Romanesque

 

The main objects of architecture and construction, architectural practice that Europe owes the Romanesque style - a feudal fortress, monastery complex, basilica church and a fortress. The object is to follow architecture of ancient Rome, but significant changes (due to fortification destination).

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All of the Middle Ages, from the beginning of the collapse of the Roman Empire until the middle of the XIII century, the territory of Europe represents a nearly a thousand separate feudal entities.

Huge impact on the formation of a new style of life comes from the east had Turkish, German and North-Iranian tribes (Goths, Huns, Alans). All these tribes were exclusively military way of life according to the laws of military democracy, creating temporary alliances with each other, acting as federates with the people of Old Europe (ie remnants of the Roman Empire). In Europe, there was no state that would declare itself as a real military and economic leader.

 

Nomadic north-Iranian and Turkic tribes brought their military culture and methods of warfare. A thousand years of European history was the history of war and constant change of ethnic groups living in the territory of the continent. Because of the complex military and economic relations and the fragmentation of states, no one could say with certainty about their own safety. Now is the time reinforced fortifications.

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The castle became the lord and the house, and the Christian church. Significant role in the occurrence, especially in the spread of Romanesque art played the religious orders, in a large number of emerging at the time - especially the Benedictine Order, founded in the VI century at Monte Cassino, and the Cistercian Order, which arose 100 years later. For these orders the farm building erected across Europe one building after another. The monasteries were not only a repository of spiritual knowledge, and science as a whole, including the architectural and knowledge. It is thanks to the monastery library until today reached most of the ancient works of various civilizations and religions. Despite the fact that the monasteries did not use this knowledge actively, not implementing them in practice, to preserve and increase their knowledge has had a tremendous influence on the Post-Medieval culture, including architecture.

 

Monasteries, along with Romanesque churches, monastic or cathedral, parish churches or serfs were an important part of public life. They were a powerful political and economic organization that influenced the development of all areas of culture. An example is the monastery of Cluny. At the end of the XI century. Cluny in the basilica of St. modeled. Peter's in Rome was built a new monastery church, is a huge five-naval basilica of 130 m Its central nave was bravely blocked by 28-meter height arch, which, however, after the construction collapsed.

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One of the main problems in the construction of temples of this period was the seat of the congregation, and not the abode of the Divine, which was important in antiquity. The construction of the temple dates back to the early Christian churches (Byzantine basilica): 1. The central nave and two on the sides. 2. Transept - transept. 3. At the intersection of the nave and transept tower was put, not the dome. 4. West facade decorated fronkiruyuschimi towers. 5. The eastern part - apse (decoration).

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Planning solution based on monasteries blueprint but adapted to local conditions and the specific requirements of different religious orders, which undoubtedly led to the architectural progress.

In Romanesque architecture, there are two main types of composite church buildings. This is a longitudinal plan of the house, sometimes very simple, rectangular shape with an apse that was set on the east side of the basilica or, more rarely centered, round in terms of the building with regularly placed apses.

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Development of Romanesque architecture is characterized by changes in the organization of the internal space and the volume as a whole, especially for the most important works of the time - basil. Along with the basilica organization of space is used and a new romance with the same type of space aisles or hall-space, especially popular in Germany, Spain and the French region between the rivers Loire and Garonne.

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In the most mature of the period buildings interior complicated apse cross aisles, the choir has a gallery with the radial chapels, such as France and southern England (cathedral in Norwich, 1096 - 1150).

The interior of the temple is formed connecting the individual, in most cases in terms of the space of square blocks. Such a system is an important sign of a new understanding of the organization of the interior space.

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The degree of impact on the visitor spaces basilica was largely dependent on the nature of the decision and the way the walls overlap. Used or flat roof, usually beam, or cylindrical vaults, sometimes cross and dome on pendentives. Most of all, the then understanding of the organization of internal space corresponded groin without ribs, which enriches the interior and organizes it, without breaking the longitudinal nature of the building.

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Romanesque plan is based on simple geometric relationships. Aisle is half the width of the nave and so on each square nave plan has two elements aisles. Between the two piers, loaded vault nave and aisle vaults must be located pylon, the load is reduced only aisle. Naturally, it can be more slender. Alternation of massive and thinner pylons could create a rich rhythm, but the desire to exclude the difference in size of pylons proves stronger: with six-part set, when all the pylons are loaded uniformly, they were made of the same thickness. Increasing the number of identical towers creates the impression of greater length of the internal space.

The apse has a rich decor, often decorated with "blind" arches, sometimes arranged in tiers. Horizontal articulation of the main nave is formed arch and narrow belt of tall windows. The interior is decorated with paintings and enriched plates on the walls, "blades", profiled projections, architectural columns and treated pylons.

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Column retains the classic division into three parts. The surface of the scape is not always smooth, often covered trunk ornament. Small caps, at first very simple in form (inverted pyramid or cube), gradually enriched by various floral motifs, images of animals and figures. Great influence on the introduction of zoomorphic motifs in medieval European and ornamentalistiku bestiary had the same north-Iranian and Turkic peoples (already referred to the Huns, Sarmatians, Alans) who gradually assimilated with the indigenous population, and enriched its culture from the inside.

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There was a kind of synthesis of sculpture and architecture. The sculpture was an integral part of design portals of cathedrals. Sermon in stone is often called a sculpture in the Romanesque cathedral. Frozen in stone images of the sacred character has no less force of impact than words.

Pylons, as well as columns, have a three-part division of the base, barrel and cap. In the early days they were still very thick, and further ameliorated by changing proportions and dismembered surface treatment. The columns are used where a set has a small bay or small height in underground crypts or in the windows where a few narrow openings formed a group.

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The appearance of the Romanesque church responds to its internal decision. This architecture is simple in form of blocks, sometimes of considerable size with small windows. The windows were made not only by the narrow design considerations, but also because they are glazed only in the Gothic period.

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As a result, a simple association of volumes encountered various compositions. Dominated by the volume of the main nave with a semicircular apse, with one or more cross aisles. Different types of towers are placed differently. Usually two of them mounted on the front, and a third, four-or octagonal - over the intersection of the main and cross aisles. Most attention is paid to the western facade, which is adorned with architectural details, and often a portal with sculptural relief. As well as a window, a portal for thick walls formed terraces, which are installed in the corners of the column, and sometimes complex sculptures. Part of the wall above the door lintel and the arch portal called the tympanum and often decorated with rich relief. The upper part of the facade dismembered arkaturnym frieze, shoulders and blind arcades. Side facade received much attention. Romanesque churches height increases in development style so that the height of the nave floor to set up the heel is usually twice the width of the nave.

The characteristic features of Romanesque architecture

An important task of the Romanesque art of construction of the basilica was the transformation of a flat wooden ceiling in the vaulted. At first set of overlapping small spans the side aisles and the apse, later started blocking arch and main aisles. The thickness of the arch was sometimes quite large, so the walls are thick and pylons were designed with a large margin of safety. In connection with the need for large spaces covered with construction and development of the technical design of the original thoughts of heavy arches and walls were gradually ease.

 

Romanesque arch and groin

 

The Code makes it possible to block more space than wooden beams. The simplest form and its design is the barrel vault, which, without pushing the wall, pressing down on them enormous pressure, and therefore requires a particularly massive walls. This code is most suitable for areas with little overlap of the bay, but it is often used in the main nave - in France in the fields of Provence and Auvergne (Notre Dame du Port in Clermont-Ferrand). Later, half-round arches set was replaced by a lancet. Thus, the nave of the Cathedral Otyun (early XII century.) Blocked lancet arch with so-called Gurtovaya arches.

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The basis for new types of codes was the old Roman straight groin over the square in terms of location, the resulting intersection of two half-cylinders. The stresses arising from this body, are distributed along the diagonal edges, and with them are transferred to the four pillars in the corners overlapped space. Originally ribs arising at the intersection of half-cylinders, played the role podkruzhal arches, making it possible to facilitate the entire structure (ST. Stephen Kane, 1064-1077, in the Lorsch monastery church - the first fully roofed vaults basilica)

If you increase the height of the arch so that the diagonal intersection of the elliptic curve into a half-circle, you can get a so-called high groin.

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The vaults were often Solid masonry, which required the construction of massive pylons. Therefore, a major step forward was the Romanesque tower component: the main pylon added pilasters relied on Gurtovaya arch, resulting in reduced thrust arch. A significant achievement was the design load from the roof on a few specific points by a rigid connection Gurtovaya transverse arches, fins and pylons. Gurtovaya arch rib and frame are set, and the pylon - a wall stud.

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More recently, at first were laid end (jaw) and arch ribs. This design is called the cross-ribbed vault. At the height of this Romanesque arch was placed higher, and its diagonal arch acquired pointed shape (Church of St.. Trinity at Caen, 1062-1066).

 

To cover the aisles instead groin sometimes used semi-cylindrical vaults, often used in civil construction. Romanesque structure - is primarily a high ribbed vault, pointed arch and the repayment of oblique lateral thrust of the vaults system supports. They form the basis for subsequent Gothic style of architecture.

 

Construction features

 

In the Romanesque architecture of the main building material is stone. At first it was used only for the construction of temples and castles, and later for secular buildings. Easily processed limestone deposits that are in the area along the Loire, given its relative ease of opportunity arch spans small devices without bulky scaffolding. It was also used for ornamental masonry exterior walls.

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In Italy, it was a lot of marble, which most often used for wall cladding. Multicolored marble light and dark colors used in various combinations of spectacular, it is a feature of Italian Romanesque architecture.

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Or stone was hewn in the form of blocks that make so-called plank masonry or rubble suitable for masonry walls when needed to strengthen the design outside lined with slabs and blocks of cut stone. In contrast to the antiquity, the Middle Ages used the smaller stones that are easier to produce and deliver the quarry to the construction site.

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Where the missing stone, brick was used, which was slightly thicker and shorter consumed today. Brick at the time was usually very hard, very burnt. Romanesque brick buildings survived primarily in Italy, France, Germany and England.

 

Development of urban settlements.

 

First cities in southern and western Europe occur at the site of the Roman military camp, which had been strongholds of the military and administrative centers. They had a plan's regular basis. A number of them existed in the early Middle Ages, but now they have turned into shopping centers, which was determined by their placement at the intersection of the main roads. Often, much of the city was surrounded fortification.

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For European feudal cities, had naturally develop Layout Map (Paris, Nuremberg, Frankfurt - on - Main, Prague), characterized by strongly fortified houses. Middle of town houses built in the form of feudal castles and turrets.

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Romanesque (in particular castle architecture and methods of erecting fortifications), reflected not only in the subsequent formation of the Western European architecture, but also had an impact on the architecture of the Balkans, of medieval Russia and the Middle East (Syria) see romanized style.