romanesque architecture as a kind of typeface

Above late romanesque, the Pisa cathedral (behind, the Pisa tower),

What do we see?

1. exterior and interior elements focus on order, unity, readability, and monumentality.
2. the style reaches churches, monasteries, town houses, farm houses, and castles!
3. the material is masonry. why? fire prevention. wooden ceilings,

 santa maria cosmedin, rome, 9th century

4. round arches are a major hit & people loved them! 

 basilica st. procopius, Trebic

5. archivolts which are arch moldings,

now that you know the parts, look at this beauty:

 church of st. pierre moisac, 11th century

sculptors competed to get a hand on these projects! the execution is amazing (and of course anonymous). 

6. parts to remember, from top to bottom of a Romanesque church: the tower, a few clustered columns, a parapet, then images of religious figures, some round arches, a tympanum with sculpture, and finally a central entrance next to flanking side entrances.

characteristics: 1. massive solidity and strength (as above). 

 2. early romanesque employed rubble walls, 

 

i.e., irregular stone facade, smaller windows and unvaulted roofs. late romanesque exhibits a refinement with increased use dressed stone and more elaborate vaults. 

3. romanesque uses barrel and groin vault. barrel vault goes back to eguypt and persia, but again, greece & rome). groin vaults are roman and disappeared until rescued again in caroligian architecture. why? they looked elegant & ponderous. 

                                                                (barrel) temple of jupiter, croacia,

 

                                                            santa maria cremini, venice

4. capitals are late corinthian,  why corinthian? the Corinthian capital is essentially round at the bottom (where it sits on a circular column) and square at the top, where it supports the wall or arch. it was achieved by cutting a rectangular block and taking the four lower corners off at an angle so that the block was square at the top, but octagonal at the bottom. this shape lent itself to a wide variety of superficial foliate treatments!

                                                                (groin) grande sauvy abbey, france

 

                                                            capitel from the Pisa tower, 

5. arches are nearly always semicircular, for openings such as doors and windows,

6. plan: most churches have the romanesque plan and were changed afterwards. 

is this half uncial circa 9th century AD (the majuscule becomes -as it was- compressed by gravity) not similar to romanesque?  

 

doesn't this floor plan reminds you of a "T" plus the catedra?

the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela plan has an expansive appearance. 

santiago was the most significant pilgrimage site in Europe. The narthex (antechamber to the entrance), the aisles (passage bet.rows), the large aisled transepts and numerous projecting chapels reflect this. the chancel (near the altar) is short and the altar set so as to provide clear view to a vast congregation simultaneously.