italian romanesque architecture

study of romanesque architecture

1. Romanesque Architecture
By Prof. Rohit Raul
PoliticalContextandInfluences
1.Afterandduringthefallofthe
WesternRomanEmpire,Christianity
hadbecomeoneofthemost
prominentreligionsthere.
2.DuringthesametimeIslamic
powersroseintheMiddleEast
conqueringtheholyland(Jerusalem,
Bethlehemetc.).
3.Aseriesofreligiouslysanctioned
militarycampaignswerewagedby
westernChristianEuropetorestore
ChristianControlovertheHoly
Land.
4.TheconquestsanctionedbythePope
promisedthepeopleaguaranteed
placeinheavenpromptingahuge
populationtoanswerthecall.
5.Thisbroughtaboutmovementof
peopleresultinginthespreadofthe
ideasandearlyromanstyleof
buildingpromptingthe“roman-like”
decorationofbuildingsknowntoday
asRomanesquestyleofBuildings.
(Path of Crusading Armies)
(Crusading Armies)
SocialContextandInfluences
1.Christianitywasthechiefsourceofeducationandculture.
2.ThemonasticsystemcametoprevalenceandChristianitybecameanorderwithcommonties
andacommonrule,bindingthepeopletogetherandcreatedmutuallydependentcommunity.
3.ThisalsohelpedtocontroltheinfightingandcontroloverWesternEuropeastheircommon
religion(Christianity)andwayoflifereduceddisputes.
4.DisputedwithinthevarioussmallkingdomsofWesternEuropewouldalsoberesolvedwith
thehelpofthepope.
5.TheChurchpromotednewmethodsinagricultureandexercisedinfluenceonarchitecture,this
providedthecommonpeopletodedicatemoretimetochurchbuildingactivities.
6.LongtripstovisittherelicsofSaintswerepromotedallowedfortheexchangeofideas,
includingthoseofarchitectureandconstruction.
7.ThePilgrims’waywasfilledwithRomanesquechurches,monasteries,inns,andcastlesto
servicethetravelersandalsotoprotectthemfrombanditsandotheranti-socialelements.
Romanesque architecture:
ItisanarchitecturalstyleofmedievalEuropecharacterizedbysemi-circulararches.Thereisno
consensusforthebeginningdateoftheRomanesquestyle,withproposalsrangingfromthe6thto
the11thcentury.Theword"Romanesque"means"descendedfromRoman".Romanesque
architectureisknownbyitsmassivequality,thickwalls,roundarches,sturdypillars,barrelvaults,
largetowersanddecorativearcading.
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 1 )

2. TypicalCharacteristicsofRomanesque
Architecture.
1.Thickwallswithablocky,earthbound
appearancewherestonewascutwith
precision
2.large,simplegeometricmasseswith
sturdypiers
3.Theexteriorreflectstheinteriorstructure
andorganizationandwouldincludegroin
vaults,Barrelvaults,largetowers,
decorativearcading,etc.
4.Interiorstendtobedarkbecauseofthe
massivewallsthatdictatesmallwindows
5.Buildingsexhibitsimpleexteriorand
wouldexhibitModestHeight,Horizontal
linescouldbeobservedontheexterior
(San Antonino, Piacenza, Italy)
6. OPENINGS:
a. Romanesque Architecture introduced the
wheel window.
b. The Door and window openings were
bordered by beautiful moldings. These
mounding decorations would usually be
influenced by Vegetative, animal or geometric
patterns.
(Interiors of St.
Michele’s
Pavia)
7. COLUMNS:
a.RomanesqueArchitecturewoulddisplay
variationoftheCorinthianandtheIonic
capitalwithatwistedshaftknownasthe
“scallop”
b.ClassicalromanCorinthianandionicorders
couldalsobeseen.
8.ROOF:
a.Usedthedomewhichisnormallyfoundat
theintersectionofthenaveandtransept.
b.Useofvaultsandgroinvaultsdeveloped
duringtheromanperiodwouldalsobe
prevalent.
(Basic
Romanesque
Capital)
9. ORNAMENT
a.Principalornamentationwerefresco
paintings.characteristicornamentationsin
sculpture,carvingsandfrescopaintingusually
vegetablesandanimalformsalthoughquiet
rare.
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 2 )

3. (Stilted Arch) Segmented Arch
10.ARCHES
a.SemiCircularArch-Aroundarchwhose
intradosisafullsemicircle.
b.SegmentedArch-ashallowarchoranarch
thatislessthanasemicircle.
c.StiltedArch-Anarchwhosecurvebegins
abovetheimpostline.
Romanesque Architecture Church building types
Characteristics:
•Monumental,tryingtoimitatetheRomanmodelsinthePilgrimagechurches.
•Smallincountrychurches.
•Planscouldbe:
1.Basilica2.Polygonal3.Latincross
Basilica:ThetermbasilicaInarchitecturalsignifiesabuildingthathas
similaritiestothebasilicastructuresofAncientRome,beingoflongitudinal
ratherthancentralplan,havingacentralnavewithanaisleoneitherside
separatedbyacolonnade,andanapseatoneend.Basilicasdonotusually
displaypronouncedtransepts.
Basilica
CruciformgroundplanorLatincross: Mostcathedralsandgreat
churcheshaveacruciformgroundplan.InchurchesofWesternEuropean
tradition,theplanisusuallylongitudinal,intheformoftheso-calledLatin
cross,withalongnavecrossedbyatransept.Thetranseptmaybeas
stronglyprojectingornotprojectbeyondtheaislesasinsomeexamples.
Cruciform
Church
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 3 )

4. Parts of A Typical Romanesque
Church
1.Nave:
Thenaveisthecentralpartofachurch,stretchingfromthe(normallywestern)mainentranceor
rearwall,tothetransepts,orinachurchwithouttransepts,tothechancel.Whenachurchcontains
sideaisles,asinabasilica-typebuilding,thestrictdefinitionoftheterm"nave"isrestrictedtothe
centralaisle.
2. Chance:
The chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and
the sanctuary.
Aisle:
Anaisle(alsoknownasalyeoralley)ismorespecificallyapassagewaytoeithersideofthenave
thatisseparatedfromthenavebycolonnadesorarcades,arowofpillarsorcolumns.
Choir:
Choirisanareaofachurchdesignedtoaccommodatetheliturgicalsingers,locatedinthechancel,
betweenthenaveandthealtar.Insomechurchesthechoirisseparatedfromthenavebyan
ornamentalpartitioncalledachoirscreen,ormorefrequentlybyachoirrail.
Transept:
Atranseptisatransversepartofanybuilding,whichliesacrossthemainbodyoftheedifice.In
churches,atranseptisanareasetcrosswisetothenaveinacruciformbuildingwithinthe
RomanesqueandGothicChristianchurcharchitecturaltraditions.Eachhalfofatranseptisknown
asasemitransept.
Chevete:
Small chapels built on the eastern end or the apse end of the church.
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 4 )

5. Ambulatory:
Literallyaplaceforwalking,anambulatoryisacoveredpassage.Suchpassagesarefoundaround
theoutsideofmonasticcloisters,butinchurcharchitecturethetermusuallyreferstoawalkway
behindthehighaltar,linkingitwithchapelsattheeastendofthechurchandwithaisleseitherside
ofthechancel.
(Section and elements of a typical Romanesque Church)
ClearstoryWindow:
Aclerestoryisahighsectionofwallthatcontainswindowsaboveeyelevel.Thepurposeistoadmit
light,freshair,orboth.Historically,clerestorydenotedanupperlevelofaRomanbasilicaorofthe
naveofaRomanesqueorGothicchurch,thewallsofwhichriseabovetherooflinesofthelower
aislesandarepiercedwithwindows.
TriforiumGalleryorTribune:
Atriforiumisashallowarchedgallerywithinthethicknessofaninnerwall,abovethenaveofa
churchorcathedral.Itmayoccurattheleveloftheclerestorywindows,oritmaybelocatedasa
separatelevelbelowtheclerestory.Alsocalleda"blind-story",thetriforiumlookslikearowof
windowframeswithoutwindowopenings.
Wheelwindow:
Aroundwindowwithradiatingspokesemanatingfromacentralroundelorboss.Thewheelwindow
issonamedbecauseitsspokesresemblethoseofacartwheelormodernbicyclewheel.Wheel
windowsareaformofroundedwindowspopularlycalledrosewindows,andwerecommonfrom
theNormanperiodonwards.
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 5 )

6. Italian Romanesque Architecture
Geological Aspects
A. North Italy:
•Clay bricks used together with marble gave it a very special character
•Venice through the Adriatic Sea could import high quality marble.
B. Central Italy:
•Tuscany had great mineral wealth and abundance of stone
•Marble was abundantly available in abundance, good quality brick manufacturing facilities were
also available to them.
•Building materials could also be acquired from classical ruins
C. South Italy:
•The mountains in south Italy and Sicily were rich in the supply of calcareous minerals such as
limestone and marble.
Climaticaspects:
A.NorthItaly:
•Theclimatewouldvarybetweenextremelycold
andwarm.
•DuetothepresenceoftheAlpsMountainranges
inthenorthcoldwindsandsnowwouldsweep
acrossthenorthernpartofItaly.
•Buildingsinthisclimatewouldideallyhave
steeppitchedrooftodealwiththesnow.They
wouldalsohavethickwallstominimizeheat
loss.
B.CentralItaly:
•Brilliantsunshinewasavailablethroughoutthe
yeardemandingthedesigningofsmallwindows
becauseofthesunlightandthickwalltoprevent
theexcessheatingupofthebuilding.
•TheclimateofcentralItalywouldexperiencea
combinationofthecoldclimateinthenorthand
warmandtropicalclimateinthesouth.
C.SouthItaly:
•Theclimateisalmostsubtropicalwithextremelywarmsummers.
•BuildingswoulddisplayflatterroofsthanwhatisseeninnorthernandsouthernItaly.Thickwalls
wouldprovidegoodinsulationfromheat
(Map of Italy Indicating the various climate zones)
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 6 )

7. Typical Example of North Italy:
St.MichelePavia:
•Thebuildingisbuiltoutofsandstonegivingitareddishappearance,herestonepiersdividethe
spacetransitioningintomassivegroinvaultsrisingupwards.
•Thenaveisdividedinsquarebaysbytransversearches,thepiersareclusteredinappearance
andspreadtoreceivethevaultingribs.
•Theplaniscruciformwithwell-definedtranseptandaraisedchoir.
•Theaislesnexttothenavearetwostoriesinheight,withvaultedsquarecompartments.
•TheFrontelevationtheflatfaçadeshowslittleplayoflightandshadewithitsthreesimple
recessedportalsandfourverticalpilastersstripesfromthegroundgablesameasbuttresses.
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 7 )

8. Typical Example of CentralItaly:
Pisa Cathedral:
•Itisoneofthemostfamousgroupofbuildingsinthe
world,comprisingacathedral,Baptistry,Campanileand
Camposanto.
•Thecathedralitselfisoneofthefinestexamplesofthe
Romanesqueperiod.
•TheCathedraldisplaysacruciformdesignwithalong
navewithdoubleislesoneithersides.
•Thegroundstoryismarkedwithwallarcadesandhasred
andwhitemarblebands.
•Theentrancefaçadeisdividedbytiersrisingoneabove
theotheruptothegableend.
•Theellipticaldomeatthecrossingofthenaveand
transeptwasaddedatalaterstage.
•Theaestheticsofthecathedralisdependentuponits
massingandproportionandmotmushuponthe
ornamentationofitsfaçade.Oneofthekeyfeaturesof
Romanesquechurches.
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 8 )

9. CampanilePisa(LeaningtowerofPisa):
•ItisabelltowerofthePisacathedral,itscircularinplanwithadiameterof16mreachingeight
storieshigh.
•Thebuildingresemblesaclassicalromanstyleofelevationdominatedbyscreenofsemicircular
arches.
•It’smostwell-knownforitstiltedorleaningandthetopofthetoweroverhangsabout4.2mfrom
thebottommakingitlookunstable.
•Itsfaçadefacedwithmarblegivesitaverybeautifulwhiteappearance.
•Thescreenofarchescoveringtheexteriorcreatesabeautifulcontrastasshadowsformuponthe
innerwallduetothescreenofarches.
(View of Pisa Cathedral and Campanile)
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 9 )

10. BaptisteryPisa:
•TheBaptisteryisanothercircularbuildinginthePisacomplexandistwostorieshigh.
•IntheInteriorliesacentralnaveabout18.3mwideandissurroundedbyacentralaisle.
•Externallythelowerstoryissurroundedbyhalfcolumns,connectedbysemicirculararches,at
theentrancedoordetachedcolumnshaftscanbeseen.
•Theroofiscrowningthestructurehemisphericalform,thissupportsanupperpartwhich
truncatesupwardslikeaconebutiscappedwithasmalldome.
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 10 )

11. Typical Example of North Italy:
St.NicolaBari:
•Thechurchhasarathersquareappearance,seeminglymoresuitedtoacastlethantoachurchthis
impressionisstrengthenedbythepresenceoftwolowmassivetowersframingthefaçade.
•Theinteriorhasanaveandtwoaisles,dividedbygranitecolumnsandpilasters.
•Abovetheaislesisatribunegalleryopeningintothenave.Thebasilicawasthefirstchurchof
thisdesign,settingaprecedentwhichwaslaterimitatedinnumerousotherconstructionsinthe
region.
•Thischurchsharesfinemasonrydetailsincludingprojectingporches,wheelwindowsanda
refinementofcarveddecorationwhichisaGreektradition.
(Plan of St. Nicola Bari) (View of west work of St. Nicola Bari)
(Interior of St. Nicola Bari)
By Prof. Rohit Raul ( Pg.no. 11 )