The transition from Romanesque architecture to Gothic architecture can be attributed to a simple reason and that is wealth. Throughout Europe near the end of the Romanesque era there was large growth in towns and in turn a large growth in trade. Places such as Germany had rapid growth in their populace and economy and this encouraged trading with other towns. When it came to relations with other towns there was also a sense of competition and they showed this by building huge Gothic building that only got more grander. These buildings were a sign of pride and wealth for a town and each town was basically saying mine is bigger than yours. Places like England and France were still ruled by Kings so their buildings were often built for their leaders unlike in other towns where they were more for the town as a whole. The evolution from Romanesque architecture to Gothic architecture shows mans ability to grow and innovate and create new and better ways to build structures as well as the artistic brilliance of man. Romanesque architecture combines features of Byzantine and Roman buildings. The buildings often have very thick walls with large round arches in doorways and as supports. There are also large towers and arcades with great detail located throughout the buildings. Most of the layouts for the buildings were very symmetrical and often appeared very simplistic especially when compared to later Gothic styles. Most windows were small and did not allow a lot of light into the buildings so they were often dimly lit. A great example of Romanesque architecture is the Piazza dei Miracoli which use to be known as Piaxxa del Duomo and is located in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy. It is inside a large walled off area and is considered one of th... ... middle of paper ... ...manesque architecture to Gothic architecture shows mans ability to grow and innovate and create new and better ways to build structures as well as the artistic brilliance of man. Building such as the York Minster and Notre-Dame show a beautiful architectural style that is not only aesthetically pleasing but is structurally sound using innovative techniques of the time. The evolution of the rounded arch to the pointed arch as well as reducing the amount of ribs and tiers needed to build these structures shows great progress. The progress is also represented by the populace and economical growth of the time and the desire to create grander and more majestic buildings than other towns or kingdoms. The Gothic style was a step forward for architecture and help make way for styles such as Renaissance, Baroque, and many others that evolved to what architecture is today.
Taller than the ancient pyramids in Egypt, large enough to hold the statue of liberty. 100 pounds of weightless stones, heavy enough to hold the Empire state building are the Great Cathedrals (PBS, 2011). Intrigued by the beauty in structure but puzzled by the very construction, without technology for building purposes has researchers mind wondering. In reference to the NOVA program, building of Gothic cathedral begin as a race of height, which over time this plan backfired because of the recent architectural discoveries in the foundation. The NOVA program pointed out that in this race of constructing the tallest building wasn’t the only concern between two rivalry cities in Europe; it purpose was recognized as a scared space for spiritual reasoning to bring ordinary someone closer to God (PBS, 2011).
This carried on in to the 18th century where more and more people dabbled in the gothic style with out a full understanding of how gothic architecture worked as a structural system. They confused stages of the gothic period, which were later defined by Thomas Rickman in is writing, and also used Classical forms such as pilaster and venetian windows. Many interiors were of a classical form a layout and some times other style were thrown in. Some gothic forms were even used on the exterior of building where they didn’t perform the function they were meant to. This shows how little the architects of the 18th century studied the mediaeval and how little they understood it.
The term “gothic” comes from the name of the Germanic tribes “the Goths”, who were seen as barbarians, uncivilized, savage human beings. Later, the term was used to describe an architectural style that appeared in the Twelfth Century in Western Europe , and also to illustrate a new type of novel issued in Romanticism, in the second part of the Eighteenth Century.
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...
In the late 12th century the Romanesque period of style morphed into the Gothic period of style. The Romanesque period was characterized by the following: thick walls, barrel/round arches, supporting groin vaults, and thick buttresses (Calkins 1998, 110). The Gothic period was characterized by the following: thin walls, pointed arches, stained glass, and flying buttresses (Icher 1998, 20-30). During the early medieval years, the use of thick walls in building a church or cathedral was not only to create a stable monumental building but to help protect the building during wars or battles. Building thick stone walls also helped protect the building from “incendiarism” which tended to happen frequently when older wooden churches were under attack (Fitchen 1981, 42-6). The seemingly smooth transition between the two periods can easily be seen with the change of using barrel arches to using pointed arches in cathedral architecture. By transitioning from barrel arches to pointed arches, cathedral builders were able to create greater support for cathedral roofs while conserving stone, reducing the sizes of buttresses and walls, and they also created a new meaning to what churches symbolized.
The start of the word Gothic and the architectural style that has this word in it comes from the Goths. The Goths were a barbaric tribe who held power in various regions of Europe. Between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire and therefore around the 5th to the 8th century. They had two branches, the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths. On the contrary, even though the style is called “Gothic architecture”, the Goths were not known for great achievements in architecture.
The Gothic style evolved from that of Romanesque, building on concepts and ideas that led to the creation of larger and grander structures. Today, mankind looks in awe at the structures that were built hundreds of years ago without the assistance of modern technology and equipment. These architectural styles are indisputably different, but equally profound. They made use of differing techniques to become tangible structures that can still be seen
The Romanesque and Gothic architecture period both occurred during the Middle Ages with the Gothic period taking place during the later half. Gothic and Romanesque architecture were related in many ways, but they also contrasted in style too. Over time, masons began to test the waters and push the limits. They thought of new ways to add lighting and ways to allow more height to the building without it being to heavy and weak. Many of the reasons for the change in styles had a lot to do with society and the changes it faced. There was a greater intensity occurring in piety and literature. The Gothic style embodied this new urban society. Romanesque and Gothic shared similar characteristics, but Gothic architecture was a greater departure from its previous predecessor.
Romanesque, as its name might suggest, was inspired by Roman architecture, particularly the ruins scattered all over Europe. It was the first international artistic style since the Roman Empire fell. The main component of Roman architecture was the rounded arch, which was very important in Romanesque cathedrals. Since round arches exert pressure both down and out, they need a lot of support. Therefore Romanesque churches had thick walls to carry the weight of the ceiling.
The building is a combination of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, also including certain greek elements. Overall, this building
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
Gothic Literature has been around since the 13th century and was a huge part of literature then as it still is today. When gothic literature came about in was mainly focused on decay, death, and terror. Then later on in the eighteenth-nineteenth century it started to grow more into more of historical, sociological and psychological contexts.
Thesis: Both St. John the Baptist Cathedral and Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Chartres are constructed in French Gothic style which means that architecturally they have many similarities. However, the 700 year gap between their construction offers St. John the Baptist more flexibility in design and style. Still, their likeness and variations extend far beyond the realm of their design.
In the Florence Cathedral, Florence, Italy, there is a cathedral church whose octagonal dome, built without the aid of scaffolding, was considered the greatest engineering feat of the early Renaissance. Dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, Our Lady of the Flower, it is also known as the Duomo, after the Italian word for cathedral. Created by many great Early Modern artists, this piece of architecture is a perfect example the Renaissance style. We can come to a better understanding of why this is so by exploring what the characteristics of the Renaissance “style”. To understand the properties of the Florence Cathedral that fit the Early Modern style, I will begin with a description and its history. The cathedral's architectural style, although greatly influenced by French Gothic elements remained distinctively Florentine, especially the geometric patterns of red, green, and white marble on the building's exterior. Construction of the cathedral began in 1294 on the site of a Christian church founded in the 6th or 7th century and continued until 1436. Several celebrated Italian architects were involved in the project, including Giotto, Arnolfo di Cambio, Andrea Orcagna, and, most notably, Filippo Brunelleschi, who was responsible for designing and building the dome. The cathedral's exterior is ornamented with sculpture and mosaics by Italian artists Donatello, Nanni di Banco, and Domenico Ghirlandaio, among others. The building's stained-glass windows are the work of the Italian architect and artist Lorenzo Ghiberti, and the interior is decorated with sculpture and fresco paintings by several Renaissance masters. Construction of the campanile (bell tower), situated to the right of the entrance to the Duomo, was begun by Giotto and completed according to his plans in 1359, after his death. Nearly 278 ft high, the campanile is embellished with red, green, and white marble panels of relief sculpture by Italian artists Andrea Pisano and Luca della Robbia, and niches with sculpted figures by Donatello and other masters. Facing the cathedral and campanile is a smaller, octagonal structure, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, noted for its gilt-bronze doors, elaborately worked in high relief by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti. With that background information about the cathedral, one question comes to mind: what is it that makes the Renaissance style distinct? Renaissa...
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.