Romanesque and Gothic Architecture Review

Transition to Gothic Architecture and Cathedral of Saint-Lazare in Autun

Context and Overview: The semester is entering the home stretch, focusing on the transition from the very last stages of Romanesque architecture to the Gothic style.
Autun Cathedral (Saint-Lazare): * Located in Autun, France (Western Central France). * The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Lazarus. There is a historical ambiguity regarding whether this refers to the biblical Lazarus raised from the dead or another figure. * The church serves as a cathedral, meaning it is the seat (headquarters) of a bishop.
Benedictine and Cluniac Influence: * The architecture is clearly inspired by the Benedictine and Cluniac traditions. * The Cluniacs believed in building large, beautiful churches with extensive decoration and "spectacle" effects to impress the public and provoke thought regarding religious themes.
Architectural Articulation of the Entrance: * The main doorway is accessed through an open porch rather than a traditional narthex, adapting to the local topography and the stairs leading up to it. * The doorway sculpture is a prime example of the Romanesque Symphony, utilizing surface decoration and articulation to give meaning to the transition from the everyday world into a sacred, spiritual space. * This system of decoration for main entranceways is analogous to the pedimental sculpture used in ancient Greek and Roman temples.

The Last Judgment and Gislebertus at Autun

Preservation of the Portal: * At one point, priests plastered over the sculpture because they no longer liked the decoration. This unwittingly preserved the carvings for the $20^{\text{th}}$ and $21^{\text{st}}$ centuries. * Originally, the sculpture would have been brightly painted.
Iconography of the Last Judgment: * The scene portrays the Second Coming of Christ, a major theme beginning around the year $1,000$ as Christians sought the salvation of their souls. * Based on the Gospel of Matthew: On Christ’s right are those entering heaven (including pilgrims on the route to Santiago de Compostela); on Christ’s left are those condemned to hell. * Vivid depictions include demons grabbing people by the head and snakes biting them.
Latin Inscriptions: * A thin band separates the tympanum from the horizontal lintel. Historically, the text was picked out in red paint. * Verbatim Translation: "May this terror frighten those who are bound by worldly error. It will be true just as the horror of these images indicates."
The Signature of Gislebertus: * Beneath the feet of Christ is the line: "Gislebertus hoc fecit" (Gislebertus made this). * Standard Art Historical Interpretation: Gislebertus is the sculptor, making him the first named artist of the Middle Ages. * Minority Interpretation: Gislebertus may have been the patron or sponsor who funded the work, though textbooks primarily list him as the artist.

Historiated Capitals and Narratives in Stone

The North Transept (Penitent's Portal): * The North Transept was frequently known as the "penitent’s court." * It features a relief sculpture of a nude Eve partially covered by vegetation, grabbing the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. This reminded pilgrims entering the portal to ask for forgiveness for the "first sin."
Definition of Historiated Capitals: Capitals above columns and pillars that tell a story ("historia," meaning research or story).
Examples at Autun: * Suicide of Judas: Shows the apostle hanging from a tree, assisted by winged demons with spiky hair and wide, horrific mouths pulling on the branch. * Flight into Egypt: Depicts Mary and Joseph as refugees taking the child Jesus to Egypt to escape King Herod's persecution. * The Three Kings (The Adoration/Dream): Shows the three wise men in bed together under one blanket (wearing their crowns). An angel points to the star of Bethlehem. The speaker notes a sense of liveliness and humor intended to attract the public.

Sainte-Madeleine at Vézelay and the Mystic Mill

Location and Importance: Located in Vézelay, France. It is a major pilgrimage church at the start of a route leading through France to Santiago de Compostela.
Architectural Features: * Rectangular basilica plan. * Romanesque interior ( $11^{\text{th}}$ - $12^{\text{th}}$ century) with later additions at the Eastern end. * Uses rounded arch arcades, big structural piers, and engaged columns/colonnettes. * The central nave is articulated with groin vaults and barrel vaults, allowing for small windows in the masonry walls. * Features polychrome rounded voussoirs.
The Mystic Mill Capital: * An allegorical scene depicting two male figures at a grain mill. * One figure (Moses) pours grain into the hopper; another figure (Saint Paul) catches the flour. * This represents the reconciliation of the Old Testament and the New Testament. * The mill wheels have four spikes forming a cross, suggesting the Old Testament becomes the New through Christ. The flour/bread symbolizes the Eucharist (communion).

Intellectual and Theological Justification for Decoration

Rabanus Maurus ( $9^{\text{th}}$ Century): * A Carolingian scholar who dissected architecture spiritually. * The Door: Symbolic of the Lord (quoting John $14$ : "I am the door"). * The Columns/Jams: Represent the entry to the kingdom for both Jews and Gentiles. * The Capitals: Represent the "minds of the teachers of the faithful."
Theophilus (c. $1,100$ AD): * Wrote On Diverse Arts during the Romanesque period. * Justified embellishment by citing King David and the Psalms: "Lord, I have loved the beauty of thy house." * Argued that David provided resources (gold, silver, bronze) to his son Solomon to build the first temple because God delights in embellishment. Decoration is Essentially a "prayer in stone."
The Temple of Solomon: * A rectangular building with a tall central nave and two side aisles. * Featured a courtyard with a bronze water basin and an altar for animal sacrifice. * The entrance featured two famous columns (sometimes clad in bronze) with specific names. * Included a back room (Holy of Holies) for the Ark of the Covenant. * Justinian sought to surpass this temple with the Hagia Sophia.

The Cistercian Alternative and Fontenay Abbey

Cistercian Reform: An alternative Benedictine order that rejected the Cluniac "spectacle."
Principles: * Monasteries must be isolated, self-sustaining communities away from towns. * Architecture based on square modules and geometric precision. * Rejection of elaborate decoration to avoid distraction from prayer.
Bernard of Clairvaux: * A $12^{\text{th}}$ century saint and leader of the Cistercians. * Criticized historiated capitals as "ridiculous monsters" that cause monks to spend the day "wondering at these things rather than in meditating on the law of God."
Fontenay Abbey (Founded $1118$ ): * A well-preserved Cistercian monastery. * Features a basilica church, cloister, chapter room, scriptorium, and a forge (metal workshop). * Technological Innovation: The monks reverse-engineered a water wheel from Greek manuscripts to operate a massive anvil. This allowed them to forge larger iron chains than a human could with a handheld hammer. * Interior: Plain capitals, no sculpted tympanum, barrel vaults with a slightly pointed profile to add height and direct lateral thrust. The floor is stamped earth rather than marble.

Modern Parallels to Architectural Philosophy

Modernism: Mies van der Rohe's "Less is more" philosophy (glass/steel skyscrapers with minimal articulation).
Postmodernism: Robert Venturi’s response: "Less is a bore."
Vatican II ( $1960s$ ): * The Second Vatican Council changed the mass from Latin to the vernacular (local languages). * Simplified church interiors by removing statues, leading to significant public upset, though some statues eventually returned.

Norman Romanesque: Saint-Étienne in Caen

Saint-Étienne (Saint Stephen): * Located in Caen, Normandy (Northwest France). * Founded in $1063$ by William, Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror). * The monastery was funded to expiate William's "consanguineous marriage" (he married his second cousin, which the church initially prohibited).
Structural Evolution: * West facade features two large towers (Westwerk tradition) and massive buttresses. * The nave originally had a flat wooden ceiling with a triangular truss roof. * In $1115$ , the flat ceiling was replaced with stone ribbed vaults. This increased acoustic quality and fire resistance. * The modification utilized groin vaults that curved the interior space higher while remaining beneath the original wooden roof structure.

Durham Cathedral and Anglo-Norman Innovation

Context: Located in Durham, England. Built after William the Conqueror’s invasion in $1066$ . Dedicated to Saint Cuthbert.
Key Design Features: * Basilica plan with transept and three chapels in echelon (in a row). * Large compound piers alternating with massive cylindrical columns decorated with geometric patterns. * First systematic use of pointed arches (in the ceiling) alongside rounded arches (ground floor arcade). * Ribbed Vaulting: Seven-part rib vaults where the ribs are structural, not just decorative. This allowed builders to build the ribs first using scaffolding and then fill the "webbing." * Quadrant Vaults: Found in the gallery, these are "quarter circle" buttresses that counteract the outward lateral thrust of the nave arches. This is a direct ancestor to the flying buttress, though it remains under the roof.

The Birth of Gothic: Saint-Denis and Abbot Suger

Terminology: * Gothic: Originally a derogatory Renaissance term meaning "German/Barbarian." * Opus Franquigenum: Frankish work or French style. * Opus Modernum: Modern work.
Basilica of Saint-Denis: * Burial place of Saint Denis ( $3^{\text{rd}}$ century Martyr/First Bishop of Paris). * Cephalophoria: The myth that Saint Denis, after being decapitated, picked up his head and walked north to the site of the church. A figure carrying their head is a "cephalophoros."
Abbot Suger's Vision ( $1137-1144$ ): * Remodeled the church, drawing inspiration from descriptions of Solomon's Temple and the Hagia Sophia. * Western Facade ( $1137-1140$ ): Massive buttresses, triple portals, and the first rose window. Still maintained some Romanesque rounded arches. * East End ( $1140-1144$ ): The site of revolutionary Gothic innovations. Features a "circular string of chapels" (radiating chapels) integrated seamlessly into the plan.

Lux Nova: The Theology of Light

Lux Nova: Meaning "New Light" (Suger's term). Specifically refers to the transformative, sacred light filtered through stained glass.
Structural Enablers of Light: * The combination of pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses (driving force to exterior vertical buttresses) allowed walls to be non-structural. * Slender columns replaced thick piers, creating unobstructed visual fields. * Windows became "walls of glass," filling the space with a "kaleidoscope of color."
Stained Glass Programs: * Depicted saints, biblical stories (e.g., the Nativity), and daily life. * Guild Sponsorship: Local baker’s or carpenter’s guilds often paid for windows, including symbols of their trade in the glass. * Tracery: The stone framework of the windows. * Leading: Pieces of lead used to hold small bits of colored/painted glass together. * Suger's Self-Depiction: A window depicts Abbot Suger as a monk (with a tonsure haircut) offering a model of a window to God.

Summary of Gothic Structural Elements

Pointed Arch: Helps direct lateral thrust more vertically than a rounded arch; provides increased height.
Ribbed Vault: Concentrates weight on specific structural lines, allowing for the "webbing" (non-structural masonry) to be lighter.
Flying Buttress: An external support that carries the outward thrust of the high nave vaults over the aisles to a massive vertical pier on the outside. This allows for massive clerestory windows.

Consequence: The architecture seems to disappear into a "noble edifice pervaded by new light," creating a spiritual rebirth for those inside.