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