(4) Holy Roman Empire: Notable Art and Architecture (and Notable Artists and Architects)

Romanesque (All Facts)

• Roman-inspired style of architecture that came to dominate Christian Europe by 1100

  • Style that was derived from the round Roman arch, which it repeats in series to divide church naves and abbey cloisters into bays

  • Style characterized by its carved capitals, which appeared on church columns and around the arches of churches

• Architectural style that possessed a grandiose quality that derived from the use of stone vaults below the roofs and partly from a more unified concept of the church

  • Developed in response to the needs of the clergy, monks, and pilgrims who used them

1009 - Mainz Cathedral (All Facts)

• Catholic Cathedral in the Romanesque style

960 - 1022 - St. Bernard of Hildesheim (All Facts)

• Bishop famous for his commission of the St. Michael’s Church of Hildesheim

1022 - St. Michael’s Church of Hildesheim (All Facts)

• When it was built, it was a Catholic Church with a Romanesque style

  • Features unvaulted double choirs and arcades of square piers alternating with round, short columns

• Commissioned and designed by Bishop Bernward of the namesake town

• Influenced other architecture of the Ottonian Dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire

1030 - Speyer Cathedral (All Facts)

• Catholic Cathedral

• Built during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II

• Expanded, having been built to be the tallest cathedral in Europe, during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV

1181 - Worms Cathedral (All Facts)

• Catholic Cathedral commissioned by Bishop Burchard of the namesake city

• Many famous historical events took place here including

  • 1048 - Nomination of Leo IX as Pope

  • 1122 - The namesake “Concordant” which ended the Investiture Controversy

  • 1521 - The namesake “Diet,” which condemned Martin Luther as a heretic

1235 - Limburg Cathedral (All Facts)

• Catholic Cathedral in the Romanesque-Gothic style