towers a
Presence and shape of spires
Building material
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Local diversity in decorative details that was dependent on local t
craftsmen
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Abbey aux Hommes
The Abbay aux Hommes ("Men's Abbey") is a former abbey church T
in the French city of Caen, Normandy. y
Dedicated to Saint Stephen, it is considered, along with the p
neighbouring Abbaye aux Dames ("Lady's Abbey"), to be one of the
most notable Romanesque buildings in Normandy. i
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ROMANESQUE
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Abbey aux Hommes
The style developed during the rule of William the Conqueror, he's
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buried here at St. Etienne. y
Buttresses divide the facade into three bays – tripartite - there are p
also 3 horizontal divisions. The spires were added during the Gothic
period.
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St. Etienne is seen as a precursor of the Gothic style of church
architecture that emerges in 1140 with the re-building of St. Denis in a
Paris. l
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
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Rib vaults are groin vaults reinforced with extra stone ribbing.
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These vaults at St. Etienne are some of the earliest ribbed vaults. m
They are supported by large complex piers covered with pilasters p
and engaged columns
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St. Etienne also makes use of the alternate support system where e
simple engaged columns -- engaged columns alternate with larger,
more massive piers with framing pilasters s
The vaults may be described as six partite vaults as there are 6
elements to each rib vault.

ROMANESQUE
ARCHITECTURE
Abbey aux Hommes
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ROMANESQUE
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Pisa Group
"Pisa Cathedral with Baptistery, Campanile and Campo Santo, T
together form one of the most famous building groups in the world. y
This group of buildings, built from 1053 to 1272 at Pisa, in Italy, p
includes a campanile (bell tower), better known as the Leaning
Tower, rear right; a cathedral, center; and a baptistry, left. i
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The tiers of open colonnades throughout the group are characteristic l
of the Romanesque style of architecture, which preceded the Gothic
style in western Europe. e
The campanile began leaning during construction due to the settling s
of the foundation.

The cathedral is one of the finest of the Romanesque period and has
a strongly marked individuality.

ROMANESQUE
ARCHITECTURE
Pisa Cathedral
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This is a five-naved cathedral with a three-naved transept.
Construction was begun in 1064 by the architect Busketo, and set the
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model for the distinctive Pisan Romanesque style of architecture. p
The mosaics of the interior, as well as the pointed arches, show a
strong Byzantine influence. i
The façade, of grey marble and white stone set with discs of
coloured marble, was built by a master named Rainaldo, as indicated
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by an inscription above the middle door. a
Its planning is similar to Basilican Church having a long row of
columns supporting arches, double aisles and central nave, transepts l
and a segmental apse at each end.
The building possesses a delicacy of treatment, grace, fine
proportion and susceptibility to the spirit of antiquity. E
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ROMANESQUE
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Pisa Cathedral
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Details of Colonnades on the west
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West facade
Interior view of the nave, View of the Duomo and Baptistery l
looking east. from the Leaning Tower.
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ROMANESQUE
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The Companile, Pisa
The campanile (bell tower) is located behind the cathedral.
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15.83 dia rising to 60 m ht in eight storeys of encircling arcades.
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Construction of the bell tower began in 1173 and took place in three
stages over the course of 177 years, with the bell-chamber only
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added in 1372. c
Five years after construction began, when the building had reached a
the third floor level, the weak subsoil and poor foundation led to the l
building sinking on its south side.

The building was left for a century, which allowed the subsoil to
stabilise itself and prevented the building from collapsing.
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In 1272, to adjust the lean of the building, when construction
resumed, the upper floors were built with one side taller than the a
other. m
The seventh and final floor was added in 1319. p
By the time the building was completed, the lean was approximately l
1 degree, or 2.5 feet (0.8m) from vertical. e
At its greatest, measured prior to 1990, the lean measured s
approximately 5.5 degrees. As of 2010, this has been reduced to
approximately 4 degrees.

ROMANESQUE
ARCHITECTURE
The Companile, Pisa
The tower stands approximately 60m high, and was built to
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accommodate a total of seven main bells, cast to the musical scale y
Number of steps to the top: 296 p
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ROMANESQUE
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The Baptistery, Pisa
The Baptistery, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, stands opposite
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the west end of the Duomo. y
The round Romanesque building was begun in the mid 12th century: p
1153 Mense August fundata fuit haec ("In the month of August 1153
was set up here...").
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It was built in Romanesque style by an architect known as Diotisalvi
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The construction was not, however, finished until the 14th century, l
when the loggia, the top storey and the dome were added in Gothic
style by Nicola Pisano and Giovanni Pisano

It is the largest baptistery in Italy.

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Its circumference measures 107.25 m. Taking into account the statue
of St. John the Baptist on top of the dome, it is even a few a
centimetres higher than the Leaning Tower. m
The portal, facing the façade of the cathedral, is flanked by two p
classical columns, while the inner jambs are executed in Byzantine
style. l
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The lintel is divided in two tiers. The lower one depicts several
episodes in the life of St. John the Baptist, while the upper one s
shows Christ between the Madonna and St John the Baptist, flanked
by angels and the evangelists.

ROMANESQUE
ARCHITECTURE
The Baptistery, Pisa
The immensity of the interior is overwhelming, but it is surprisingly
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plain and lacks decoration. y
It has notable acoustics also. p
The octagonal font at the centre dates from 1246 and was made by
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Guido Bigarelli da Como. c
The bronze sculpture of St. John the Baptist at the centre of the font, a
is a remarkable work by Italo Griselli. l

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ROMANESQUE
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Tower of London
After William conquered England in 1066 AD, he needed a castle to
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live in when he was in London. y
He needed a castle that would protect London from invaders, but also p
a castle that would protect him, angry English people who didn't like
being conquered.
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To build his new castle, William brought some of the stone over on
boats all the way from France, where he had just finished building a a
castle at Caen, his home town. l
William built the White Tower in a Romanesque style, with rounded
arches.
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Long narrow buttresses helped to support the heavy stone walls. x
Like the walls of Cairo just a little later, William's walls have a
crenellations on the top - little walls that men could hide behind while
they were shooting arrows at their attackers.
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Inside, the White Tower originally was only two stories high.
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Built into the wall, William had several toilets - just a board with a hole e
in it, and a long chute down to the ground.
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William also had a well built into his castle, so he could get water
without going outside if the castle was attacked.

ROMANESQUE
ARCHITECTURE
Tower of London
One of the rooms was a Romanesque chapel where William could
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attend Christian Mass without having to leave his safe castle (except y
that actually William died before his castle was finished).
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In the 1100's, King Richard built another stone wall around the White
Tower, to be extra safe, and dug a moat. Later kings also worked on
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the Tower, and continued to live there until after 1500 AD. c
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ROMANESQUE
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THANK YOU