Sculptural embellishment is common in Romanesque churches, such as the tympanum (the area between the round arch and the lintel over a doorway), door jambs (on each side of the entrance), and trumeau (the center post supporting the lintel in the middle of a doorway). The word "portal" comes from the French word portail, which means "doorpost." Portal posts function as supports for the doors and windows of a church. They often have decorative elements, such as carved animals or humans. The term "portable altar" is also used for this type of post. Although they are found in Romanesque churches, portable altars were not unique to that period; they also appear in Gothic churches.
The tympanum is one of the most important parts of the portal because it is here that the eye is first drawn into the church. The tympanum usually contains an illustration or sculpture designed to catch the eye. It may show people, animals, plants, or objects associated with religion. The tympanum gives the viewer a glimpse of what's inside the church before entering. This helps visitors decide if the church is worth visiting.
The trumeau is a large wooden post set in the middle of the doorway at a height equal to the lintel. It provides support for the lintel above it and serves as a place on which to place the doorframe.
Semicircular arches for windows, doorways, and arcades were common in Romanesque churches, as were barrel or groin vaults to support the nave ceiling. Massive piers and walls with few openings to restrain the vaults' outward push; side aisles with galleries above; a great tower above the crossing... these all belonged to Romanesque churches.
The word "Romanesque" is used to describe a particular style of architecture that emerged in Europe around 1050 and lasted until about 1250. During this time, many large churches were built across France, Germany, and Italy. The style is characterized by simple geometric shapes, thick walls, and high towers. The main difference between Romanesque and other styles of architecture at the time was that Romanesque buildings use stone rather than wood for their construction. Walls were often over six feet tall and included no internal columns to support the roof. The exterior of the building was covered in plaster or stucco, which was then painted bright colors such as red, white, or blue. Inside the building, rows of wooden benches formed aisles between pillars. A priest would have been standing at the front of the church during services, but he would have been the only person inside the building during prayer meetings or processions.
In addition to churches, Romanesque buildings include monasteries, castles, and cathedrals. Many towns built their city halls during this time as well. They usually had large squares with government offices in them.
Barrel vaults, essentially a line of rounded arches, were used to cover the roofs of Romanesque naves. The weight applied to the vault was carried all the way along the wall that supported the arch. As a result, the number of holes in the wall was limited, resulting in the claustrophobically tiny and rare windows of Romanesque churches. A single barrel vault could house as many as seven altars.
The earliest known use of this type of roof is on the church of Saint-Pierre in Arles. It was built around 1140 and has remained virtually unchanged since then. Other notable examples include the cathedral of Rouen and the church of San Clemente in Rome. During the late 12th century and early 13th century, French architects began to apply their innovative ideas about architecture to church building projects in France. One of these was an architect named William of Sens. He is considered the father of Gothic architecture because of his role in developing this new style of church building. Gothic features such as pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and stained glass became popular in France during the 1280s and 1290s. Churches built using these new styles of architecture often have larger windows and taller ceilings than those built using Romanesque techniques. This is because there was now enough light coming into the nave for artists to paint large pictures on the walls and for musicians to play loud pipes or drums below them.
Romanesque architecture is distinguished by its tiny windows, strong walls, and massive constructions. The flying buttress, as well as unique arches and vaults, enabled greater heights in building and thinner walls, allowing for spectacular windows because the walls no longer needed to be so heavy and thick. The larger the church, the more elaborate it is, but never before 1150 did anyone think about building such huge structures.
The reason Romanesque architects built their churches with large openings into the exterior of their buildings is because they wanted to make the interior as light-filled as possible so that it wouldn't feel like a cave. They also wanted as many people as possible to be able to see the holy objects inside the church. With no columns or beams to hide behind, the priest could display the sacred items openly for all to see.
With no established architectural style at the time, builders used what they had available to create something new. They took elements from earlier styles and combined them with elements from other places and times. For example, an architect might take a column from a Roman building and use it in his church because he didn't have any wood available in Romanesque Italy. He would combine this piece with some other elements - like stone - and create a new structure that looked like a column but was actually used as a doorframe or window frame.
Builders also experimented with different shapes.
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