Chapter 12: Romanesque Europe Chapter Sheet
Preview: The Romanesque era, ca. 1050 to 1200, takes its name from an artistic style. Historians described much of the architecture produced in this period as “Romanesque,” or Roman-like, for its use of rounded arches and vaults similar to those found in Roman structures. This chapter surveys the art and artwork of the period and considers the traditions that developed in four different regions of Europe in this period. France and Spain saw the construction of numerous pilgrimage churches with monumental stone relief sculpture. In the Holy Roman Empire, which spanned the territory of present-day Germany and northern Italy, architects built innovative churches and employed groin vaults in naves, while artists made exquisite metalwork such as reliquaries. Romanesque architecture in Italy is distinct in style and structure, characterized by colored marble paneling, timber roofs, and freestanding campaniles and baptisteries. In Normandy and England, architects employed rib groin vaults over a three-story nave; and artists embroidered the Bayeaux Tapestry, an example of historical narrative art that chronicles the conquest of England in 1066 by Duke William of Normandy.
Image List
1. Context Card for Chapter 12 Romanesque
2. Gislebertus, Last Judgment, west tympanum of Saint-Lazare, Autun, France, ca. 1120-1135— Pg. 332
3. Reliquary statue of Sainte-Foy (Saint Faith), late 10th to early 11th century with later additions— Pg. 336
4. Aerial view of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France, ca. 1070-1120—Pg. 338-341
a. Plan of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France—Pg. 338-341
5. Interior of Saint-Sernin (looking east), Toulouse, France—Pg. 338-341
6. Bayeux Tapestry, from Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, France, ca. 1070-1080 (scenes: funeral procession to Westminster Abbey; Battle of Hastings)—Pg. 361-362
Key Figures: Gislebertus, Bernardus Gelduinus, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Rufillus, Rainer of Huy, Wiligelmo, Benedetto Antelami, Master Hugo, Eadwine the Scribe
Key Cultural & Religious Terms: manor, liege lord, vassals, feudalism, relics, pilgrimage, pilgrimage road, martyr, furta sacra, Song of Roland, Cistercian Order, Cluniac Order, vita contemplative, Crusades, double monastery, canonize
Key Art Terms: reliquary, Scivias, repoussé, embroidery, tapestry, stem stitching, laid-and-couched work
Key Architectural Terms: tribune, radiating chapels, barrel vault, groin vault, engaged column, compound pier, springing, transverse arches, crypt, cloister, historiated, bestiary, voussoir, archivolt, tympanum, lintel, trumeau, jamb, hall church, cathedral, campanile, ribs, rib vaulting, incrustation, buttress, tower, sexpartite vault, quadrant arch
Exercises for Study:
1. Describe the key architectural features introduced in the basilican church design in Romanesque Europe.
2. Describe the features that distinguish Italian church architecture from that of France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire in the Romanesque era.
3. The term “Romanesque” means Romanlike. What are the similarities and differences between Romanesque and Roman architecture?