Chapter 10 Romanesque Art

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Chapter 10Romanesque Art
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• Romanesque architecture is the term that is used
  to describe the architecture of Europe which
  emerged in the late 10th century and evolved into
  the Gothic style during the 12th century. The
  Romanesque style in England is more traditionally
  referred to as Norman architecture.
• Romanesque architecture is characterized by its
  massive quality, its thick walls, round arches,
  sturdy piers, groin vaults, large towers and
  decorative arcading. Each building has clearly
  defined forms and they are frequently of very
  regular, symmetrical plan so that the overall
  appearance is one of simplicity when compared
  with the Gothic buildings that were to follow.
  The style can be identified right across Europe,
  despite regional characteristics and different
  materials.
• Although there was much building of castles
  during this period, they are greatly outnumbered
  by churches of which the most significant are the
  great abbey churches, many of which are still
  standing, more or less complete and frequently in
  use.

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Bamberg Cathedral presents the distinctive
outline of many of the large Romanesque churches
of the Germanic tradition.
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The Romanesque Abbey of Senaque, France, is
surrounded by monastic buildings of various dates.
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Monasticism

• The system of monasticism in which the religious
  become members of an order, with common ties and
  a common rule, living in a mutually dependant
  community, rather than as a group of hermits
  living in proximity but essentially separate, was
  established by the monk Benedict in the 6th
  century. The Benedictine Monasteries spread from
  Italy throughout Europe, being always by far the
  most numerous in England. They were followed by
  the Cluniac order, the Cistercians, Carthusians
  and Augustinian Canons. In association with the
  Crusades, the military orders of the Knights
  Hospitallers and the Knights Templars were
  founded.

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Pilgrimage and Crusade

• One of the effects of the Crusades, which were
  intended to wrest the Holy Places of Palestine
  from Islamic control, was to excite a great deal
  of religious fervor, which in turn inspired great
  building programs. The Nobility of Europe, upon
  safe return, thanked God by the building of a new
  church or the enhancement of an old one.
  Likewise, those who did not return from the
  Crusades could be suitably commemorated by their
  family in a work of stone and mortar.
• The Crusades resulted in the transfer of, among
  other things, a great number of Holy Relics of
  saints and apostles. Many churches, like
  Saint-Front, Périgueux, had their own home grown
  saint while others, most notably Santiago de
  Compostela, claimed the remains and the patronage
  of a powerful saint, in this case one of the
  Twelve Apostles. Santiago de Compostela, located
  near the western extremity of Galicia (present
  day Spain) became the most important pilgrimage
  destination in Europe. Most of the pilgrims
  traveled the Way of Saint James on foot, many of
  them barefooted as a sign of penance. They moved
  along one of the four main routes that passed
  through France, congregating for the journey at
  Jumieges, Paris, Vezelay, Cluny, Arles and St.
  Gall in Switzerland.

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• Cathedral of Pisa Commentary "Pisa Cathedral with
  Baptistery, Campanile and Campo Santo, together
  form one of the most famous building groups in
  the world. The cathedral is one of the finest of
  the Romanesque period and has a strongly marked
  individuality. It resembles other early basilican
  churches in plan, with long rows of columns
  connected by arches, double aisles, and a nave
  which has the usual timber roof. The exterior has
  bands of red and white marble, and the ground
  story is faced with wall relief by tiers of wall
  passages which rise one above another right into
  the gable. The transepts, each with an apse at
  the end, were an advance on the simple basilican
  plan. The elliptical dome over the crossing is of
  later date. The building depends for its interest
  on its general proportions and on the delicacy of
  its ornamental features, rather than on any new
  structural development, such as may be seen in
  northern Italy."

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The Baptistry San Giovanni Baptistery
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Baptistry Interior
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Nicola Pisano PulpitAround 1255 he got a
commission for the pulpit and finished this work
in 1260.
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1063 to 1350 Santa Maria Cathedral
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Leaning Tower, La Torre Pendente
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Bayeux Tapestry

• In common with other embroidered hangings of the
  early medieval period, this piece is
  conventionally referred to as a "Tapestry,"
  although it is not a true woven tapestry.
• The Bayeux tapestry is embroidered in wool yarn
  on a tabby-woven linen ground using two methods
  of stitching outline or stem stitch for
  lettering and the outlines of figures, and
  couching or laid work for filling in figures. The
  linen is assembled in panels and has been patched
  in numerous places.
• The main yarn colors are terracotta or russet,
  blue-green, dull gold, olive green, and blue,
  with small amounts of dark blue or black and sage
  green. Later repairs are worked in light yellow,
  orange, and light greens. Laid yarns are couched
  in place with yarn of the same or contrasting
  color.

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Detail showing outlines in stem or outline
stitch and fillings in laid work.
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Harold comes to Normandy
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1070-1080 C.E.

• The Bayeux Tapestry (French Tapisserie de
  Bayeux) is a 20-in. by 230 ft. long embroidered
  cloth which depicts the events leading up to the
  1066 Norman invasion of England as well as the
  events of the invasion itself. The Tapestry is
  annotated in Latin. It is presently exhibited in
  a special museum in Bayeux, Normandy, France.

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A star with hair then appears Halley's Comet.
The first appearance of the comet would have been
24 April, nearly four months after Harold's
coronation. Comets, in the beliefs of the Middle
Ages, warned of impending doom.
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Durham Cathedral was built in
the late 11th and early 12th centuries to house
the relics of St Cuthbert (evangelizer of
Northumbria) and the Venerable Bede. It attests
to the importance of the early Benedictine
monastic community and is the largest and finest
example of Norman architecture in England. The
innovative audacity of its vaulting foreshadowed
Gothic architecture. Behind the cathedral stands
the castle, an ancient Norman fortress which was
the residence of the prince-bishops of Durham.
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DurhamCathedralaerial view
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Durham Cathedral Cloister
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