Romanesque and Gothic Art

Church of Sainte‐Foy, France, Conques, c. 1050–1130 and Last Judgement tympanum

Round Arch

a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space formed in a continuous curve, especially in a semicircle

Pilgrammage

 a journey to a sacred place made as an act of religious devotion

Reliquary

container holding the remains (relics) of a saint or holy person

Barrel Vault

an elongated or continuous semicircular vault, shaped like a  half-cylinder. Also known as tunnel vault.

Tympanum

the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window, which is bounded by a lintel and an arch. It often contains relief sculpture or other imagery or ornaments

Last Judgment tympanum, Church of Sainte‐Foy, France, Conques, c. 1050–1130

Master of Taüll, apse painting, Sant Clement in Taüll, c. 1123 (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya , Barcelona)

Crusades

a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Christian Latin Church in the medieval period.

Basilica of St Denis, Paris

West façade, Amiens Cathedral

Pointed Arch

an architectural element characterized by a pointed apex at the top, which distributes weight more efficiently than a traditional rounded arc

Ribbed Vault

a stone vault with a thin web that is set within a framework of ribs.

Flying Buttress

a projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or giving stability to a wall or building that is not in contact with the wall at ground level 

Tracery

an architectural device by which windows are divided into sections of various proportions by stone bars or ribs of moulding 

Harrowing of Hell, the Melisende Psalter (Egerton 1139, 9v), 1131–1143