Romanesque art, pp. 169-179

Architecture:

elements of Romanesque arch.: the round arch; barrel vault; groin vault Pilgrimage and relics: new architecture for a different function of the church (Toulouse) Cloister Sculpture: revival of stone sculpture sculpted portals Roman and Romanesque Architecture

The word “Romanesque” (Roman-like) was applied in the 19th century to describe western European architecture between the 10th and the mid- 12th centuries

Interior of Saint- Sernin, Toulouse, France, ca. 1070- 1120 4 Features of Roman- like Architecture:

1. round arches 2. use of stone 3. monumentality 4. and barrel vaults Interior of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France, ca. Romanesque Architecture 1070-1120

Historical background - Aftermath of 2 historical phenomena: 1) The year 1000 (the world had not ended) 2) The split between the Western (Roman) and the Byzantine (Orthodox) Churches in 1054 Now the Roman Church consolidated its religious and political power in Western Europe Ubiquitous construction of monumental cult buildings was a way to emphasize the presence and power of the church

Santa Sabina, Compare and contrast: Early Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, Rome, 422-432 Christian vs. Romanesque France, ca. 1070-1120

Stone barrel-vault vs. timber-roofed ceiling

massive piers vs. classical columns

scarce light vs. abundance of windows

volume vs. space size Map of the Pilgrimage roads to Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage church:

between the 11th and 12th cent. there is a sharp increase in the phenomena of the veneration of relics and pilgrimage Relic: is a part of a deceased holy person's body or belongings kept as an object of reverence Pilgrimage:a journey to a place associated with particularly important relics

Great shrines like Toulouse arose as important way stations en route to Santiago 2) Longer and wider transepts Pilgrimage Church: and ambulatories with 1) longer and wider naves and aisles to host additional chapels, which masses of pilgrims hosted relics pilgrims did not seat in the church’s nave as in the old basilicas, they rather walked through the church’s to venerate its relics

Plan of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France, ca. 1070-1120 Technical problems:

nave’s barrel vault The Roman art of was buttressed by vaulting demanded the groin vaults of technical knowledge the lower aisles which had largely been lost

which carried strong arches (ribs)

Romanesque architects built tremendous pillars on both sides Where is this Medieval monastery? Cuxa Cloister, mid-12th century The Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe Cloister architecture (and sculpture)

Cloister: Centre of the monastery’s architectural ensemble, the cloister consists of a quadrilateral yard and surrounded on all sides by covered passageways linking the major monastic buildings These galleries are open onto the yard through arcades The term cloister is derived from the Latin claustrum, which meant lock The cloister has been described as a ‘monastery within the monastery’

Cloister of the abbey church of Saint-Pierre, Moissac,France,1100

the Cloister (enclosed place) to the monks’ ideal of spiritual life shut away from the world, Capitals of cloisters’ columns were the first form of medieval sculpture revival Central portal, Saint-Trophime, Arles (Provence), France, mid-12th Romanesque Sculpture century

With Romanesque art: new beginnings in large-scale sculpture Romanesque sculpture is firmly tied to architecture Therefore, it mainly appeared in the form of a relief Central portal, Saint-Trophime, Arles (Provence), France, mid-12th century Sculpture was an effective answer to Romanesque militant Church’s need to communicate to the illiterate crowd of pilgrims Arles is in Provence: - pilgrims’ main passage to Santiago -core of what once was Roman Gaul, main entrance of the church: Christian version of the Triumphal Arch By passing under its sculpted relief, the visitor would symbolically receive and accept the Christian message The main relief: Christ in glory is surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists Formal analysis: We must not expect such sculptures to look natural and graceful as classical works They are all the more impressive because of their massive solemnity: - easier to understand - fit in with the sense of volume of the whole building - they are symbols = they don’t represent something visible (the lion is not a lion) on the lintel: the Twelve Apostles as watershed: Christ Judge and the Evangelists are the apex of a complex representation of the Last Judgment

Saved on Christ’s right, their faces Damned in the turned towards Saints draped in flames of Hell: Christ Naked figures classical garb in chains You will die and Christ will judge you

Only the Church can save You can be you, and its saints are those You can go who can intercede for you damned in the to heaven when your soul will stand flames of Hell before the ultimate Judge