Romanesque Art and Architecture in Europe (1000-1200)

Crusades

A series of military expeditions between 1095 and 1291 in which western European Christians sought to wrest Jerusalem from Muslim control.

Pilgrimages

Journeys to churches housing relics encouraged as an act of piety and devotion.

Romanesque Art

Art that often made visual references to the art of ancient Rome as a way of asserting independence from the eastern empire.

Characteristic features of Romanesque architecture

Include stone vaulting and round arches.

Interior of the upper chapel of St-Martin-du-Canigou

Features stone barrel vaults supported by monolithic columns and rounded arches instead of timber trusses.

Heavy vaults

Limited the incorporation of windows in Romanesque architecture.

Pentecost page

Marks the feast celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit offered to Christ's apostles.

Cluny

An immense monastery that supported monastic reforms and created lavish illuminated manuscripts.

St. Sernin

A massive pilgrimage church modeled on Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, built between c. 1080 and 1118.

Five-aisled basilica

Consists of a nave, transept, apse, ambulatory, and apsidioles.

Nave and transept

Form the arms of a Latin cross in St. Sernin.

Barrel vault

Covers the nave in St. Sernin, while groin vaults cover the side aisles.

Transverse ribs

Divides the nave into bays and creates a sense of rhythm.

Romanesque church portals

Typically consisted of a semi-circular tympanum with a lintel, trumeau, jambs, archivolts, and voussoirs.

Relief carvings

Often featured on Romanesque church portals and recalled Roman architectural sculpture.

The Last Judgment

A popular iconographical subject for tympana in Romanesque architecture.

Tympanum

The semi-circular area above the door in a Romanesque church portal.

Façade

The front face of a building, often elaborately decorated in Romanesque architecture.

Engaged columns

Columns that are attached to a wall, creating a decorative effect in Romanesque architecture.

Groin vault

Formed by the intersection of two barrel vaults.

Apsidoles

Small apses that are often found in Romanesque churches.

Cluniac Lectionary

A manuscript that includes the Pentecost page, created by the monks at Cluny.

Monolithic columns

Single, massive columns used in Romanesque architecture.

Arch

A curved structure that spans an opening, commonly used in Romanesque architecture.

mandorla

An almond-shaped aureole surrounding a sacred figure, often used in Christian art.

portal

The entrance or doorway of a building, especially a large and imposing one.

lintel

A horizontal support across the top of a door or window.

relief

A sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material.

relic

An object surviving from an earlier time, especially one of historical or sentimental interest.

reliquary

A container for holding relics, often elaborately decorated.

cameo

A method of carving that involves creating a raised image on a contrasting background.

polychrome

Decorated in several colors, especially in reference to sculptures or architectural elements.

rib

A structural element in architecture that supports the vault.

transverse arch

An arch that spans the width of a nave, supporting the vault.

rose window

A circular window, often filled with stained glass, typically found in Gothic cathedrals.

vellum

A fine parchment made from the skin of a calf, lamb, or goat, used for writing.

tapestry

A piece of fabric with pictures or designs woven into it, often used as a wall hanging.

embroidery

The art of decorating fabric using a needle and thread or yarn.

Herimann Cross

A bronze cross commissioned by Herimann, Archbishop of Cologne, featuring a head sculpted from blue lapis lazuli.

Stavelot Triptych

A bejeweled shrine that opens and closes, featuring two miniature triptychs believed to be Byzantine.

triptych

A three-panel painting or sculpture, often used as an altarpiece.

Eve

A sensuous, naked figure from the Cathedral of St-Lazare of Autun, associated with the sin of lust.

Reliquary of Ste. Foy

An elaborately decorated container housing the relics of Ste. Foy, covered with gold and cameos.

Virgin and Child

A wooden sculpture depicting the Virgin as the Throne of Holy Wisdom, likely used as a reliquary.

Bayeux Embroidery

A nearly 230-foot-long visual narrative of the Norman Conquest, embroidered on linen.