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Romanesque art, pp. 169-179
Architecture:
elements of Romanesque arch.: the
round arch; barrel vault; groin vault
Pilgrimage and relics: new
architecture for a different function
of the church (Toulouse)
Cloister
Sculpture:
revival of stone sculpture
sculpted portals
Roman and Romanesque Architecture
Interior of Saint-
Sernin, Toulouse,
France, ca. 1070-
1120
The word
“Romanesque”
(Roman-like) was
applied in the 19th
century to describe
western European
architecture between
the 10th and the mid-
12th centuries
4 Features of Roman-
like Architecture:
1. round arches
2. use of stone
3. monumentality
4. and barrel
vaults
Romanesque ArchitectureInterior of Saint-Sernin,
Toulouse, France, ca.
1070-1120
Historical background - Aftermath of 2
historical phenomena:
1) The year 1000 (the world had not
ended)
2) The split between the Western
(Roman) and the Byzantine (Orthodox)
Churches in 1054
Now the Roman Church consolidated
its religious and political power in
Western Europe
Ubiquitous construction of monumental
cult buildings was a way to emphasize
the presence and power of the church
Saint-Sernin, Toulouse,
France, ca. 1070-1120
Santa Sabina,
Rome, 422-432Compare and contrast: Early
Christian vs. Romanesque
massive piers vs. classical columns
Stone barrel-vault vs. timber-roofed ceiling
scarce light vs. abundance of windows
volume vs. space
size
between the 11th and 12th
cent. there is a sharp increase
in the phenomena of the
veneration of relics and
pilgrimage
Relic: is a part of a deceased
holy person's body or
belongings kept as an object of
reverence
Pilgrimage:a journey to a place
associated with particularly
important relics
Map of the Pilgrimage roads to Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage church:
Great shrines like Toulouse
arose as important way
stations en route to
Santiago
2) Longer and wider transepts
and ambulatories with
additional chapels, which
hosted relics
Pilgrimage Church:
1) longer and wider naves and aisles to host
masses of pilgrims
pilgrims did not seat in the church’s nave as in
the old basilicas,
they rather walked through the church’s to
venerate its relics
Plan of
Saint-Sernin,
Toulouse,
France, ca.
1070-1120
nave’s barrel vault
was buttressed by
the groin vaults of
the lower aisles
The Roman art of
vaulting demanded
technical knowledge
which had largely been
lost
Technical problems:
Romanesque architects
built tremendous pillars
on both sides
which carried strong
arches (ribs)
Cuxa Cloister,
mid-12th century
Where is this
Medieval monastery?
The Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum
devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe
Cloister: Centre of the monastery’s
architectural ensemble,
the cloister consists of a quadrilateral
yard
and surrounded on all sides by covered
passageways linking the major
monastic buildings
These galleries are open onto the yard
through arcades
The term cloister is derived from the
Latin claustrum, which meant lock
Cloister architecture (and
sculpture)
The cloister has been described
as a ‘monastery within the
monastery’
Cloister of the abbey church of Saint-Pierre,
Moissac,France,1100
the Cloister (enclosed place) to the monks’
ideal of spiritual life shut away from the
world,
Capitals of cloisters’ columns were the first
form of medieval sculpture revival
Romanesque Sculpture
With Romanesque art:
new beginnings in
large-scale sculpture
Romanesque sculpture
is firmly tied to
architecture
Therefore, it mainly
appeared in the form of
a relief
Central portal, Saint-Trophime,
Arles (Provence), France, mid-12th
century
Central portal, Saint-Trophime, Arles
(Provence), France, mid-12th centurySculpture was an effective answer
to Romanesque militant Church’s
need to communicate to the
illiterate crowd of pilgrims
Arles is in Provence:
- pilgrims’ main passage to
Santiago
-core of what once was Roman
Gaul,
main entrance of the church:
Christian version of the Triumphal
Arch
By passing under its sculpted
relief, the visitor would symbolically
receive and accept the Christian
message
The main relief: Christ in glory is surrounded
by the symbols of the four Evangelists
Formal analysis: We must not
expect such sculptures to look
natural and graceful as classical
works
They are all the more impressive
because of their massive
solemnity:
- easier to understand
- fit in with the sense of volume
of the whole building
- they are symbols = they don’t
represent something visible (the
lion is not a lion)
on the lintel: the Twelve
Apostles as watershed:
Damned in the
flames of Hell:
Naked figures
in chains
Saints draped in
classical garb
Saved on Christ’s
right, their faces
turned towards
Christ
Christ Judge and the
Evangelists are the apex
of a complex
representation of the
Last Judgment
You will die and Christ
will judge you
You can go
to heaven
You can be
damned in the
flames of Hell
Only the Church can save
you, and its saints are those
who can intercede for you
when your soul will stand
before the ultimate Judge