Transcript Chapter 10 Romanesque Art • Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Europe which emerged in.

Chapter 10
Romanesque Art
• Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the
architecture of Europe which emerged in the late 10th century and
evolved into the Gothic style during the 12th century. The
Romanesque style in England is more traditionally referred to as
Norman architecture.
• Romanesque architecture is characterized by its massive quality, its
thick walls, round arches, sturdy piers, groin vaults, large towers and
decorative arcading. Each building has clearly defined forms and
they are frequently of very regular, symmetrical plan so that the
overall appearance is one of simplicity when compared with the
Gothic buildings that were to follow. The style can be identified right
across Europe, despite regional characteristics and different
materials.
• Although there was much building of castles during this period, they
are greatly outnumbered by churches of which the most significant
are the great abbey churches, many of which are still standing, more
or less complete and frequently in use.
Bamberg Cathedral presents the distinctive outline of
many of the large Romanesque churches of the
Germanic tradition.
The Romanesque Abbey of Senaque, France, is
surrounded by monastic buildings of various dates.
Monasticism
• The system of monasticism in which the religious
become members of an order, with common ties and a
common rule, living in a mutually dependant community,
rather than as a group of hermits living in proximity but
essentially separate, was established by the monk
Benedict in the 6th century. The Benedictine Monasteries
spread from Italy throughout Europe, being always by far
the most numerous in England. They were followed by
the Cluniac order, the Cistercians, Carthusians and
Augustinian Canons. In association with the Crusades,
the military orders of the Knights Hospitallers and the
Knights Templars were founded.
Pilgrimage and Crusade
• One of the effects of the Crusades, which were intended to wrest the
Holy Places of Palestine from Islamic control, was to excite a great
deal of religious fervor, which in turn inspired great building
programs. The Nobility of Europe, upon safe return, thanked God by
the building of a new church or the enhancement of an old one.
Likewise, those who did not return from the Crusades could be
suitably commemorated by their family in a work of stone and
mortar.
• The Crusades resulted in the transfer of, among other things, a
great number of Holy Relics of saints and apostles. Many churches,
like Saint-Front, Périgueux, had their own home grown saint while
others, most notably Santiago de Compostela, claimed the remains
and the patronage of a powerful saint, in this case one of the Twelve
Apostles. Santiago de Compostela, located near the western
extremity of Galicia (present day Spain) became the most important
pilgrimage destination in Europe. Most of the pilgrims traveled the
Way of Saint James on foot, many of them barefooted as a sign of
penance. They moved along one of the four main routes that passed
through France, congregating for the journey at Jumieges, Paris,
Vezelay, Cluny, Arles and St. Gall in Switzerland.
• Cathedral of Pisa Commentary "Pisa Cathedral with
Baptistery, Campanile and Campo Santo, together
form one of the most famous building groups in the
world. The cathedral is one of the finest of the
Romanesque period and has a strongly marked
individuality. It resembles other early basilican
churches in plan, with long rows of columns connected
by arches, double aisles, and a nave which has the
usual timber roof. The exterior has bands of red and
white marble, and the ground story is faced with wall
relief by tiers of wall passages which rise one above
another right into the gable. The transepts, each with
an apse at the end, were an advance on the simple
basilican plan. The elliptical dome over the crossing is
of later date. The building depends for its interest on
its general proportions and on the delicacy of its
ornamental features, rather than on any new structural
development, such as may be seen in northern Italy."
The Baptistry
San Giovanni Baptistery
Baptistry Interior
Nicola Pisano Pulpit
Around 1255 he got a commission for the pulpit and finished this work in
1260.
1063 to 1350
Santa Maria Cathedral
Leaning Tower, La Torre Pendente
Bayeux Tapestry
• In common with other embroidered hangings of the early
medieval period, this piece is conventionally referred to as a
"Tapestry," although it is not a true woven tapestry.
• The Bayeux tapestry is embroidered in wool yarn on a tabbywoven linen ground using two methods of stitching: outline or
stem stitch for lettering and the outlines of figures, and
couching or laid work for filling in figures. The linen is
assembled in panels and has been patched in numerous
places.
• The main yarn colors are terracotta or russet, blue-green, dull
gold, olive green, and blue, with small amounts of dark blue or
black and sage green. Later repairs are worked in light yellow,
orange, and light greens. Laid yarns are couched in place with
yarn of the same or contrasting color.
Detail showing outlines in stem or outline stitch and
fillings in laid work.
Harold
comes to
Normandy
1070-1080 C.E.
• The Bayeux Tapestry (French: Tapisserie
de Bayeux) is a 20-in. by 230 ft. long
embroidered cloth which depicts the
events leading up to the 1066 Norman
invasion of England as well as the events
of the invasion itself. The Tapestry is
annotated in Latin. It is presently exhibited
in a special museum in Bayeux,
Normandy, France.
A star with hair then appears: Halley's Comet. The first appearance of
the comet would have been 24 April, nearly four months after Harold's
coronation. Comets, in the beliefs of the Middle Ages, warned of
impending doom.
Durham Cathedral was built in
the late 11th and early 12th
centuries to house the relics of
St Cuthbert (evangelizer of
Northumbria) and the
Venerable Bede. It attests to
the importance of the early
Benedictine monastic
community and is the largest
and finest example of Norman
architecture in England. The
innovative audacity of its
vaulting foreshadowed Gothic
architecture. Behind the
cathedral stands the castle, an
ancient Norman fortress which
was the residence of the
prince-bishops of Durham.
Durham
Cathedral
aerial view
Durham Cathedral Cloister