Full of Frets posted: " Romanesque Church By some standards, I am somewhat odd in that I have an interest in many subjects. Some areas I have read widely and have a great deal of knowledge of them, music and astronomy being two examples. There are many other areas of interes" The 61st Orbit
By some standards, I am somewhat odd in that I have an interest in many subjects. Some areas I have read widely and have a great deal of knowledge of them, music and astronomy being two examples. There are many other areas of interest where my knowledge and understanding is less deep, but significantly more than average 'man-in-the-street'. Examples of this include art, art history, history, architecture etc.
Barrel Vaults
This last week I attended a workshop day on Romanesque art and architecture. The event was live in -person at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London. The day was in three parts. The first was a lecture given by an expert overviewing the subject. The second was a curated guided tour of a gallery, and the third was a curated session handling artefacts from the period.
Depending on who you're talking to, Romanesque as a term can cover the period from about 850 to 1200 CE or 1050 to 1200 CE. The latter was the view of this workshop. I think part of the reason for the disparity of dates is it depends where you are: ideas in medieval times percolated slowly. Certainly by the C11th it was 'common' across for example France, Germany, and England.
Durham Cathedral
Many in the UK will be less familiar with the term 'Romanesque' and will be more used to the term 'Norman' since it was the style brought over and implemented by the Normans when they started building churches, monasteries, cathedrals etc after the conquest in 1066.
The term 'Romanesque' is relatively recent, dating to the C19th. As implied it refers to the architectural style being Roman in nature. Very specifically, the use of the round-headed semi-circular arch supported by pillars or piers. When used to create buildings, the roof will be barrel vaulted.
The Romanesque style is not common in the UK, the reason being that many of the great surviving churches and cathedrals were either built a little later when Gothic architecture had taken over, or they were re-modelled in later styles.
One great example of Romanesque architecture in England though is Durham cathedral. In some cathedrals and churches you will see mixed styles – one part Romanesque, a later addition Gothic or Perpendicular etc. Durham is unusual in that the main structure is almost entirely Romanesque. Examples where it is more mixed include Canterbury, Gloucester, and Ely cathedrals.
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