1. The Early Medieval Period

2. The Age of Faith
The Medieval people were fixed on one all important goal – preparation for eternal life after death
The church guided the people in the quest
The church influenced the lives of kings and peasants, everyone was born into the faith

3. 3 Period of the Middle Ages
* EARLY MEDIEVAL
50TH CENTURY – 11TH CENTURY
ROMANESQUE
11TH CENTURY- 12TH CENTURY
GOTHIC
12TH CENTURY- 16TH CENTURY
The fall of Rome is considered the start of the Early Medieval Period
The period was marked by conflicts, open warfare, and mass migrations of foreigners into the across lands formerly controlled by the Romans
The Carolingian dynasty cam to rule and with it came the ruler Charles the Great or also known as Charlemagne
He became the first of the Holy Roman Emperors
His domain grew until it included all of the Western part of the old Roman Empire except Britain, Spain, southern Italy and Africa
the equestrian statue of Charlemagne, first emperor to be crowned in St. Peter's, on Christmas eve of 800.

4. Charlemagne Charlemagne encouraged learning and the arts
He ordered every monastery and Abby to establish a school were students could learn arithmetic, grammar and the psalms
His most important achievement many have been the preservation of ancient manuscripts
He invited scholars from England and Ireland to his court to rewrite old tests and prepare new ones
His capital was Aix-la-Chapelle in present day Germany
In his capital he restored the splendors of ancient Rome
Statues were brought from Italy, baths were constructed, an a chapel was built that closely resembled the famous Roman church at Ravenna
After his death in 814 the empire collapsed
Palatine Chapel in the cathedral at Aachen, Ger. The central portion of the structure was built by Charlemagne, and the other sections were built later.

5. Feudalism
Feudalism was a system in which weak nobleman gave up their lands and much of their freedom to more powerful lords in return for protection
The lord allowed the former owner to remain on the land as his administrator – who was the servant or vassal to the lord
Vassal- pledged his loyalty and military assistance to the lord
Most of the people were serfs, or poor peasants who did not have land to give in return for protection
* These people worked the lands and were handed over with it when the land passed from one nobleman to another.
Ceiling of the Octagon within the Palatine Chapel, Aachen, Germany. The Romanesque circular chandelier was a gift from the Holy Roman emperor Frederick I in the 12th century.

6. Basilica Design
A basilica featured a rectangular plan, which was divided on the inside to form a nave or central aisle, and two or more side aisles.
Light from windows in the walls of the nave above the side aisles in the interior of the building
At one of the nave was the main entrance and the opposite end was a semicircular area known as the apse
An altar was placed in the apse in plain view
Some churches were built with a transept, another aisle that cut directly across the nave and the side aisles
It gave the church a shape of the cross from above.
The transept increased the space inside the building but also added to its symbolic appearance
Occasionally, towers were also added to the exteriors of the churches
Most churches of the period were made with timber and very few still exist

7. The spread of Monasticism
Monasticism – these people began to feel that the Church had become too worldly
Originated in the near East in the 3rd centuries
These people formed religious communities far removed from the rest of society where whey spent their lives in quiet contemplation and prayer
The Monks often decorated manuscripts pages with mini painting done in sliver, gold, and rich colors with illuminations, or manuscript paintings
Characteristics of the Monastery Structure
Most famous is the monastery San Juan de la Pena in Spain
From the outside looks like a fortress with stone walls and small windows
Inside it is dark and damp
The walls are marked with dark smoke stains from the torches that were once used to light the interior
Had a cloister, an open court or garden and the covered walkway surrounding it
Much emphasis was placed on private prayer and contemplation

8. Illuminations
Illuminations became the most important paintings produced in western Europe
Wrote in Latin
Were created by dedicated men who worked anonymously to record and illustrate history
Medieval monks passed on the ideas of classical writers and church fathers. Often they phrased these ideas in beautiful and complex ways
Manuscripts of the Gospels were illustrated with small painting of the four Evangelists
A symbol was usually used to help the reader identify each Gospel writers
Matthew a angel, mark a lion, Luke a bull and John a eagle
The Church was the center for art and learning as well as religion during the Medieval period
It favored art that could teach and inspire the people in their faith
The illustration were intended fro those who could not read the manuscripts were meant for those who could
The Illustration had to be simple and familiar so everyone could understand them, often biblical

10. Romanesque Period Castles The Effects of Feudalism
The feudal system, was developed in the 9th century reached its peak during the Romanesque Period
Nobles, lords and kings fought constantly to protect or add to the land under their control
Castles
Towers of stone were built by the late 11th century and by the 12th century the now familiar stone castle had evolved
The castle became the symbol of authority during the Romanesque Period

11. Life in the Castles
The Main purpose of the caste was protection which eliminated the possibility of windows
The thick outer walls were pierced only by narrow slots through which archers could fire on attackers
Stairs were steep and passageways dark and narrow
The rooms were ususally sparsely furnished and lacked decoration
Occasionally tapestries, textile wall hangings that were woven, painted or embroidered with colorful scenes, were hung to keep the dampness out
The Growth of cities
Castles remained important as long as the feudal system flourished
But the growth of trade and industry in the 13th century brought about an economy based on money rather than land
Cities came up and castles became obsolete

12. Romanesque Churches
All towns had one thing in common: the center had a church
The church increased its influence on the daily lives of the people
It offered comfort in this life and salvation in the next life
PILGRIMAGE CHURCHES
The church at this time placed great importance on piety and encouraged people to take part in pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place
People banded together and traveled to pay homage to saints and relics in far off churches
Worshipers believed that praying before the sacred remains of a saint could assure a plentiful harvest, cure diseases, solve personal problems and secure salvation
The Pilgrimage's brought large crowds
To increase the size of a Romanesque church builders extended both the nave and transept and added two more aisle one on each side
The often added an ambulatory, an aisle curving around behind the main altar
Curved chapels built along the transept and the ambulatory were also built

13. The Church of Saint Sernin in Toulouse
It was in France that the Romanesque style reached its peak in architecture – The Church of Saint Sernin in Toulouse
The church appears large and solid
Inside the church is spacious but dark and gloomy
Closely spaced piers line the nave and separate it from the aisles on either side
These lead to the main altar at the far end of the church

14. The Revival of Sculpture and Painting
Many of the churches along the pilgrimage routes used relief sculptures as another way to teach the faith to people many where illiterate
Like manuscripts illustrations stone carvings reminded people of the familiar stores from Scripture it was easier for people to see then read
2 architectural features were found to be ideal places for relief carvings
The tympanum, the half round panel that fills the space between the lintel and the arch over the doorway of the church
People naturally lifted their eyes as they entered the building
Usually had a large figure n the middle smaller figures on either side

15. Capital Decoration
Inside churches and in cloisters the capitals of columns were another excellent place for carving
The weight of the ceiling was met by the upward thrust of the columns the roving eyes of the faithful came to rest
Many carving were biblical scenes, human figures, birds, and animals
Romanesque capitals are often a curious mixture of skilled craftwork and quaint storytelling

16. Church Wall Paintings
Christ in Majesty wall painting from San Clemente, Tahull, Spain 12th century
A bold use of line, brilliant colors, and a sensitive feeling for pattern are reminders of the manuscript illuminations in a lot of different paintings of churches
* Painting of the time were concerned with easy to understand religious symbols

17. Gothic Style
During the 13th century French architects developed the pointed arch, piers and the flying buttress
Gothic builders discovered that they could reduce the sideways pressure or thrust of a stone roof by replacing the round arch with a pointed one
Additional support is provided by buttresses, a support or brace that counteracts the outward thrust of an arch or vault
Because they had to reach over the side aisles of the church, thses braces came to be known as “flying buttresses”
Gothic is a terms used to identify a period that began around the middle of the 12th century and lasted to the end of the 15th century and on some places into the 16th
Because the Goths and barbarian tribes had brought about the fall of Rome the term Gothic was given to building that replaced classical forms
It was misleading name
Many of the building and churches that were started in the Romanesque Period were finished as Gothic
The flying buttresses allowed a counterthrust system that supported the ceilings
There was no longer a need for solid walls so windows could be build

18. Gothic Churches Stained Glass Windows
The walls of glass, which builders were now free to use between the piers let light flow into the cathedrals
They were also an ideal way to impress sand instruct the faithful congregation through images created with pieces of colored glass
Gothic interiors of churches are most radiant at sunset
Gothic cathedrals were both expressions of religious devotions and symbols of civic pride
They were products of the new and prospering cities
They served as churches for bishops
Everyone wanted to participate in the building of the churches
They were all throughout Europe

19. Gothic Sculptures and Books
The upward tendency is noted everywhere, in the pillars, pointed arches and windows of the Goth cathedrals
Sculptures where elongated, or stretched out
The repeated, long folds on their sculptured garments emphasize the vertical movement of these figures
Romanesque carvers made their figures appear firmly attached to the wall; Gothic sculptors, by contrast, made theirs project outward into space
Most sculptures were easily recognized by anyone familiar with the Bible
A sense for sculptures to show emotions spread

20. Sculptures The sculptures had a fascination with the Virgin Mary
Gargoyles, the grotesque flying monsters that project out from the upper portions of the huge churches started to be created
Gargoyles are actually rain spouts intended to carry rainwater from the roofs of the churches
Fresco technique required that painting had to be completed before the plaster dried,
Giotto and Duccio’s where the painters of Fresco of the time
Painting of the Goth Period are mainly frescos a painting created when pigment is applied to a wall spread with fresh plaster