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Compare gothic and romanesque architecture
History of ancient and medieval architecture
Compare gothic and romanesque architecture
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Romanesque vs. Gothic
The Romanesque style of architecture includes the 8th- 12th centuries in France.
Romanesque internal features: During the Romanesque period, they had wooden roofs. Also, the Romanesque people incorporated features such as the three-story wooden-roofed churches, which originated in the Ottonian era. Piers and columns became a popular feature during this period. Figure 12-3, Saint Cyriakus at Gernrode is a great example of the timber-roof, three-story, and piers and column features that were common in Romanesque architecture.
Beginning in the 11th century was stone vaulting. It was a defining feature of Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture and became popular because it was fireproof and wouldn’t burn down like the timber roofs did. The architects replaced the timber roofs of the churches with barrel vaults in the nave and groin vaults in the aisles.
Romanesque external features: The exterior features that define this period are thick walls, round arches, groin vaults, large towers, and simplicity. There is
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Gothic internal features: Ribbed vaults on pointed arches, stained glass windows. The churches were illuminated with mystical light streaming through huge colored-glass windows.
Distinguishing a Gothic church from a Romanesque externally isn’t all that difficult. The name “Gothic” kind of say it all. Gothic churches exterior look was very gothic and as the book says, “monstrous and barbarous.”
Gothic external features: Lofty masonry rib vaults, pointed arches, flying buttresses. The height of the structures increased. The Gothic rib vaults distinguishing feature is the crossed arch under its groins. Rose windows flourished during this period. The figure 13-8, Laon Cathedral, includes the typical gothic features of the rose window, deep porches in front of doorways, and the open structure of the towers. All these features were strict
It’s the tenth of June in the year 1194. In a few hours’ time, the people of Chartres, France will awaken to the sound of crackling flames and the smell of thick, black smoke. This is the night that much of Chartres will burn to the ground, but the devastation will also include the destruction of the Notre-Dame de Chartres church. While some parts of the church have survived even to the present day, much of the original structure was consumed or severely damaged (Harriss). In this paper, I will be showing the key differences between the Romanesque and Gothic styles respectively, and how the existing Romanesque churches were converted to the new style.
This work is typical for this era because the architectural style Gothic is known for its height being tall and made from stone and tall flying buttress...
High small windows, arched ceilings and solid stone walls are also typical for the gothic architecture, these characteristics makes the building cold, dark and forbidding; for example, the text says about the castle in Transylvania that "The Count halted, putting ...
The principle behind the Gothic style was to reach greater interior heights. However, “medieval churches had solid stone vaults (the structure that supports the ceiling or roof). These were extremely heavy structures and tended to push the walls outward, which could lead to the collapse of the building. In turn, walls had to be heavy and thick enough to bear the weight of the stone vaults,” (“Gothic Art and Architecture”). Thus, the taller buildings such a churches would be more expensive to build and look bulky and ungainly, which doesn’t quite fit the style the clergy were aiming for. In response to this problem, master masons of the medieval period developed the iconic ribbed vault. This newly developed ribbed vault had several interesting characteristics. A ribbed vault was the conjunction of two or more barrel vaults. The vault itself was a collection of stone ribs traversing the vaulted ceiling and transporting the weight onto the ribs themselves. Also, instead of the traditional round arches, pointed arches were used. This gave the ceiling of Gothic buildings a light and more versatile look (Martindale). Not only did these ribbed vaults bring a (somewhat) unique look to cathedrals, they also served an incredibly vital part in the architectural design of Gothic structures. The Gothic structures’ “new arrangement significantly reduced the weight (and thus the outward thrust) of the ceiling vault,” which reduced the constant danger of collapse and cracking for the thick Romanesque walls when they tried to reach taller heights (“Gothic Architecture”). The ribs also “transmitted [weight] along a distinct stone rib, rather than along a continuous wall edge, and could be channeled from the rib to other supports, such as vertical piers or flying buttresses, which eliminated the need for solid, thick walls,” (“Gothic
I found it very interesting the differences in style between the Romanesque and the Gothic cathedral. The Romanesque churches had a style that had rounded arches with small windows. Their exterior was contain little decoration and the atmosphere was dark. Whereas, the Gothic style of church had pointed arches with large windows that were stained with bright colors. The mood was very bright and filled with
You may think today “Hey, I totally wonder sometimes what the Middle Ages Churches and Gothic Medieval Cathedrals where like. What were they important for? Were they Churches like the ones today? How long did it take to build? “ Well that may be SOME of the questions you may have but you may have more. In this essay you're about to find out why the Medieval Gothic Cathedrals were so important for, and how much rule and and wide range of power they had over the people in the Middle Ages, and last but NOT least, the creative sublime (I’ll delete this comment later on if you see this but “sublime” is my own words not internet word) of the Gothic style windows of the Cathedral. First, the one I like most, the Gothic stain glass windows of the Gothic Cathedral. Stained glass is argued to an opinion or belief, one of the most important aspects of Gothic cathedrals. As its popularity rose, mainly during the mid 12th century, the increased existence of stained glass presented large changes to the way the general residents were learning about the religion. The windows became illuminated optic (“Optic” is my own wording) talk of biblical stories, which may have had an even greater impact than the spoken word of the priest. In this research paper, I will be primarily focusing on the stained glass windows and architectural styles employed in five Gothic buildings in France, each having their own unique and worthy attention and characteristics to the development of stained glass windows. By looking at the architectural improvements shown in these structures built during the Gothic time frame, we are able to see the impact all over the place to itch for increase...
The Gothic Period in the twelfth century influenced the creation of Gothic Revival Architecture in the nineteenth century. Gothic architecture began in France in 1140. Some of the first buildings made using this style are the Basilica of Saint Denis and the Cathedral of Sens. (Gothic Architecture By Paul Frank) This style of architecture started losing popularity in the early sixteenth century, but did not die out completely during this time period. Gothic architecture was still predominantly in cathedrals and churches. The rise of Romanticism began in the eighteenth century–leading to an awareness and increased interest of the Middle Ages, specifically interest in church architecture. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_Revival_architecture) Thus, Gothic Revival Architecture was created. When admirers of neo-Gothic styles wanted to revive medieval Gothic architecture, Gothic Revival Architecture was created—along with many sub styles, such as Polychrome Brick Gothic and Carpenter Gothic in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The church in the Middle Ages was a place that all people, regardless of class, could belong to. As a source of unity, its influence on art and architecture was great during this time. As society drew away from the feudal system of the Romanesque period, a new spirit of human individualism began to take hold; alas, the birth of Gothic. Here, the Church became a place where humanity became more acceptable, alas becoming the ideal place to visual such new ideals. The beauty and elegance of Gothic architecture is depicted most in the great cathedrals of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries—St. Denis, Notre Dame, Chartres, Salisbury, Durham, Amiens, and more. The experience of looking at one of the great gothic cathedrals is to look up towards God. Indeed, most Gothic structures emphasize the vertical, drawing one’s eyes upwards toward the heavens with the awesomeness of God. These cathedrals were built with towering spires, pointed arches and flying buttresses giving impressions of harmony and luminosity. One of the major accomplishments of the 12th and 13th centuries was to develop the engineering mastery of the ribbed vault, pointed arch and flying buttress to create a great cathedral that is at once taller, lighter, wider, and more elegant than the ones before. Even though the pointed arch could support more weight than its predecessors, there was still the problem of finding a way to support the heavy masonry ceiling vaults over wide spans. In order to support the outward thrust of barrel vaults, vertical support walls have to be very thick and heavy. What makes possible the extensive use of ribbed vaulting and pointed arches to “open” and “lighten” the walls and space of the cathedral is the flying buttress—“an arched bridge above the aisle roof that extends from the upper nave wall, where the lateral thrust of the main vault is greatest, down to a solid pier.”
This style of architecture first emerged in northern France around 1140. It started with the construction of great churches in Paris and evolved to more greater height, light, and volume. Later on, they used gothic architecture for secular buildings like castles, palaces, bridges, city walls, and gates. In England, two highly important buildings: Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey were created using Gothic architecture.
This style was one of the first to utilize almost entirely stone for its construction. The Gothic style followed, originating in France during the 12th century. It was widely used across Europe until the end of the 16th century. These architectural concepts differ in three fundamental areas: arch construction, buttress style, and type of vaulting. Structures built under the Romanesque category are generally dark and solemn, with little decoration on their exteriors.
There was a greater intensity occurring in piety and literature. The Gothic style embodies this new urban society. Romanesque and Gothic shared similar characteristics, but Gothic architecture was a greater departure from its previous predecessor. The Romanesque architecture style, which occurred during the late 11th century to the middle 12th century, literally means “roman-like” architecture. The Romans, who were inspired by the Etruscans, used barreled and groined vaulting.
I chose two cathedrals for my post, the Durham Cathedral and the Chartres Cathedral. The Durham Cathedral, my example of Romanesque architecture, was built from local sandstone in 1087-1133 CE (the east wing was replaced in 1242) and is currently located in Nothern England. The Gothic style structure, the Chartres Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral of Notre-Dame), was mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220 CE due to a fire causing it to be rebuilt. Assembled utilizing limestone, this colossal structure is currently located in France and is known for it’s strikingly beautiful stained-glass windows. These structures share a few similarities, like their ribbed groin vaults (the crossing segments on the ceiling of the hallways), the high-placed windows as well as their huge circular window that were added to provide light and a
Another difference separating the two were that Romanesque style buildings had limited light whereas Gothic cathedrals were flooded with natural light. The architectural reason for this was due to the walls being made primarily out of stained glass. This was now achievable with the Gothic design because of the flying buttresses that supported the walls from the outside of the building. Thus making the three most defining characteristics of the Gothic style, that differ it from Romanesque to be the ribbed vault, the flying buttress and the pointed arch.
There were two main types of architecture during the middle ages, the Romanesque style and the Gothic style. The Romanesque period took place approximately between 1096 and 1270 (the eleventh and twelfth centuries) and the Gothic period took place approximately between 1150 and 1450 (the thirteenth through the fifteenth centuries) (Bersson 383). Evidence of both styles of architecture emerged throughout Europe. The political landscape had changed and the Christian church provided a measure of unity throughout the centuries of this medieval era (Stalley 13).
Gothic architecture, though also used in secular buildings, is most associated with the great cathedrals of Europe. The Basilica of Saint Denis is a large medieval abbey church on the outskirts of Paris, France. The building is of significant importance historically and architecturally because it is considered to be the first Gothic church ever built. The building of gothic cathedrals grew as design techniques progressed. Over time, as new techniques combined with new materials, cathedral architecture increased in complexity and sophistication into a recognizable gothic style.