Gothic and Romanesque Architecture 2008 11 th and

Gothic and Romanesque Architecture 2008

11 th and 12 th centuries – explosion of building in Europe n Churches and Castles reflected medieval society’s basic preoccupations: God n Warfare n n The increase in churches and cathedrals being built at this time reflects The era’s revived religious culture n The increased wealth of the period n

11 th and 12 th Centuries – Romanesque Architecture n n Early Romanesque buildings were basically rectangles with flat wooden roofs Later, they replaced the flat roof with a long, round stone vault called a barrel vault. Sometimes two barrel vaults would be crossed so that the church floor plan looked like a cross n n Less likely to catch fire Stone roofs are heavy – needed massive walls and pillars to hold them up. n Result: very few, very small windows leave these cathedrals dark on the inside, and they look like fortresses

If you looked at this building from an airplane, what would you see?

Barrel Vault: the Lisbon Cathedral

The Romanesque cathedral at Vezelay (1100 AD)

Romanesque: The Duomo in Pisa, Italy (1060 AD)

12 th and 13 th Centuries – Gothic Cathedrals n n n Romanesque churches have round arches, while Gothic churches have pointed arches Pointed arches and ribbed vaults made it possible to make Gothic churches taller The flying buttress made it possible to distribute the weight of a heavy ceiling outward This meant smaller walls and large windows, often of stained glass Gothic cathedrals were full of light, because natural light was considered a symbol of the divine light of God

Gothic - Milan cathedral, Italy

Gothic - Amiens cathedral, France