This document summarizes key aspects of Romanesque and Gothic architecture and art from 1050-1400 CE in Western Europe. It describes defining characteristics of Romanesque architecture like barrel vaults and groin vaults. Important structures from this period mentioned include the Bayeux Tapestry, Santiago de Compostela cathedral, and Durham Cathedral. The transition to Gothic architecture is explored through structures like St. Denis Abbey which introduced pointed arches, rib vaults, and increased use of stained glass windows. High Gothic cathedrals such as Chartres, Reims, and Amiens are analyzed for their flying buttresses, vaulting techniques, extensive stained glass, and sculpture. The development of Gothic sculpture from rigid to natural

1. Romanesque Gothic

2. High Fashion
Goth
Inspired by architecture:
Rib vaults
Flying Buttresses
Darkness to Light

3. Romanesque
 Romanesque: a term
coined in 1800s to
describe architecture of
this period, based on its
resemblance to ancient
Roman architecture
 Also used to describe
culture of Western Europe
between
1050 and 1200
17-16 St Savin sur Gartempe

4. Bayeux Tapestry 1070
During 100 year war between France and England:
(NORMAN CONQUEST: William of Normandy, 1066 at Hastings)
230 ft long, actually an embroidery (sewn, not made on a loom)
Like Greco-Roman battle scenes, contorted bodies
Narrative art documenting an even soon after it happened.
Similar to the frieze on the column of Trajan

5. The Animated Bayeux Tapestry 4:24
Video History and Memory (14:07 to 16:28))
The Bayeux Tapestry - Seven Ages of Britain - BBC One 4:56Expert Perspective, David Bernstein, audio 2:2
59

7. Pilgrimages
Santiago de Compostela 1075-
1211
Romanesque structure; later
Gothic and Baroque styles
added

8. Pilgrimages /Crusades :
-Pilgrims journey to famous sites throughout Europe to atone for sins, seek
healing and win salvation
-Pilgrimages routes become main travel and communication arteries
-Crusaders (taking of the Cross) arm and seek to win back Jerusalem and
areas of Near East from Muslims 1096-1300, concept of “holy warriors”

9. Initial R” with knight fighting
dragons
St. George and the Dragon from
French manuscript
(c. early 1100's)
-Shaped to form the letter "R”
-Dragon in animal style
-Squire below runs lance through
dragon; show of status
-Shows value of warrior class in
service of church-the crusaders
-elongated figures, similar to
Romanesque sculpture
-Drapery is tubular, step-ladder
pattern

10. CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Western thought develops
-Ideas of Aristotle passed from Muslim
thinkers into Spain to Western
European thinkers
-Based on rationalism: rational
approach to understanding existence
of God; writings of St. Augustine
highly influential
St Augustine: top
-Peter Abelard (BELOW RIGHT) a
major systematic thinker of this time;
knowledge is organized, and applied to
create solutions- philosopher,
composer, poet-
-Universities develop- Paris
-Roman Civil law recovered; civil law
& legal systems developed

11. Romanesque Architecture
105-1151 Thousands of churches built
Hundreds burned during middle ages by invaders
Wooden roof replaced by stone
New techniques

12. Style
-continuous hall-like space
-Arches, barrel vaults / bays
-Some groin & ribbed vaults
-Strongly marked off crossing square
-Romanesque interior space divided
into separate compartments /marked
bays
-Aisles covered with barrel vaults
-Weight of ceiling falls onto outer walls
-Nave walls also reflect geometric
plan: arcade
-Triforium added later as walls get
higher
-Dark, with little lighting: can't cut into
barrel vaults
-Overall design symbolic of Christ on
the cross
bays

13. Trumeau at Moissac: prophet with
lions; elongated figures
PORTALS

15. GISLEBERTUS: The Last Judgment tympanum: SINNERS ON
viewer’s RIGHT

16. 58
Church of Sainte-
Foy. Conques,
France

17. Portal tympanum has sinners on our r

18. Conques 2:01
58
Sainte-Foy
reliquary,
Contains
the
bones/skul
l of a
Martyr
(young
girl),
stolen by a
monk
Church of
Sainte-
Foy.
Conques,
France

19. 58
17
9
COMPARISON

20. Durham Cathedral
Introduces Romanesque building to England.
Abstract designs (chevron) alternate with compound piers New: ribbed groin vaults over
3 story nave; pointed arches
announce the Gothic with
addition of buttresses
ARCHITECTURE CONTINUES TO
DEVELOP UPWARDS

21. Architectural term:
sexpartite vaults-

22. Compare with 4 part rectangular vault,
more common in High Gothic
Ogive- pointed arch, nose of a bullet

23. GOTHIC ART (1140-1400) CULTURAL CONTEXT
-Overlaps Romanesque approximately 50 years;
ends with Renaissance
-Mainly takes place in France
1. Church: Based in Rome. A papacy with absolute power
-St. Francis begins Franciscan order, based on humble,
loving approach to God and mankind;
-God no longer a remote, severe, damming judge, but a
savior who walked amongst men; he is knowable on earth,
through love of self and others
-St. Bernard: faith is mystical and intuitive, not rational
-Cult of Mary: spiritual love exalted; spirituality allows a
wider place for women and sensuality;

24. 2. Centralized governments in France and England
-France a preeminent power (fights with Rome for power)
3. Cities, trades, universities in place and developed
-Paris a major intellectual center
-Philosophical, theological and artistic come together
4. Master Masons:
-Stone masons, designers and engineers who become architects
-Develop new building techniques, based on of geometry & use of stone
-Build, design, engineer, and manage large scale building projects
-Often travel throughout Europe to share expertise

25. 60
58

26. Early French Gothic: 4 story elevation
St. Denis
Laon
Notre Dame
High Gothic: 3 story elevation
Chartres
Amiens
Reims
Abbey Church of St.- Denis (near Paris)
-Cradle of new Gothic style
New Ambulatory and radiating chapels
for St.- Denis (1140-44)
-St. Denis, spiritual patron of Paris
-Abbot Suger builds new choir area and
ambulatory; replaces wall with windows
opening up space and filling it with light
LIGHT AND ITS CONNECTION TO GOD IS
HIS KEY PHILOSOPHICAL PREMISE.
-Church should be conducive to
meditation & experiencing God

27. Burial place for French kings
Walls between radiating chapels
eliminated due to lighter weight
rib vaulting
Led to “lux nova” NEW LIGHT

28. Lux Nova
In architecture, tracery is the
stonework elements that support the
glass in a Gothic window, usually
ornamental work of interlaced and
branching lines. The term probably
derives from the 'tracing floors' on
which the complex patterns of late
Gothic windows were laid out.

29. Laon Cathedral
-Sexpartite ribs: six ribs springing from
compound piers
-Triforum: band of arcades below
clerestory
-Wall includes FROM BELOW TO
ABOVE: Nave arcades, gallery,
triforum & clerestory
-Alternate/multiple piers
***Begin to realize Gothic aim to create
an integrated, unified interior space
that sweeps uninterruptedly from east
to west
Rose
Window

30. Amiens- left
Chartres- below
Triforium-
Often replaced “gallery”

31. Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris (begun 1163)
spans
early to high Gothic
Façade:
-Pointed gothic arches
-Vertical and horizontal design is balanced
-Flying Buttresses
-Rose window
-Gargoyle sculptures & Jamb statues plus other
statuary

32. The name: Craftsmen guilds
working under architects wanted to
make an equal contribution to God
and to Mary. Mary, Mother of God.
The entire cathedral was dedicated
to her, Notre-Dame de Paris, Our
Lady of Paris. At the cathedral, there
are no fewer than 37
representations of the Virgin
(sculptures, paintings, stained glass,
and more.)
The Gargoyles

33. Pointed arches
allowed weight to
be distributed away
from side walls and
could be
customized to
different widths

35. Chartres Cathedral (1145-
1170) view of west facade
-1st high Gothic building
-Original plan included flying
buttresses for design &
structure -Used as early as
1150 but used to strengthen
walls, concealed
High gothic omits 2nd story
Romanesque gallery, keeps
triforium, clerestory
-3 portals symbolic of trinity;
-Uneven towers
-Deep piercing of walls and
towers

36. Chartres Cathedral's Flying
Buttresses
-Massive; 1000 tons each
-Provides self-supporting skeletal
structure
-Vault has only 4 panels (not six)
Decompartmentalizes interior;
creates uninterrupted flow
Wall = nave arcade, triforium,
clerestory
-Nave is vast continuous hall that
is full of windows
-Clerestory windows enlarged for
more light
-Windows let in light through
mainly original stained glass
windows

37. FRENCH GOTHIC SCULPTURE:
Royal (west) Portal of Chartres Cathedral (1175 -1170)
--3 portals together proclaim the majesty and omnipotence of Christ
-Left: Christ's ascension into Heaven
-Left archivolts: zodiac signs, symbols of cosmos
-Center: Second Coming of Christ; 4 evangelists and 12 apostles
-Symbol of salvation-not damnation; perfect universe to come
-Right archivolts: 7 liberal arts; Medieval core knowledge
-Right: Christ's birth, Christ in majesty with Virgin and presentation at the temple
-Jamb statues of kings and queens of Old Testament; secular and biblical

39. Verriere
62
Early
Gothic
Serenity
(left)
vs
Late Gothic
Emotion
Chartres:
Virgin and Child in Notre Dame de la Belle
Rottgen
Pieta. Late
Medieval.
1300-1325.

40. 62
Michelangelo’s Pieta (Mary with dead Jesus

41. Jamb statues- West Portal- Chartres
(1150 –1170)
Old Testament kings and queens
-Like Romanesque, elongated, rigidly
confined to architectural frame
-On columns that are as wide as the
statues
High Gothic Style:
-Stand out from plane-not carved
in
-Conceived and treated as 3-D
volumes
-Traces of naturalism; drapery
folds begin to fall naturally
-Faces softened and more

42. Chartres- sculptural
transformation from perfect
Christians to figures with
personality and individuality
Other sculptures are purely
decorative, such as gargoyles
The Body in the 12th century
St. Augustine: essence of soul is
completely unlike the body
-Soul is spiritual and
immortal
-Body is material and subject
to corruption
-Body despised as
corruptible prison for soul

43. The Visitation (1225-1290)
central portal of Reims Cathedral
-Naturalism grows in 13th century:
Break vertical lines with turns
-Even more real; drapery more
natural; real costumes of that time
-Faces take on personalities; 1st
time since ancient world
-Jambs seem to be detached,
columns small
-Statues seem to communicate
quietly with each other; turned
-Classically influenced faces,
stances, drapery
-Full bodied figures; (proportions
not quite accurate)
-Weight shift, but not quite
accurate

44. Amiens Cathedral
Mystical, buoyant
light
Like Hagia Sophia
during Byzantium

45. La Sainte Chapelle:
“Rayonnant style”
Louis 9 had it built
to hold relics like
the crown of thorns
6,450 square feet
of stained glass,
some windows
almost 50’ high

46. 52
Comparison: Hagia Sophia. Constantinople (Istanbul).
Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus.
532–537 C.E

47. 61

48. 61
Bible moralisée Blanche of Castile(regent queen) and King Louis IX of Franc
Stylistic features seen: use of Gold, flat shapes, small feet, trefoil: