Romanesque ArtDuring the 11th and 12th centuries thousands of ecclesiastical buildings were remodeled (even when not necessary) or newly built, an expression of relief that the conclusion of the first Christian millennium in 1000 had not brought an end to the world as many had feared. Raoul Glaber, a monk, said “It was as if the whole earth, having cast off the old by shaking itself were clothing itself everywhere in the white robe of the church.”

ARCHITECTURERomanesque Art

Bay A part of a building set off by vertical elements such as columns.

Buttress An exterior masonry structure that opposes the lateral thrust of an arch or a vault.

Campanile A bell tower of a church, usually, but not always, freestanding.

Choir The space reserved for clergy and singers in the church, usually east of the transept but in some cases extending into the nave.

compound pier A pier with a group of attached shafts, or responds.

Crossing The area where the transept and nave cross.

diaphragm arch A transverse, wall-bearing arch that divides a vault into compartments, providing a kind of firebreak.

groin vault Two barrel vaults intersecting at a right angle.

radiating chapel Semicircular chapels opening onto an ambulatory around the choir.

rib vault A vault in which the diagonal and transverse ribs compose a structural skeleton that partially supports the masonry web between them.

sexpartite vault A vault whose ribs divide the vault into six compartments.

transverse archAn arch separating one vaulted bay from the next.

tribuneUpper gallery over the aisle opening onto the nave.

interior of Saint EtienneVignory, Franceca. 1050-1057

A common experience made the use of stone vaults so important to Romanesque builders was the threat of fire, which was common, as well as a desire to provide a suitably majestic setting for the display of relics.

An advantage stone vaults had over wooden roofs was that they enhanced acoustics for the Christian liturgy and music.

Ribs are supporting arches attached to vaults.

The Romanesque church of Saint-Etienne at Vignory had a wooden ceiling like those found in Ottonian basilicas.

plan of Saint Etienne

Vignory, France

ca. 1050-1057

Modifications made in Romanesque churches to accommodate the large crowds:

They were built at a larger scale.

The length of the nave was increased.

The side aisles were doubled.

A transept, ambulatory, and radiating chapels were added.

Three pilgrimage churches that had similar plans:

Saint-Sernin at Toulouse

Saint James at Santiago de Compostela

Saint Martin at Tours

Saint Philbertnave vaults

Tournus, France

ca. 1060

Two features of Romanesque interiors that illustrate the modular design of the plan:

Each nave bay measures exactly one-half of the crossing square.

Each aisle bay measures exactly one-quarter of the crossing square.

The interior bays were marked on the exterior with buttresses.

Saint-Sernin

Toulouse, France

ca. 1070-1120

Saint-Sernin

Toulouse, France

ca. 1070-1120

Plan of Saint-Sernin

Toulouse, France

ca. 1070-1120

Interior of Saint-Sernin

Toulouse, France

ca. 1070-1120

Nave of Saint-Sernin

Toulouse, France

ca. 1070-1120

Pilgrims were the primary economic and conceptual catalyst for Romanesque art and architecture.

Nave of Saint-Sernin

Toulouse, France

ca. 1070-1120

Model of the third abbey church ("Cluny III"), Cluny, France, 1088-1130. Musée du Farinier, Cluny, France.

Fontenay Abbey East side of the abbey: dormitory and church.

Hugh of Semur was willing to pay the huge expense of building the largest church of its day (Cluny III) because the construction of beautiful churches and the dedication of luxurious reliquaries was equated with piety, and many felt a magnificent setting for the Christian liturgy was a fitting tribute to the Lord.

In response, the Cistercian monks, a split-off from the Cluniac order, rejected worldly extravagance and created austere churches.

Fontenay has a square east end, without ambulatory or chapels. The walls have no ornament, and even the column capitals are plain. They used pointed arches because they required less buttressing on the sides of the building.

The largest Romanesque church in Europe was Cluny III

Interior of Speyer Cathedral

Speyer,Germany

begun 1030nave vaults ca.1082-1106

The main drawback of barrel vaulting was lighting. A clerestory was difficult to construct due to the great outward thrust the barrel vaults exerted along their length.

The groin vault offered a solution to this problem.

The German cathedral of Speyer the groin vault was combined with the alternate-support system

Plan of Speyer Cathedral

Speyer, Germany

begun 1030

Aerial view of Sant’ AmbrogioMilan, Italylate eleventh to early twelfth century

The most important Romanesque church in Lombardy Italy is Sant’Ambrogio in Milan.

It retains the Early Christian feature of an atrium

Plan of Sant’ AmbrogioMilan, Italylate eleventh to early twelfth century

The building has square bays and is vaulted with groin vaults, which create a domical effect

Sant'Ambrogio's three-aisled church lacks a transept

Interior of Sant’ AmbrogioMilan, Italylate eleventh to early twelfth century

Aerial view of Sant’ AmbrogioMilan, Italylate eleventh to early twelfth century

Speyer Cathedral, Speyer, Germany, begun 1030; ca. 1082-1106.

Italian proportions are low and broad and remain close to those of Early Christian basilicas. German churches aim for verticality and soaring height.

West façade of Saint-EtienneCaen, Francebegun 1067, ca. 1115-1120

Tall towers are integrated into the west front of Saint-Étienne, Caen

Interior of Saint-Etienne (nave)Caen, Franceca. 1115-1120

The nave of St. Étienne at Caen has a light and airy feeling. What structural features that made this possible were:

Compound piers with simple engaged half-columns alternating with piers with half-columns attached to pilasters, allowing for sexpartite vaults. These vaults rise high enough to allow for a clerestory.

Interior of Saint-Etienne (elevation)

Caen, France

ca. 1115-1120

Interior of Durham Cathedral

Durham, England

begun ca. 1093

Two key elements of Gothic architecture were combined for the first time in the vaults of Durham Cathedral.

Rib vaults.

Slightly pointed arches.

Interior of Durham Cathedral

Durham, England

begun ca. 1093

Plan & transverse section of Durham Cathedral

Durham, England

begun ca. 1093

Exterior of Durham Cathedral

Durham, England

begun ca. 1093

Pisa Cathedral complex

Pisa, Italy

cathedral begun 1063baptistery begun 1153campanile begun 1174

Pisa Cathedral campanile

Pisa, Italy

begun 1174

Interior of Pisa Cathedral

Pisa, Italy

cathedral begun 1063

Three features that Pisa Cathedral shares with its Early Christian prototypes:

The basic oblong basilica plan, like Old Saint Peter’s in Rome.

The raised clerestory.

It has a tall central nave and four shorter aisles.

Four features that distinguish it from them:

The broadly projecting transept.

The dome crossing.

Multiple arcaded galleries.

Rich marble incrustation.

West façadeSan Miniato al Monte

Florence, Italy

1062 and twelfth century

West façadeSan Miniato al Monte

Florence, Italy

1062 and twelfth century

Two Tuscan Romanesque buildings in Florence:San GiovanniSan Miniato al Monte

Interior of San Miniato al Monte

Florence, Italy

1062 and twelfth century

Interior of San Miniato al Monte

Florence, Italy

1062 and twelfth century

SCULPTUREApocalypse

Also known as the Last Judgment, when Christ separates the Blessed from the Damned, to be sent to the heavenly city or to Hell.

Benedetto Antelami

Northern Italian sculptor in the last quarter of the 12th century. His works include Parma Cathedral’s pulpit, monumental marble statues of two Old Testament figures he carved for the west façade of Fidenza Cathedral in the Greco-Roman tradition (sculpture in the round).

Bernard of Clairvaux

Cistercian monk and abbot of the monastery he founded at Clairvaux in northern Burgundy. He became a European celebrity for his eloquence, religious fervor, and religious reforming spirit, and he intervened in ecclesiastical and secular matters. He banned figurative painting in Cistercian monasteries, extending to illustrations and even illuminated initials. Declared a saint in 1174.

Giselbertus

Sculptor of the tympanum of the cathedral of St. Lazare, Autun.

Wilgelmus

Wiligelmo was the sculptor of the frieze on the Modena Cathedral that shows the creation and temptation of Adam and Eve.

William of Normandy

William the Conqueror; he began the church of Saint-Etienne at Caen, France and was buried there.

subordination of the figure to the frame represents a principle of Romanesque sculpture

A possible prototype of the stone carving of Christ in Majesty from Saint Sernin at Toulouse was a Carolingian or Ottonian book cover.

Christ in Majesty from Saint Sernin at

Bernardus GelduinusChrist in Majestyrelief in the ambulatory of Saint-SerninToulouse, Franceca. 1096marble4 ft. 2 in. high

Wiligelmo

Creation of Adam and Eve, frieze on the west façade, Modena Cathedral

Modena, Italy

ca. 1110marbleapproximately 3 ft. high

One of the first fully developed narrative reliefs in Romanesque art appears at Modena Cathedral

Tympanum of the south portal of Saint-Pierre

Moissac, France

marbleca. 1115-1135

Christ in Majesty with angels and the Twenty-Four EldersTympanum of the south portal of Saint-PierreMoissac, Francemarbleca. 1115-1135 approximately 16 ft. 6 in. wide at base

Four stylistic features seen in the tympanum at Moissac:

Elongated bodies of the recording angels.

Cross-legged dancing pose of Saint Matthew’s angel.

Jerky, hinged movement of the Elders’ heads.

Romanesque sculpture in Saint-Pierre in Moissac is characterized by animated figures, elongated bodies, and stately monumentality

The subject of the tympanum is The Second Coming of Christ as King and Judge of the world.During the Romanesque period, the vision of Christ's Second Coming was often depicted on the tympanum

Christ in Majesty with angels and the Twenty-Four EldersTympanum of the s. portal of Saint-Pierre

Moissac, France

marbleca. 1115-1135 approximately 16 ft. 6 in. wide at base

Lions and Old Testament prophet (Jeremiah or Isaiah?)

From the trumeau of the south portal of Saint-Pierre

Moissac, France

ca. 1115-1130marbleapproximately life-size

Bernard of Clairvaux complained that the creatures that decorated the columns of the Moissac cloister were so plentiful and astonishing they distracted from studying the law of God; besides being absurd, they were too expensive.

Cloister of Saint-Pierre

Moissac, France

ca. 1100-1115marblepiers approximately 6 ft. high

Cloister of Saint-Pierre

Moissac, France

ca. 1100-1115marblepiers approximately 6 ft. high

Cloister of Saint-Pierre

Moissac, France

ca. 1100-1115marblepiers approximately 6 ft. high

Abbey of Notre-Dame

Fontenay, Burgundy, France

1139-47

Abbey of Notre-Dame

Fontenay, Burgundy, France

1139-47

GislebertusLast Judgment (plaster cast)West tympanum of Saint-LazareAutun, Franceca. 1120-1135marbleapproximately 21’ wide at base

The subject of the west tympanum of Saint Lazare at Autun is The Last Judgment.

Purpose :To serve as a warning and to terrify the worshippers who passed beneath it.

Ascension of Christ and Mission of the ApostlesTympanum of the center portal of the narthex of La Madeleine

Vézelay, France

1120-1132

Ascension of Christ and Mission of the ApostlesTympanum of the center portal of the narthex of La Madeleine

Vézelay, France

1120-1132

Influence of the Crusades on the iconography of the tympanum of VezelayPope Urban II had intended to preach the launching of the First Crusade at Vezelay before the tympanum was carved in 1095; Bernard of Clairvaux called for the Second Crusade at Vezelay in 1174 and King Louis VII of France took up the cross there; King Richard the Lionheart of England and King Philip Augustus of France set out on the Third Crusade from Vezelay in 1190. The iconography of the tympanum, the Mission of the Apostles, reflected the Crusades, the “second mission of the apostles.”

Portal on the west façade of Saint-Trophime

Arles, France

second third of the twelfth century

Portal on the west façade of Saint-TrophimeArles, Francesecond third of the twelfth century

Characteristics that distinguish the style of the portal sculpture of Saint Trophime at Arles from the styles of those at Vezelay and at Autun:

The figures are in high relief and emulate classical, freestanding statuary.

Saints are draped in classical garb which are less agitated and show nothing of the dexterous linear play of earlier portals.

The frieze above the freestanding columns resembles the sculptured fronts of Late Antique sarcophagi.

Influences:The plethora of Roman ruins, art, and architecture in Provence, the “Roman Province,” in what was once Roman Gaul.

Benedetto Antelami,

King Davidon the west façade of Fidenza Cathedral

Fidenza, Italy

ca. 1180-1190marbleapproximately life-size

Benedetto Antelami:

Figures freed from their architectural settings, done in the round

Romanesque sculptures appeared in churches constructed of ashlar masonry.

Virgin and Child ( Morgan Madonna)

from Auvergne, France

second half of twelfth centurypainted wood2 ft. 7 in. high

“Throne of Wisdom”It is a freestanding western European version of the Byzantine Theotokos theme of Christ in the lap of Mary. Here, Christ holds a Bible and is the embodiment of the divine wisdom contained in the scriptures. Mary’s lap becomes the Christ Child’s throne.

The Throne of Wisdom is a western European version of the Byzantine Theotokos

Virgin and Child ( Morgan Madonna)

from Auvergne, France

second half of twelfth centurypainted wood2 ft. 7 in. high

Head Reliquary of Saint Alexander

from Stavelot Abbey, Belgium

1145silver repoussé, gilt bronze, gems, enamel17 1/2 in. high

Purpose:It is a reliquary (a container for relics) holding the relics of Pope Alexander II.

Christ in Majestyapse fresco from Santa María de Muir

near Lérida, Spain

mid-twelfth centuryfresco22 x 24 ft.

Stylistic features shared by the fresco of Christ in Majesty from Santa María de Mur and the Christ in Majesty from Toulouse

Christ is seated frontally with one hand raised in blessing.

He is haloed in an mandorla.

The apse fresco at Santa María de Mur are characterized by blunt directness

Nave of the abbey church, Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, France. Painted barrel vault, ca. 1100.

The nave’s continuous barrel vault at the church of Saint-Savin-sur Gartempe is covered with paintings

Subject Matter:The Pentateuch

The Vision of Hildegard of BingenDetail of facsimile of a lost folio in the Scivias by Hildegard of Bingenfrom Trier or Bingen, Germanyca. 1050-1079

A German nun, eventually the abbess of Disibodenberg, who either produced or supervised the production of an illuminated manuscript containing a record of her vision of the divine order of the cosmos and of humankind’s place in it.

The opening page shows an author portrait of Hildegard sitting within the double monastery walls in the same pose as that of the Evangelists of the Coronation and Ebbo Gospels manuscripts. It is a picture of the nature of ancient and medieval book manufacture: individual scribes copying and recopying texts by hand.

Her publication of her divine visions led kings and popes to seek her counsel. She was the most famous of all Romanesque nuns, but not the only learned woman of her age.

Hildegard of Bingen's Scivias records her vision of divine order

Initial R with knight fighting dragonfrom the Moralia in Job

from Cîteaux, France

ca. 1115-1125ink and tempera on vellum13 3/4 x 9 1/4 in.

Historiated initialA scene contained within the first letter of a chapter or letter, or merely an ornamented letter. Bernard of Clairvaux banned them along with all figural illustrations in monasteries.

Master Hugo

Moses Expounding the Lawfolio 94 recto of the Bury Bible

from Bury Saint Edmunds, England

ca. 1135ink and tempera on vellum20 x 14 in.

Modifications of the Romanesque style as seen in the Bury Bible:

The gestures of the figures are slower, gentler, and more dignified than the frantic movements of earlier Romanesque paintings.

12 Scenes from the Christmas StoryMS 37472 folio 1 recto

from Canterbury, England

ca. 1140ink and tempera on vellum40.5 x 30 cm

12 Scenes from the Christmas Story (detail)MS 37472 folio 1 recto

from Canterbury, England

ca. 1140ink and tempera on vellum40.5 x 30 cm

12 Scenes from the Christmas Story (detail)MS 37472 folio 1 recto

from Canterbury, England

ca. 1140ink and tempera on vellum40.5 x 30 cm

Cat, Mouse and WeaselBestiary, MS 11283, folio 15, (detail)

from England

ca. 1170ink and tempera on vellum30 x 180 cm

Mouth of HellWinchester Psalter

from Winchester, England

ca. 1150ink and tempera on vellum12 3/4 x 9 1/8 in.

Eadwine the Scribe(?)

Eadwine the Scribe at workfolio 283 verso of the Eadwine Psalter

ca. 1160-1170ink and tempera on vellum

Funeral of Edward the Confessorprocession to Westminster Abbeydetail of the Bayeux Tapestry

From Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, France

ca. 1070-1080embroidered wool on linen229 ft. 8 in. overall

One of the first fully developed narrative reliefs in Romanesque art appears at Modena Cathedral

Depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry is the Norman defeat of the Anglo-Saxons at Hastings in 1066.

Technique:Embroidery of wool sewn on linen.

Christ in Majesty (Maiestas Domini) with apostles

Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines, France

1019-1020

Rainer of Huy

Baptism of ChristBaptismal font from Notre-Dame-des-Fonts

Liege, Belgium

1107-1118bronze2 ft. 1 in. high

The sculptor known for his classicizing treatment of oxen for King Solomon's temple was Rainer of Huy

Entombment of Christfresco above the nave arcade, Sant’Angelo in Formis

Near Capua, Italy

ca. 1085fresco

The Tree of JesseExplanatio in Isaiam

from Cîteaux, France

ca. 1125ink and tempera on vellum15 x 9 in.