Romanesque Architecture: History and Characteristics

Romanesque Architecture: A Historical Context

Romanesque art developed in the Christian West between the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. Three related historical processes occurred simultaneously in Europe:

• Terror in the Year 1000: The 11th century was lived in a climate of anxiety about Muslim, Norman, and Hungarian invasions, which was interpreted as a sign of the end of the world.
• Pilgrimages: The importance of some monasteries, and the fact that they housed relics of saints, made them centers of pilgrimage from the 10th century onward. Santiago became prominent after the discovery of the tomb of the Apostle.

Romanesque Architecture: The Roman Church

The most representative buildings are pilgrimage churches. The plan is a longitudinal Latin cross, oriented East-West, and has three or five naves. The longitudinal naves end in a head with chapels. The central nave is wider and taller than the aisles. Below the altar is the crypt, a circular domed room where the relics of saints were kept. Examples include St. Martin of Tours and the Cathedral of Santiago.

Churches had three Romanesque basilica naves. Dominant roofs were composed of barrel vaults, requiring heavy reinforcement by arches that divide the vault into sections and are supported on pillars outside the wall. Square rooms are covered with a spherical vault resting on tubes. Apses are covered in spherical domes. The room's main load-bearing element is the masonry wall, which can withstand a very heavy cover. The openings are few and small, making interior lighting difficult. The column has a cylindrical shaft. They have a base, and the shaft can be plain or decorated with plants or striations. The capitals are decorated with varied plant and animal figures, as well as religious scenes. Cruciform pillars are robust. Columns are used to bear the brunt of the covers and may appear attached to the columns.

Romanesque Architecture in Europe

France has the richest and most varied Romanesque churches. In Italy, the most famous are the set of Pisa (Cathedral, Baptistery, and Steeple).

Romanesque Architecture on the Iberian Peninsula

Romanesque architecture developed in Catalonia and in the lands of the Camino de Santiago. In Catalonia, Franco-Arabic influences are mixed, as seen in the Church of St. John of the Abbesses. Secondly, there is the Lombard influence. Along the Camino de Santiago, several pilgrimage churches were built, the most important being the Cathedral of Santiago.