Chapter 17
THE AGE OF PILGRIMAGES
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The most venerated pilgrimage shrine in the West, outside Rome or Jerusalem, was the ______.
a. tomb of Lazarus at Autun
b. tomb of Saint Foy at Conques
c. tomb of St. Martin at Tours
d. tomb of the Apostle James at Santiago de Compostela
Answer: d
2. Which of the following encouraged the growth of towns and cities?
a. a sharp increase in trade
b. the pilgrimage routes
c. a consolidation of power within the papacy
d. the end of the power of the Vikings
Answer: a
3. There is a diversity of regional styles in Romanesque church architecture. Which of the
following is characteristic of the Northern French style found in St.-Étienne at Vignory?
a. It used small brick-like stones.
b. It used poured cement.
c. It used large sawn blocks of stone.
d. It used a wooden superstructure.
Answer: c
4. St.-Sernin at Toulouse has been called a “pilgrimage” type church. Which of the following accounts for this designation?
a. It added perimeter buildings to house pilgrims.
b. It attached the ambulatory to the nave.
c. It had radiating chapels attached to the transept and ambulatory.
d. It narrowed the main aisle to create a dignified progress for viewing the relics.
Answer: c
5. The plan of St.-Sernin is extremely regular and geometrically precise. It is based on a module seen in earlier church architecture. Which of the following churches is the prototype for this refined and rational structural approach?
a. St. Michael, Hildesheim
b. Monastery Church, St. Gall
c. Sta. Maria Maggiore, Rome
d. St. Cyriakus, Gernode
e.
Answer: b
6. Which of the following churches was the largest in Europe until the new St. Peter’s in Rome was constructed in the 17th century?
a. Third Church at Cluny (Cluny III)
b. St.-Sernin, Toulouse
c. Speyer Cathedral
d. Sant’Ambrogio, Milan
Answer: a
7. Church interiors now became impressive acoustical settings for church services. Which of the following architectural elements allowed for the excellent acoustics?
a. the radiating chapels of the ambulatory
b. the upper galleries or tribunes along the nave
c. the radiating chapels attached to the transepts
d. the continuous barrel-vaulted naves
Answer: d
8. The one important requirement often missing from these church interiors is light. Which of the following did not allow for interior lighting?
a. Barrel-vaults exerted great outward thrust making a clerestory difficult to construct
b. Light not considered an important spiritual ingredient for church services
c. The massive walls would not support a tribune and clerestory
d. It was considered too expensive to fund the construction of a clerestory
Answer: a
9. How did 11th century Romanesque masons construct monumental groin vaults?
a. By using ashlar blocks joined by mortar
b. By using ashlar blocks
c. By using concrete
d. By using rubble blocks jointed by mortar
Answer: a
10. Which church was the burial place of the Holy Roman Emperors until the 12th century?
a. Palatine Chapel, Aachen
b. Speyer Cathedral
c. Sant’Ambrogio, Milan
d. St.-Étienne, Caen
Answer: b
11. A more complex and efficient type of vaulting was needed that would admit light and at the same time be aesthetically pleasing. Which of the following systems would allow this adoption?
a. By elevating the side walls with additional buttressing
b. By eliminating the upper galleries or tribunes
c. By covering the nave with groin vaults
d. By eliminating the ambulatory from the apse
Answer: c
12. Of the following characteristics, which is not relevant to Italian church architecture?
a. verticality
b. thick, massive walls
c. continuous barrel-vaulting
d. groin-vaulting
Answer: a
13. It is said this structure’s design is simple and serenely classical. It is a descendant of the Pantheon, the imperial mausoleum, such as Diocletian’s, and the Early Christian Sta. Costanza. Which of the following is being described?
a. Sant’Ambrogio, Milan
b. San Giovanni Baptistery, Florence
c. San Miniato al Monte, Florence
d. Modena Cathedral
Answer: b
14. St. Trophîme at Arles has a rich Roman heritage. Which of the following most accurately describes the frieze above the freestanding columns of the portal?
a. It recalls the medallions from the Arch of Constantine.
b. It recalls the sculptured fronts of late antique sarcophagi.
c. It recalls the narrative bands from the Column of Trajan.
d. It recalls the panels from the Arch of Titus.
Answer: b
15. Saint-Savin is a hall church with paintings on the continuous vault of the nave. Which of the following allows for this?
a. It has low aisles and tribune galleries
b. The aisles are approximately the same height as the nave
c. It has a series of windows in the apse
d. It has low aisles but no tribune galleries
Answer: b
16. How is the initial R from the Moralia in Job typically Romanesque?
a. By the absence of a salutation
b. By exceeding the boundaries of the frame
c. By following Hiberno-Saxon carpet page patterns
d. By the banding of the torso and the partitioning of the folds of the costumes
Answer: d
17. The Bayeux Tapestry is unique in Romanesque art. Which of the following supports this claim?
a. It depicted an actual event in full detail shortly after it occurred.
b. It depicted a tale from the First Crusade.
c. It depicted the Mission of the Apostles in full detail.
d. It depicted the clash between the Knights Templar and the Saracens.
Answer: a
18. Which of the following describes the Stavelot reliquary of St. Alexander?
a. It is a combination of multiple sources as well as stylistic diversity.
b. It follows a strict adherence to the Meuse River region formula for figural representation.
c. It illustrates the imperial workshops of Byzantium.
d. It illustrates the impact of the Crusades in Belgium.
Answer: a
19. The Throne of Wisdom, sedes sapientiae is the western European freestanding version of which of the following?
a. Islamic Throne
b. Byzantine Theotokos
c. Carolingian Throne
d. Ottonian Throne
Answer: b
20. Which of the following supports Eadwine’s claim to self-importance?
a. He likened his image to the Abbot of a monastery.
b. He likened his image to an Evangelist writing his Gospel.
c. He likened his image to the Master Builder.
d. He likened his image to Bernard of Clairvaux.
Answer: a
21. Which of the architectural elements below was used for the exterior supports on Romanesque buildings?
a. pendentives
b. flying buttresses
c. buttresses
d. diaphragm buttresses
Answer: c
22. On the right face of the trumeau is a prophet, displaying his scroll containing his prophetic vision. He is placed immediately below the depiction of Christ the Judge. This is another instance of the pairing of the Old and New Testament themes. This iconographic tradition was established during which of the following periods?
a. Early Christian
b. Early Byzantine
c. Carolingian
d. Hiberno-Saxon
Answer: a
23. The Norman defeat of the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 united all of England and most of France under one rule. The battle leading to this momentous occasion was the topic for the Bayeux Tapestry. Who commissioned this work?
a. Duke William of Normandy
b. Bishop Odo
c. Harold, Earl of Wessex
d. Mathilda of Normandy
Answer: b
24. Tall towers are integrated into the west front of which of the following?
a. Pisa Cathedral
b. St.-Étienne, Caen
c. St.-Sernin, Toulouse
d. Sant’Ambrogio, Milan
Answer: b
25. The intersection of two barrel vaults creates which of the following?
a. groin vault
b. pendentive
c. buttress
d. rib vault
Answer: a
26. An important aspect of Romanesque manuscript illumination was based on which of the following?
a. the subordination of the figure to the frame
b. the aggrandizement of man
c. Polykleitos’ canon of proportions
d. the techniques used in metalwork
Answer: a
27. The Romanesque church that had a wooden ceiling like those found in Early Christian basilicas was which of the following?
a. San Miniato, Florence
b. St.-Pierre, Moissac
c. Durham Cathedral
d. Sant’Ambrogio, Milan
Answer: a
28. One suggestion for the resurgence of stone sculpture on churches was the changing role of churches. Now due to the pilgrimage routes, the churches served an increasingly large lay public. Which of the following supports this suggestion?
a. Churches served a largely illiterate audience and needed visual Christian symbols and stories.
b. Strong Muslim influences provided symbols and stories.
c. A large group of Byzantine artists were now being employed creating church programs.
d. Bernard of Clairvaux supported the use of stone sculpture to convey the Christian stories and symbols.
Answer: a
29. Which architectural device was not used by Romanesque architects?
a. domes
b. flying buttresses
c. ribbed vaults
d. clustered piers
Answer: b
30. The frieze from the façade of Modena reminded the faithful of Original Sin and that the path to salvation is through the Christian Church. Which of the following subject matter of the frieze?
a. The frieze depicts the Crucifixion.
b. The frieze depicts the Last Judgment.
c. The frieze depicts the Temptation of Adam & Eve.
d. The frieze depicts the Ascension.
Answer: c
31. The Bayeux Tapestry is the conqueror’s version of history. It is a narrative that includes the battle sequences as well as the preparations for war. It is said that this is the most Roman of all Romanesque art works. Which of the following supports this contention?
a. It has often been likened to the Column of Trajan.
b. It has often been likened to the frieze from the Arch of Constantine.
c. It has often been likened to the panels from the Arch of Titus.
d. It has often been likened to the Column of Marcus Aurelius.
Answer: c
32. During the Romanesque period the vision of Christ’s Second Coming was often depicted on which of the following?
a. jambs
b. the tribune
c. the tympanum
d. the trumeau
Answer: c
SHORT ANSWER
33. Define the term Romanesque. How was it applied to the period?
Answer: It means “Romanlike” and was first applied in the early nineteenth century to describe European architecture of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
34. Contrast the focus of life in the early Early Medieval period with the focus during the Romanesque period.
Answer: In the early Early Medieval period the focus was on the manor or estate of the landholding lord. This lord might grant a portion of his land to his vassals, who, in turn, swore their allegiance to him. They provided military service to this lord not only for their land but also for the promise of protection. During the Romanesque period a sharp increase in trade encouraged the growth of towns and cities. This growth gradually displaced feudalism as the form of governance. The feudal lords granted these towns and communities their independence, when economic circumstances dictated such, via a charter with their rights and obligations enumerated.
35. Briefly describe the impact pilgrimage routes had on Romanesque Europe.
Answer: These routes provided increased funding via the pilgrims to the monasteries and churches that held the venerated relics of saints. This increased funding also sparked an enormous investment in ecclesiastical buildings and furnishings in order to reflect “glory of God.” It also reflected the competition among the monasteries to provide the most magnificent settings for the displays of the relics.
36. How was a pilgrimage a conspicuous feature of public devotion?
Answer: It proclaimed the pilgrim’s faith in the power of saints and the hope for their special favor. The pilgrim braved grim roads and conditions as well as perilous routes. Often the pilgrimage became an act of repentance. The greater the distance and the hardships endured became measures of the devotion and sincerity of the pilgrim.
37. How does this statement, “other factors probably played a greater role in the decision to make the enormous
investment in stone masonry” relate to church architecture in the Romanesque period?
Answer: They were a desire to provide a suitably majestic environment for the display of relics as well as competing for pilgrims and their donations. Stone masonry also enhanced the acoustics and created a more spiritual and magnificent atmosphere for the liturgy and the accompanying music.
38. Describe a pilgrimage church.
Answer: The pilgrimage church increased the length of the nave and doubled the side aisles. The pilgrimage church added transept, ambulatory, and radiating chapels in order to accommodate the increased numbers of pilgrims following the route in order to view the relics.
39. What role did the tribune play in church architecture?
Answer: The tribune buttressed the continuous semicircular cut-stone barrel vaults.
40. How did groin vaults change the weight shift in structures?
Answer: Groin vaults in the tribune galleries as well as in the ground-floor aisles absorbed the pressure of the nave’s barrel vault along the entire length of the nave. The groin vaults served as buttresses for the barrel vault and transferred the main thrust to the thick outer walls.
41. Briefly evaluate the Cluniac Order and its contribution to architecture.
Answer: The order was convinced that a magnificent setting for the Christian liturgy was a fitting tribute to the Lord. The Cluniac Order was responsible for the construction of beautiful and richly appointed churches. These projects were equated with piety.
42. Explain the significance of the pointed arches that were used in Cluny III.
Answer: This structural device would permit later architects (Gothic period) to increase the height of the nave dramatically. Pointed arches transfer the thrust of the vaults more directly downward to the piers and require less buttressing on the sides.
43. What were the technical problems encountered by the Romanesque masons when constructing cut stone groin vaults? How did they solve the problems?
Answer: Unlike the Romans who had concrete, the Romanesque masons encountered difficulties when building groin vaults of cut stone and heavy rubble. These vaults had very little cohesive quality, and because of this they were limited to covering small areas such as individual bays of the aisles. However, the 11th century masons began using ashlar blocks joined by mortar and they were then able to build groin vaults on a monumental scale.