Romanesque Art During the 11th and 12th centuries thousands of ecclesiastical buildings were remodeled (even when not necessary) or newly built, an expression.

Romanesque Art During the 11th and 12th centuries thousands of ecclesiastical buildings were remodeled (even when not necessary) or newly built, an expression of relief that the conclusion of the first Christian millennium in 1000 had not brought an end to the world as many had feared. Raoul Glaber, a monk, said “It was as if the whole earth, having cast off the old by shaking itself were clothing itself everywhere in the white robe of the church.” Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights.

Romanesque Art ARCHITECTURE groin vault
Bay A part of a building set off by vertical elements such as columns. Buttress An exterior masonry structure that opposes the lateral thrust of an arch or a vault. Campanile A bell tower of a church, usually, but not always, freestanding. Choir The space reserved for clergy and singers in the church, usually east of the transept but in some cases extending into the nave. compound pier A pier with a group of attached shafts, or responds. Crossing The area where the transept and nave cross. diaphragm arch A transverse, wall-bearing arch that divides a vault into compartments, providing a kind of firebreak. groin vault Two barrel vaults intersecting at a right angle. radiating chapel Semicircular chapels opening onto an ambulatory around the choir. rib vault A vault in which the diagonal and transverse ribs compose a structural skeleton that partially supports the masonry web between them. sexpartite vault A vault whose ribs divide the vault into six compartments. transverse arch An arch separating one vaulted bay from the next. tribune Upper gallery over the aisle opening onto the nave.

Slide concept by William V
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights.

Ribs are supporting arches attached to vaults.
A common experience made the use of stone vaults so important to Romanesque builders was the threat of fire, which was common, as well as a desire to provide a suitably majestic setting for the display of relics. An advantage stone vaults had over wooden roofs was that they enhanced acoustics for the Christian liturgy and music. The Romanesque church of Saint-Etienne at Vignory had a wooden ceiling like those found in Ottonian basilicas. Ribs are supporting arches attached to vaults. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. interior of Saint Etienne Vignory, France ca

Three pilgrimage churches that had similar plans:
Modifications made in Romanesque churches to accommodate the large crowds: They were built at a larger scale. The length of the nave was increased. The side aisles were doubled. A transept, ambulatory, and radiating chapels were added. Three pilgrimage churches that had similar plans: Saint-Sernin at Toulouse Saint James at Santiago de Compostela Saint Martin at Tours Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. plan of Saint Etienne Vignory, France ca

Each nave bay measures exactly one-half of the crossing square.
Two features of Romanesque interiors that illustrate the modular design of the plan: Each nave bay measures exactly one-half of the crossing square. Each aisle bay measures exactly one-quarter of the crossing square. The interior bays were marked on the exterior with buttresses. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Saint Philbert nave vaults Tournus, France ca. 1060

Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France ca. 1070-1120
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France ca

Plan of Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France ca. 1070-1120
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Saint-Sernin’s plan resembles those of the churches of Saint James and Saint Martin. The builders provided additional space for curious pilgrims, worshipers, and liturgical processions alike. They increased the length of the nave, doubled the side aisles, attached a series of radiating chapels. Plan of Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France ca

Interior of Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. To protect the church from fire the builders placed a semicircular stone barrel vault below the timber-roofed loft. The geometric floor plan is reflected in the nave walls. The engaged columns rise from the bottom of the compound peirs to the vaults springing and continue across the nave as transverse arches. Interior of Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France ca

Pilgrims were the primary economic and conceptual catalyst for Romanesque art and architecture.
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. To protect the church from fire the builders placed a semicircular stone barrel vault below the timber-roofed loft. The geometric floor plan is reflected in the nave walls. The engaged columns rise from the bottom of the compound peirs to the vaults springing and continue across the nave as transverse arches. Nave of Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France ca

Nave of Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France ca. 1070-1120
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. To protect the church from fire the builders placed a semicircular stone barrel vault below the timber-roofed loft. The geometric floor plan is reflected in the nave walls. The engaged columns rise from the bottom of the compound peirs to the vaults springing and continue across the nave as transverse arches. Nave of Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France ca

The largest Romanesque church in Europe was Cluny III
Hugh of Semur was willing to pay the huge expense of building the largest church of its day (Cluny III) because the construction of beautiful churches and the dedication of luxurious reliquaries was equated with piety, and many felt a magnificent setting for the Christian liturgy was a fitting tribute to the Lord. In response, the Cistercian monks, a split-off from the Cluniac order, rejected worldly extravagance and created austere churches. Fontenay has a square east end, without ambulatory or chapels. The walls have no ornament, and even the column capitals are plain. They used pointed arches because they required less buttressing on the sides of the building. The largest Romanesque church in Europe was Cluny III Fontenay Abbey East side of the abbey: dormitory and church. Model of the third abbey church ("Cluny III"), Cluny, France, Musée du Farinier, Cluny, France.

The groin vault offered a solution to this problem.
The main drawback of barrel vaulting was lighting. A clerestory was difficult to construct due to the great outward thrust the barrel vaults exerted along their length. The groin vault offered a solution to this problem. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Speyer Cathedral in the German Rhineland is an early example of groin vaults used over a nave. The church was begun in 1030 and was the burial place of the Holy Roman Emperors. Speyer was also the seat of the powerful local bishop. Interior of Speyer Cathedral Speyer,Germany begun 1030 nave vaults ca

The German cathedral of Speyer the groin vault was combined with the alternate-support system

Plan of Speyer Cathedral Speyer, Germany
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Speyer Cathedral is a timber-roofed structure. The nave is 45 ft wide and crowns of the vaults are 170 ft high. The builders used crossing, covered by an octagonal dome, as the module for the arrangement of the buildings east end. Plan of Speyer Cathedral Speyer, Germany begun 1030

It retains the Early Christian feature of an atrium
The most important Romanesque church in Lombardy Italy is Sant’Ambrogio in Milan. It retains the Early Christian feature of an atrium Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Of the façade bell towers the shorter one dates back to the tenth century while the taller north campanile is a twelfth century addition. The main vaults are slightly domical, rising higher than the transverse arches. The emphatic alternate support system perfectly reflects the plans geometric regularity. Aerial view of Sant’ Ambrogio Milan, Italy late eleventh to early twelfth century

Sant'Ambrogio's three-aisled church lacks a transept
The building has square bays and is vaulted with groin vaults, which create a domical effect Sant'Ambrogio's three-aisled church lacks a transept Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Sant’ Ambrogio is three aisled and without transept. Each bay consists of full square in the nave flanked by two small squares in each aisle, all covered with groin vaults. An octagonal dome covers the last bay, its windows providing the major light source for the otherwise rather dark interior. Plan of Sant’ Ambrogio Milan, Italy late eleventh to early twelfth century

Interior of Sant’ Ambrogio Milan, Italy
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. This church erected in honor of Saint Ambrose, Milans first bishop. It has an atrium in the early Christian tradition. A two-story narthex pierced by arches on both levels, two bell towers joined to the building, and over towers of German churches. Interior of Sant’ Ambrogio Milan, Italy late eleventh to early twelfth century

Italian proportions are low and broad and remain close to those of Early Christian basilicas. German churches aim for verticality and soaring height. Aerial view of Sant’ Ambrogio Milan, Italy late eleventh to early twelfth century Speyer Cathedral, Speyer, Germany, begun 1030; ca

Tall towers are integrated into the west front of Saint-Étienne, Caen
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. This church was begun by William of Normandy in 1067 and must have advanced rapidly, as he was buried there in 1087. Saint-Etiennes west façade is a striking design rooted in the tradition of Carolingian and Ottonian westworks , but it displays the increased rationalism of Romanesque architecture. The three story elevation, with its large arched openings, provides more light into the interior. West façade of Saint-Etienne Caen, France begun 1067, ca

Interior of Saint-Etienne (nave) Caen, France
The nave of St. Étienne at Caen has a light and airy feeling. What structural features that made this possible were: Compound piers with simple engaged half- columns alternating with piers with half- columns attached to pilasters, allowing for sexpartite vaults. These vaults rise high enough to allow for a clerestory. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The diagonal and transverse ribs compose a structural skeleton that partially supports the still fairly massive paneling between them. These vaults rise high enough to provide room for an efficient clerestory. The original design called for a wooden roof until the groin vaults were introduced. Interior of Saint-Etienne (nave) Caen, France ca

Interior of Saint-Etienne (elevation) Caen, France
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The diagonal and transverse ribs compose a structural skeleton that partially supports the still fairly massive paneling between them. These vaults rise high enough to provide room for an efficient clerestory. The original design called for a wooden roof until the groin vaults were introduced. Interior of Saint-Etienne (elevation) Caen, France ca

Slightly pointed arches.
Two key elements of Gothic architecture were combined for the first time in the vaults of Durham Cathedral. Rib vaults. Slightly pointed arches. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. In architecture, it signaled the importation of French Romanesque building and design methods. It was begun around 1093, in the generation following the Norman conquest, and is the centerpiece of a monastery, cathedral, and fortified-castle complex on the Scottish frontier. The church’s vaulted interior which predates that of the remodeled Saint-Etienne at Caen, retains its original severe Romanesque appearance. Interior of Durham Cathedral Durham, England begun ca. 1093

Interior of Durham Cathedral Durham, England
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. In architecture, it signaled the importation of French Romanesque building and design methods. It was begun around 1093, in the generation following the Norman conquest, and is the centerpiece of a monastery, cathedral, and fortified-castle complex on the Scottish frontier. The church’s vaulted interior which predates that of the remodeled Saint-Etienne at Caen, retains its original severe Romanesque appearance. Interior of Durham Cathedral Durham, England begun ca. 1093

Plan & transverse section of Durham Cathedral Durham, England
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Durham Cathedral’s plan is typically English with its long, slender proportions. Our longitudinal section reveals that simple quadrant arches were used in place of groin vaults in the tribune. The structural descendants of the Durham quadrant arches are the flying buttresses that epitomize the mature Gothic solution to church construction “The Gothic Cathedral”. Plan & transverse section of Durham Cathedral Durham, England begun ca. 1093

Exterior of Durham Cathedral Durham, England
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. In architecture, it signaled the importation of French Romanesque building and design methods. It was begun around 1093, in the generation following the Norman conquest, and is the centerpiece of a monastery, cathedral, and fortified-castle complex on the Scottish frontier. The church’s vaulted interior which predates that of the remodeled Saint-Etienne at Caen, retains its original severe Romanesque appearance. Exterior of Durham Cathedral Durham, England begun ca. 1093

Pisa Cathedral complex Pisa, Italy
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The cathedral, its freestanding bell tower, and the baptistery, where infants and converts were initiated into the Christian community, present a rare opportunity to study a coherent group of three Romanesque buildings. Construction of Pisa Cathedral began first-in 1063, the same year work began on saints Mark’s in Venice. The cathedral is large, five aisled, and one of the most impressive and majestic of all Romanesque churches. Pisa Cathedral complex Pisa, Italy cathedral begun 1063 baptistery begun 1153 campanile begun 1174

Pisa Cathedral campanile Pisa, Italy
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The cathedral, its freestanding bell tower, and the baptistery, where infants and converts were initiated into the Christian community, present a rare opportunity to study a coherent group of three Romanesque buildings. Construction of Pisa Cathedral began first-in 1063, the same year work began on saints Mark’s in Venice. The cathedral is large, five aisled, and one of the most impressive and majestic of all Romanesque churches. Pisa Cathedral campanile Pisa, Italy begun 1174

The basic oblong basilica plan, like Old Saint Peter’s in Rome.
Three features that Pisa Cathedral shares with its Early Christian prototypes: The basic oblong basilica plan, like Old Saint Peter’s in Rome. The raised clerestory. It has a tall central nave and four shorter aisles. Four features that distinguish it from them: The broadly projecting transept. The dome crossing. Multiple arcaded galleries. Rich marble incrustation. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The interior also at first suggests the basilica, with its timber rather than vaulted ceiling and nave arcade of reused Roman columns in unbroken procession. Above the colonnade is a continuous horizontal molding, on which the gallery arcades rest. The striped walls of alternating dark green and cream-colored marble provide a luxurious polychromy that became a hallmark of Tuscan Romanesque and Gothic buildings. Interior of Pisa Cathedral Pisa, Italy cathedral begun 1063

West façade San Miniato al Monte Florence, Italy
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. It sits, as its name implies, on a hillside overlooking the Arno River and the heart of the Florence. The body of the church was completed by 1090, the gable-crowned façade during the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Even more than Pisa Cathedral, the structure recalls the Early Christian basilica in plan and elevation, although its elaborate geometric incrustation makes for a rich ornamental effects foreign to the earlier buildings. West façade San Miniato al Monte Florence, Italy 1062 and twelfth century

Two Tuscan Romanesque buildings in Florence: San Giovanni
San Miniato al Monte Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. It sits, as its name implies, on a hillside overlooking the Arno River and the heart of the Florence. The body of the church was completed by 1090, the gable-crowned façade during the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Even more than Pisa Cathedral, the structure recalls the Early Christian basilica in plan and elevation, although its elaborate geometric incrustation makes for a rich ornamental effects foreign to the earlier buildings. West façade San Miniato al Monte Florence, Italy 1062 and twelfth century

Interior of San Miniato al Monte Florence, Italy
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Though at first glance, the lowest level much resembles the patterning of Florence’s baptistery, the arcades and panels do not reflect the buildings structure. The façade’s upper levels, of much later date than the lowest level are filled capriciously with geometrical shapes that have a purely, ornamental function. The nave is divided into three equal compartments by diaphragm arches. The arches rise from compound piers and brace the rather high, thin walls. They also provide firebreaks beneath the wooden roof and compartmentalize the basilican interior in the manner so popular with most Romansque builders. Interior of San Miniato al Monte Florence, Italy 1062 and twelfth century

SCULPTURE Apocalypse Also known as the Last Judgment, when Christ separates the Blessed from the Damned, to be sent to the heavenly city or to Hell. Benedetto Antelami Northern Italian sculptor in the last quarter of the 12th century. His works include Parma Cathedral’s pulpit, monumental marble statues of two Old Testament figures he carved for the west façade of Fidenza Cathedral in the Greco-Roman tradition (sculpture in the round). Bernard of Clairvaux Cistercian monk and abbot of the monastery he founded at Clairvaux in northern Burgundy. He became a European celebrity for his eloquence, religious fervor, and religious reforming spirit, and he intervened in ecclesiastical and secular matters. He banned figurative painting in Cistercian monasteries, extending to illustrations and even illuminated initials. Declared a saint in 1174. Giselbertus Sculptor of the tympanum of the cathedral of St. Lazare, Autun. Wilgelmus Wiligelmo was the sculptor of the frieze on the Modena Cathedral that shows the creation and temptation of Adam and Eve. William of Normandy William the Conqueror; he began the church of Saint-Etienne at Caen, France and was buried there. subordination of the figure to the frame represents a principle of Romanesque sculpture

A possible prototype of the stone carving of Christ in Majesty from Saint Sernin at Toulouse was a Carolingian or Ottonian book cover. Christ in Majesty from Saint Sernin at

Christ in Majesty relief in the ambulatory of Saint-Sernin
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. We illustrate in the centerpiece of the group, the figure of Christ in Majesty. Christ sits in a mandorla, his right hand raised in blessing, his left hand resting on an open book inscribed with the words of Pax vobis. Above are the eagle of Saint John and the angel of Saint Matthew. Below are the ox of Saint Luke and the lion of Saint Mark. Bernardus Gelduinus Christ in Majesty relief in the ambulatory of Saint-Sernin Toulouse, France ca marble 4 ft. 2 in. high

Wiligelmo Creation of Adam and Eve, frieze on the west façade, Modena Cathedral Modena, Italy ca marble approximately 3 ft. high Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The segment shown illustrates the creation and temptation of Adam and Eve the theme employed almost exactly a century earlier on Bishop Bernward’s bronze doors to Saint Michael’s at Hildesheim. Christ is at the far left, framed by a mandorla held up by angels-a variation on both the motifs and the themes of the lintel at Saint Genis-des-Fontaines and the relief's of Saint-Sernin. The creation of Adam, then Eve, and the serpent’s temptation of Eve are to the right. One of the first fully developed narrative reliefs in Romanesque art appears at Modena Cathedral

Tympanum of the south portal of Saint-Pierre Moissac, France
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The vast tympanum that crowns the south portal of Saint Pierre depicts the second Coming of Christ as King and Judge of the world in its last days, a theme already alluded to at Saint Genis-des-Fontaines. As befits his majesty, the enthroned Christ is at the center, reflecting a compositional rule followed since Early Christian times. The signs of the Four Evangelists flank him. Tympanum of the south portal of Saint-Pierre Moissac, France marble ca

Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. On the trumeau’s right face is a prophet identified by some as Jeremiah, by ithers as Isaiah. Whoever the prophet is, he displays the scroll where his prophetic version is written. His position below the apparition of Christ as the apocalyptic Judge is yet another instance of the pairing of Old and New Testment themes.

Four stylistic features seen in the tympanum at Moissac:
Elongated bodies of the recording angels. Cross-legged dancing pose of Saint Matthew’s angel. Jerky, hinged movement of the Elders’ heads. Romanesque sculpture in Saint-Pierre in Moissac is characterized by animated figures, elongated bodies, and stately monumentality Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The vast tympanum that crowns the south portal of Saint Pierre depicts the second Coming of Christ as King and Judge of the world in its last days, a theme already alluded to at Saint Genis-des-Fontaines. As befits his majesty, the enthroned Christ is at the center, reflecting a compositional rule followed since Early Christian times. The signs of the Four Evangelists flank him. Christ in Majesty with angels and the Twenty-Four Elders Tympanum of the south portal of Saint-Pierre Moissac, France marble ca approximately 16 ft. 6 in. wide at base

The subject of the tympanum is The Second Coming of Christ as King and Judge of the world.
During the Romanesque period, the vision of Christ's Second Coming was often depicted on the tympanum Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The vast tympanum that crowns the south portal of Saint Pierre depicts the second Coming of Christ as King and Judge of the world in its last days, a theme already alluded to at Saint Genis-des-Fontaines. As befits his majesty, the enthroned Christ is at the center, reflecting a compositional rule followed since Early Christian times. The signs of the Four Evangelists flank him.

Christ in Majesty with angels and the Twenty-Four Elders Tympanum of the s. portal of Saint-Pierre
Moissac, France marble ca approximately 16 ft. 6 in. wide at base Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The vast tympanum that crowns the south portal of Saint Pierre depicts the second Coming of Christ as King and Judge of the world in its last days, a theme already alluded to at Saint Genis-des-Fontaines. As befits his majesty, the enthroned Christ is at the center, reflecting a compositional rule followed since Early Christian times. The signs of the Four Evangelists flank him.

Bernard of Clairvaux complained that the creatures that decorated the columns of the Moissac cloister were so plentiful and astonishing they distracted from studying the law of God; besides being absurd, they were too expensive. Lions and Old Testament prophet (Jeremiah or Isaiah?) From the trumeau of the south portal of Saint-Pierre Moissac, France ca marble approximately life-size Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. On the trumeau’s right face is a prophet identified by some as Jeremiah, by ithers as Isaiah. Whoever the prophet is, he displays the scroll where his prophetic version is written. His position below the apparition of Christ as the apocalyptic Judge is yet another instance of the pairing of Old and New Testment themes.

Cloister of Saint-Pierre Moissac, France
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The church’s cloister was decorated for the monks alone to see the medieval church cloister expresses the seclusion of the spiritual life, the vita contemplativa. It provided the monks with a foretaste of Paradise. At Moissac a timber-roofed walkway supported by piers and columns surrounds the cloister garth on four sides. Cloister of Saint-Pierre Moissac, France ca marble piers approximately 6 ft. high

Fontenay, Burgundy, France
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The church’s cloister was decorated for the monks alone to see the medieval church cloister expresses the seclusion of the spiritual life, the vita contemplativa. It provided the monks with a foretaste of Paradise. At Moissac a timber-roofed walkway supported by piers and columns surrounds the cloister garth on four sides. Abbey of Notre-Dame Fontenay, Burgundy, France

The subject of the west tympanum of Saint Lazare at Autun is The Last Judgment.
Purpose : To serve as a warning and to terrify the worshippers who passed beneath it. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The Cluniac bishop Etienne de Bage had the cathedral built, and it was consecrated in 1132. At Autun, the Judgment is in progress, announced by four trumpet-blowing angels. In the typanum’s center, far large than any other figure, is Christ, enthroned in a mandorla angel support, dispassionately presiding over the separation of the Blessed from the Damned. At the far left, an obliging angel boosts one of the Blessed into the heavenly city. Gislebertus Last Judgment (plaster cast) West tympanum of Saint-Lazare Autun, France ca marble approximately 21’ wide at base

Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The Cluniac bishop Etienne de Bage had the cathedral built, and it was consecrated in 1132. At Autun, the Judgment is in progress, announced by four trumpet-blowing angels. In the typanum’s center, far large than any other figure, is Christ, enthroned in a mandorla angel support, dispassionately presiding over the separation of the Blessed from the Damned. At the far left, an obliging angel boosts one of the Blessed into the heavenly city.

Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Another large tympanum, this one at the church of La Madeleine at Vezelay, not far from Autun, Christ foretold that the Twelve Apostles would receive the power of the Holy Spirit and became the witness of the truth of the Gospels throughout the world. The light rays emanating from Christ’s hands represent the instilling of the Holy Spirit in the apostles at the Pentecost. Ascension of Christ and Mission of the Apostles Tympanum of the center portal of the narthex of La Madeleine Vézelay, France

Influence of the Crusades on the iconography of the tympanum of Vezelay
Pope Urban II had intended to preach the launching of the First Crusade at Vezelay before the tympanum was carved in 1095; Bernard of Clairvaux called for the Second Crusade at Vezelay in 1174 and King Louis VII of France took up the cross there; King Richard the Lionheart of England and King Philip Augustus of France set out on the Third Crusade from Vezelay in The iconography of the tympanum, the Mission of the Apostles, reflected the Crusades, the “second mission of the apostles.” Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Another large tympanum, this one at the church of La Madeleine at Vezelay, not far from Autun, Christ foretold that the Twelve Apostles would receive the power of the Holy Spirit and became the witness of the truth of the Gospels throughout the world. The light rays emanating from Christ’s hands represent the instilling of the Holy Spirit in the apostles at the Pentecost.

Portal on the west façade of Saint-Trophime Arles, France
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. For the church’s western entrance, a projecting portal resembling a Roman arch was “attached” to the building’s otherwise simple façade. Strictly Christian and thematically related to other Romanesque portals already examined here. The tympanum shows Christ surrounded by the signs of the Four Evangelists. Portal on the west façade of Saint-Trophime Arles, France second third of the twelfth century

Characteristics that distinguish the style of the portal sculpture of Saint Trophime at Arles from the styles of those at Vezelay and at Autun: The figures are in high relief and emulate classical, freestanding statuary. Saints are draped in classical garb which are less agitated and show nothing of the dexterous linear play of earlier portals. The frieze above the freestanding columns resembles the sculptured fronts of Late Antique sarcophagi. Influences: The plethora of Roman ruins, art, and architecture in Provence, the “Roman Province,” in what was once Roman Gaul. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. For the church’s western entrance, a projecting portal resembling a Roman arch was “attached” to the building’s otherwise simple façade. Strictly Christian and thematically related to other Romanesque portals already examined here. The tympanum shows Christ surrounded by the signs of the Four Evagelists. Portal on the west façade of Saint-Trophime Arles, France second third of the twelfth century

Figures freed from their architectural settings, done in the round
Benedetto Antelami: Figures freed from their architectural settings, done in the round Romanesque sculptures appeared in churches constructed of ashlar masonry. Benedetto Antelami, King David on the west façade of Fidenza Cathedral Fidenza, Italy ca marble approximately life-size Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The sculptor BENEDETTO ANTELAMI was active in the last quarter of the twelfth century. Several relief's by his hand exist, including Parma Cathedral’s pulpit and the portals of that city’s baptistery. His elbows are kept close to his body, and his stance is stiff, lacking any hint of the contrapposto that is classical statuary’s hallmark. Yet the sculptors conception of this prophet is undeniably rooted in Greco-Roman art.

“Throne of Wisdom” It is a freestanding western European version of the Byzantine Theotokos theme of Christ in the lap of Mary. Here, Christ holds a Bible and is the embodiment of the divine wisdom contained in the scriptures. Mary’s lap becomes the Christ Child’s throne. The Throne of Wisdom is a western European version of the Byzantine Theotokos Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. A wooden statuette depicting the Virgin Mary with Christ Child in her lap. The Morgan Madonna so named because it once belonged to the financer and prolific collector J.Pierpont Morgan. The type-known as the Throne of Wisdom, seldes sapientiae-is a western European freestanding version of the Byzantine Theotokos theme popular in icons and mosaics. Virgin and Child ( Morgan Madonna) from Auvergne, France second half of twelfth century painted wood 2 ft. 7 in. high

Virgin and Child ( Morgan Madonna) from Auvergne, France
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. A wooden statuette depicting the Virgin Mary with Christ Child in her lap. The Morgan Madonna so named because it once belonged to the financer and prolific collector J.Pierpont Morgan. The type-known as the Throne of Wisdom, seldes sapientiae-is a western European freestanding version of the Byzantine Theotokos theme popular in icons and mosaics. Virgin and Child ( Morgan Madonna) from Auvergne, France second half of twelfth century painted wood 2 ft. 7 in. high

Purpose: It is a reliquary (a container for relics) holding the relics of Pope Alexander II. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. A wooden statuette depicting the Virgin Mary with Christ Child in her lap. The Morgan Madonna so named because it once belonged to the financer and prolific collector J.Pierpont Morgan. The type-known as the Throne of Wisdom, seldes sapientiae-is a western European freestanding version of the Byzantine Theotokos theme popular in icons and mosaics. Head Reliquary of Saint Alexander from Stavelot Abbey, Belgium 1145 silver repoussé, gilt bronze, gems, enamel 17 1/2 in. high

Stylistic features shared by the fresco of Christ in Majesty from Santa María de Mur and the Christ in Majesty from Toulouse Christ is seated frontally with one hand raised in blessing. He is haloed in an mandorla. The apse fresco at Santa María de Mur are characterized by blunt directness Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. A wooden statuette depicting the Virgin Mary with Christ Child in her lap. The Morgan Madonna so named because it once belonged to the financer and prolific collector J.Pierpont Morgan. The type-known as the Throne of Wisdom, seldes sapientiae-is a western European freestanding version of the Byzantine Theotokos theme popular in icons and mosaics. Christ in Majesty apse fresco from Santa María de Muir near Lérida, Spain mid-twelfth century fresco 22 x 24 ft.

The nave’s continuous barrel vault at the church of Saint-Savin-sur Gartempe is covered with paintings Subject Matter: The Pentateuch Nave of the abbey church, Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, France. Painted barrel vault, ca

Hildegard of Bingen's Scivias records her vision of divine order
The opening page shows an author portrait of Hildegard sitting within the double monastery walls in the same pose as that of the Evangelists of the Coronation and Ebbo Gospels manuscripts. It is a picture of the nature of ancient and medieval book manufacture: individual scribes copying and recopying texts by hand. A German nun, eventually the abbess of Disibodenberg, who either produced or supervised the production of an illuminated manuscript containing a record of her vision of the divine order of the cosmos and of humankind’s place in it. Her publication of her divine visions led kings and popes to seek her counsel. She was the most famous of all Romanesque nuns, but not the only learned woman of her age. Hildegard of Bingen's Scivias records her vision of divine order Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The Vision of Hildegard of Bingen Detail of facsimile of a lost folio in the Scivias by Hildegard of Bingen from Trier or Bingen, Germany ca

Historiated initial A scene contained within the first letter of a chapter or letter, or merely an ornamented letter. Bernard of Clairvaux banned them along with all figural illustrations in monasteries. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Initial R with knight fighting dragon from the Moralia in Job from Cîteaux, France ca ink and tempera on vellum 13 3/4 x 9 1/4 in.

Modifications of the Romanesque style as seen in the Bury Bible:
The gestures of the figures are slower, gentler, and more dignified than the frantic movements of earlier Romanesque paintings. Master Hugo Moses Expounding the Law folio 94 recto of the Bury Bible from Bury Saint Edmunds, England ca ink and tempera on vellum 20 x 14 in. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights.

12 Scenes from the Christmas Story MS 37472 folio 1 recto
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. 12 Scenes from the Christmas Story MS folio 1 recto from Canterbury, England ca ink and tempera on vellum 40.5 x 30 cm

12 Scenes from the Christmas Story (detail) MS 37472 folio 1 recto
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. 12 Scenes from the Christmas Story (detail) MS folio 1 recto from Canterbury, England ca ink and tempera on vellum 40.5 x 30 cm

Cat, Mouse and Weasel Bestiary, MS 11283, folio 15, (detail)
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Cat, Mouse and Weasel Bestiary, MS 11283, folio 15, (detail) from England ca ink and tempera on vellum 30 x 180 cm

Mouth of Hell Winchester Psalter from Winchester, England
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Mouth of Hell Winchester Psalter from Winchester, England ca ink and tempera on vellum 12 3/4 x 9 1/8 in.

Eadwine the Scribe at work folio 283 verso of the Eadwine Psalter
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Eadwine the Scribe(?) Eadwine the Scribe at work folio 283 verso of the Eadwine Psalter ca ink and tempera on vellum

Funeral of Edward the Confessor procession to Westminster Abbey detail of the Bayeux Tapestry
From Bayeux Cathedral, Bayeux, France ca embroidered wool on linen 229 ft. 8 in. overall One of the first fully developed narrative reliefs in Romanesque art appears at Modena Cathedral Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights.

Embroidery of wool sewn on linen.
Depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry is the Norman defeat of the Anglo- Saxons at Hastings in 1066. Technique: Embroidery of wool sewn on linen. Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights.

Christ in Majesty (Maiestas Domini) with apostles
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Dated by inscription, the lintel depicts Christ enthroned in a lobed mandorla supported by angels and flanked by apostles. To the left and right of Christ are inscribed the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, a reference to his role as Last Judge: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the Last, the Beginning and the End”. The Saint-Genis lintel is the earliest of many relief's on Romanesque church facades depicting or alluding to Judgment Day and the separation of those who will be saved from those who will be damned. Christ in Majesty (Maiestas Domini) with apostles Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines, France

The sculptor known for his classicizing treatment of oxen for King Solomon's temple was Rainer of Huy Rainer of Huy Baptism of Christ Baptismal font from Notre-Dame-des-Fonts Liege, Belgium bronze 2 ft. 1 in. high Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. RAINER OF HUY, a bronze worker from the Meuse River valley in Belgium, an area renowned for its metalwork. In 1118 her masterfully cast in a single piece the baptismal font for Norte-Dame-des-Fonts in Liege. The bronze basin rests on the foreparts of twelve oxen, a reference to King Solomon’s temple. The Old Testament story was thought to prefigure Christ’s baptism which is the central scene on Rainer’s font.

Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. Entombment of Christ fresco above the nave arcade, Sant’Angelo in Formis Near Capua, Italy ca fresco

The Tree of Jesse Explanatio in Isaiam from Cîteaux, France
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY For publication, reproduction or transmission of images, please contact individual artists, estates, photographers and exhibiting institutions for permissions and rights. The Tree of Jesse Explanatio in Isaiam from Cîteaux, France ca ink and tempera on vellum 15 x 9 in.

Romanesque Art During the 11th and 12th centuries thousands of ecclesiastical buildings were remodeled (even when not necessary) or newly built, an expression.

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Romanesque Art During the 11th and 12th centuries thousands of ecclesiastical buildings were remodeled (even when not necessary) or newly built, an expression.

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Presentation on theme: "Romanesque Art During the 11th and 12th centuries thousands of ecclesiastical buildings were remodeled (even when not necessary) or newly built, an expression."— Presentation transcript:

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