Romanesque Architecture
Architectural style popular throughout medieval Europe from c. 1000 to 1200. Earlier influential structures date back to the Carolingian Renaissance of the 8th and 9th centuries.
Building types:
Churches
Monasteries/Abbeys
Palaces
Castles
Public buildings
Features/elements/characteristics:
Round (semi-circular) arches
Decorated doorways
Columns
Romanesque capitals (often floral and animal designs)
Colonnades
Courtyards
Smaller and fewer windows
Typically horizontal emphasis
Building types:
Churches
Monasteries/Abbeys
Palaces
Castles
Public buildings
Features/elements/characteristics:
Round (semi-circular) arches
Decorated doorways
Columns
Romanesque capitals (often floral and animal designs)
Colonnades
Courtyards
Smaller and fewer windows
Typically horizontal emphasis
Heavy visual weight
The Romanesque style can be described as "Roman-like" or similar to ancient Roman styles. The first building on this page, Santa Sabina, is from Late Antiquity, meaning from the end of the Classical Roman period and before the medieval period. Santa Sabina is a basilica, which was a building developed by ancient Roman architects primarily for administrative purposes. Basilicas had a large, open space inside, which allowed for relatively large gatherings of people. Christians, because they worshipped indoors, adapted this type of building for many of their early churches.
Romanesque architects lived and worked primarily between c. 1000 and 1200, about six centuries after Santa Sabina was built. These later medieval architects may have studied Santa Sabina or they may have studied other, earlier Roman structures and ruins of structures when they began designing new buildings in the later medieval period. Observing the scale of ancient basilicas, as well as aqueducts, triumphal arches, and other Roman structures, Romanesque architects realized that they could design larger and more impressive buildings by working with round arches.
The arch allowed for larger doorways and for windows. The arch also enabled architects to design hallways (barrel vaults) and intersections of hallways (groin vaults). By using arches for vaulted ceilings, Romanesque architects did not have to rely on the flat wood ceilings of earlier medieval buildings which were not as solid and which were flammable.
With the development of vaulted ceilings, the new Romanesque churches could be much larger than the churches built in the earlier part of the medieval period. Although architects could design larger structures again, Romanesque architecture had its limitations. Architects could only build so high and they could only include so many windows before a building would collapse under its own weight. Still, Romanesque buildings were very impressive, being the largest and tallest structures in many medieval towns. Several Romanesque buildings, at least significant parts of those buildings, still stand today.
Late Antique and Carolingian Architecture
Santa Sabina. 422-32.
Located in Rome, this church was built when Rome was still part of the Roman Empire. The last Roman Emperor in the West, Romulus Augustulus, would be deposed (removed from office) in 476, and the empire would continue in the East with Constantinople as its capitol.
Although some impressive buildings would be constructed in parts of Italy, especially Ravenna in the northeast, architecture as a whole in Europe became relatively simple after the Roman Empire fell in the West. Between the late 6th century and the late 8th century, architects did not design the large, impressive buildings that we find in Classical Roman times. Much of the knowledge of advanced stonework and the use of arches essentially disappeared in Europe until the Carolingian Renaissance of the late 8th and early 9th centuries.
Palatine Chapel at Aachen. c. 792-805.
This chapel was built for Charlemagne at his imperial capitol of Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) and designed to emulate older structures such as the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, which was built between c. 526 and 547, and which Charlemagne had seen. The chapel's barrel and groin vaults preceded those of the Romanesque style by a couple of centuries. Art historians may refer to this chapel as Pre-Romanesque because Charlemagne's empire would decline later in the 9th century and architecture again became simpler. Other sporadic Pre-Romanesque structures of significant size date to before the year 1000, but the Romanesque style itself becomes prevalent after 1000 as several towns throughout Europe begin constructing larger, more impressive buildings with the use of the arch.
The Romanesque style can be described as "Roman-like" or similar to ancient Roman styles. The first building on this page, Santa Sabina, is from Late Antiquity, meaning from the end of the Classical Roman period and before the medieval period. Santa Sabina is a basilica, which was a building developed by ancient Roman architects primarily for administrative purposes. Basilicas had a large, open space inside, which allowed for relatively large gatherings of people. Christians, because they worshipped indoors, adapted this type of building for many of their early churches.
Romanesque architects lived and worked primarily between c. 1000 and 1200, about six centuries after Santa Sabina was built. These later medieval architects may have studied Santa Sabina or they may have studied other, earlier Roman structures and ruins of structures when they began designing new buildings in the later medieval period. Observing the scale of ancient basilicas, as well as aqueducts, triumphal arches, and other Roman structures, Romanesque architects realized that they could design larger and more impressive buildings by working with round arches.
The arch allowed for larger doorways and for windows. The arch also enabled architects to design hallways (barrel vaults) and intersections of hallways (groin vaults). By using arches for vaulted ceilings, Romanesque architects did not have to rely on the flat wood ceilings of earlier medieval buildings which were not as solid and which were flammable.
With the development of vaulted ceilings, the new Romanesque churches could be much larger than the churches built in the earlier part of the medieval period. Although architects could design larger structures again, Romanesque architecture had its limitations. Architects could only build so high and they could only include so many windows before a building would collapse under its own weight. Still, Romanesque buildings were very impressive, being the largest and tallest structures in many medieval towns. Several Romanesque buildings, at least significant parts of those buildings, still stand today.
Late Antique and Carolingian Architecture
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| Santa Sabina. Photo by Dnalor 01. CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized. |
Santa Sabina. 422-32.
Located in Rome, this church was built when Rome was still part of the Roman Empire. The last Roman Emperor in the West, Romulus Augustulus, would be deposed (removed from office) in 476, and the empire would continue in the East with Constantinople as its capitol.
Although some impressive buildings would be constructed in parts of Italy, especially Ravenna in the northeast, architecture as a whole in Europe became relatively simple after the Roman Empire fell in the West. Between the late 6th century and the late 8th century, architects did not design the large, impressive buildings that we find in Classical Roman times. Much of the knowledge of advanced stonework and the use of arches essentially disappeared in Europe until the Carolingian Renaissance of the late 8th and early 9th centuries.
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| Palatine Chapel at Aachen Interior. Photo by Mark Bauer. 2012. |
Palatine Chapel at Aachen. c. 792-805.
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| Palatine Chapel at Aachen Ceiling. Photo by Mark Bauer. 2012. |
This chapel was built for Charlemagne at his imperial capitol of Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) and designed to emulate older structures such as the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, which was built between c. 526 and 547, and which Charlemagne had seen. The chapel's barrel and groin vaults preceded those of the Romanesque style by a couple of centuries. Art historians may refer to this chapel as Pre-Romanesque because Charlemagne's empire would decline later in the 9th century and architecture again became simpler. Other sporadic Pre-Romanesque structures of significant size date to before the year 1000, but the Romanesque style itself becomes prevalent after 1000 as several towns throughout Europe begin constructing larger, more impressive buildings with the use of the arch.
Church Architecture
Romanesque Cathedrals
In this video, DW Documentary examines the construction of large churches in Mainz, Speyer, and Worms in what we call the Romanesque style.
What are some reasons why people began building large churches around the year 1000?
How did they build those churches?
Santa Maria della Pieve in Arezzo
(12th-13th centures)
Basilica of St. Sernin in Toulouse. c. 1080-1120 with later additions.
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| Basilica of St. Sernin. Photo by Didier Descouens. CC BY-SA 4.0. |
In this article, Dr. Bryan Zygmont describes the Basilica of St. Sernin.
Why was this church constructed?
How is the design for this church different from typical Romanesque churches?
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| Angouleme Cathedral. Photo by JLPC. CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized. |
Angouleme Cathedral. 1110-1128 with later additions.
St. Peter's Cathedral in Osnabrück. 11th century with 13th century renovations.
Much of this cathedral was restored after World War II.
St. Andrew's Church in Krakow. Late 11th-early 12th centuries with 17th century Baroque steeples.
The interior was renovated in the Baroque style.
Collegiate Church of St. Mary and St. Alexius in Tum. 12th century with Gothic reconstruction and post-WWII reconstruction and additions.
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| St. Peter's Cathedral in Osnabrück. Photo by Mark Bauer. 2019. |
St. Peter's Cathedral in Osnabrück. 11th century with 13th century renovations.
Much of this cathedral was restored after World War II.
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| Krakow St. Andrew's. Photo by Cancre. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. |
St. Andrew's Church in Krakow. Late 11th-early 12th centuries with 17th century Baroque steeples.
The interior was renovated in the Baroque style.
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| Tum Collegiate Church. Photo by 1bumer. CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized. |
Collegiate Church of St. Mary and St. Alexius in Tum. 12th century with Gothic reconstruction and post-WWII reconstruction and additions.
Monastic Architecture
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| Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos. Photo by Juergen Kappenberg. Public Domain. Resized. |
Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos. 11th-12th centuries.
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| Santa Maria de Ripoll Cloisters. Photo by Canaan. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. |
Santa Maria de Ripoll Cloisters. Late 12th-early 15th century.
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| Cuxa Cloisters. Photo © Christopher Goedert. 2018. |
Cuxa Cloisters. c. 1130-1140.
Catalan from Benedictine monastery of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa near Perpignan, France. This colonnade from the monastery is now located at the Met Cloisters, part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Palace Architecture
Palacio de los Reyes de Navarra (Palace of the Kings of Navarre). 12th century.
Palace Architecture
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| Palacio de los Reyes de Navarra. Photo by Josep Renalias. CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized. |
Palacio de los Reyes de Navarra (Palace of the Kings of Navarre). 12th century.
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| Romanesque House in Trier. Photo by Christopher Goedert. 2022. |
Romanesque House in Trier. 12th-13th century.
Sources for more information:
An article about influences on Romanesque architecture and the forms that Romanesque buildings take.
