Romanesque: Pilgrimage and the Cult of the Saints

1000-1200

Romanesque

Dates and Places: • 1000-1200• Western Europe

People:• Pilgrimage• Fear of judgment• Church building

boom• Cult of relics

Map of Europe in the Romanesque period

Romanesque• Term means, “in the Roman

manner” and pertains primarily to architectural style – Roman model survives with some

additional influence from Carolingian, Early Christian, Byzantine, migration, and Islamic styles

• Dominant social order—feudalism, land basis for power

• Church is most powerful institution in Europe, however there is open rivalry between nobility and the Church for control over towns and economic resources

Reliquary head of St. Alexander, from Stavelot Abbey, Belgium, 1145. Silver

repoussé with gilt bronze, gems, pearls, and enamel, approx. 1’5 ½” high.

Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels.

Romanesque• Style consolidated

under several factors:– Christianity

dominates Europe– Growing religious

enthusiasm aided by millennialism

– Pilgrimage by Christians

– Christian crusades against Muslims

– Increase in number and size of monasteries Map primary pilgrimage routes throughout Europe

Romanesque• Also a factor in the

spread of the Romanesque style was the reopening of trade routes in Mediterranean– Travel links

Europe commercially and culturally, helps urban centers grow

Map Medieval trade routes and specialties

Romanesque• Early Romanesque style first appears northern Italy,

southern France, and northeastern Spain near Catalonia and the Pyrenees mountains

St Vincenç de Cardona (Catelonia) c.1020-47. Spain, Cardona

Romanesque

St Vincenç de Cardona (Catelonia) , east end

with apse, c.1020-47. Spain, Cardona

• Raoul Glaber, an 11th century monk wrote of the building activity of the period:Just before the third year after the millennium, throughout the world, but most especially in Italy and Gaul, men began to reconstruct churches….But it seemed as though each Christian community were aiming to surpass all others in the splendor of construction. It was as if the whole world were shaking itself free, shrugging off the burden of the past, and cladding itself everywhere in a white mantles of churches.

Romanesque

Example: •Romanesque Style•Construction begun 1029, consecrated 1040 •One of the earliest surviving churches in the prominent subset of Catalan-Lombard style•Stone vaults, instead of wood

•Exterior decorated with architectural ornamentation and sculpture

Nave and choir (looking east) of St Vincenç de

Cardona (Catelonia) c.1020-47. Spain, Cardona

Romanesque

Example: •Simple barrel vaulted nave•Transvers arches divide space into bays to help create rhythmic flow•Compound piers support solid masonry construction made possible by developments in technology like stone-cutting saws

Floor plan of St Vincenç de Cardona (Catelonia) c.1020-47. Spain,

Cardona

Barrel vault

Compound pier

Transverse arch

Romanesque

Example: •Tradition of monumental sculpture revived Romanesque era, free-standing sculpture basically disappears after 5th century replaced by smaller works and architectural ornament

Lintel of west portal, 1020-1021, Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines, France. Marble, approx. 2’ x 7.’

Romanesque

Example: •One of the earliest examples of figurative Romanesque sculpture•Theme is Christ in Majesty

•Inscription names 2 leaders, King Robert and Abbot William

•Line dominates design

•Influence taken from medieval manuscripts

Christ in Majesty, lintel of west portal, 1020-1021, Saint-Genis-des-Fontaines, France. Marble, approx. 2’ x 7.’

Romanesque

Map primary pilgrimage routes throughout Europe

Pilgrimage Route:

•Transfer of ideas and money along routes

•More money = more extravagance

•Competition for relics

•Competition for extravagance

•The disparity between the pilgrims and the churches at which they pray

Romanesque• A relic is something that belonged

to someone holy • Relics were valued by degree:

– First degree relic — part of the body of holy person

– Second degree relic — something owned by holy person e.g. the veil of the saint

– Third degree relic — something the that pilgrim participating in a holy visit owned

• Relics important because they remind us of the saint, the saint works miracles through the relic, proof of miracles meant God approved

Foot reliquary of St. James, Namur, France

RomanesqueExample: •Santiago (James) of Compostela important pilgrimage center because of its reported miraculous powers

– St. James first apostle to be martyred

– Known for converting non-believers

•Most westerly point of Christianity on Iberian peninsula

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

RomanesqueExample: •Pilgrimage plan church

– Side aisles to navigate space

– Apsidioles (side chapels) allow for relic display

•Navigation of church like that of pilgrimage•Systematized floor plan, orderly

Plan of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, begun 1075 completed 1211

RomanesqueExample: •Exterior massive walls, rounded arches•Articulation of space clear on interior, reflected by transverse arches

– Segments space, helps to choreograph procession to altar

•Vaulting facilitates acoustics

•Masonry safer than flat timber roofs of Roman period, protection against fire Interior view of Santiago de Compostela,

Spain

RomanesqueExample:•Reliquary— container for holy relics•Probably made in Limoges, enamel center•Symbols of 4 evangelists decorate outer space•Small size relates it to migration art•Champlevé technique•Believe to hold relics of St. Martial, believed to be the 13th apostle of Christ

Chasse of Champagnat, reliquary casket with symbols of the four evangelists, ca.

1150. Enamel on gilt and engraved copper, 5 7/8” x 7 7/16” x 3 3/8.”

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. The chasse comes from the church of Saint-Martial, Champagnat in the

diocese of Limoges, where Martial was considered the thirteenth apostle of

Christ.

Romanesque: FranceExample:•Christian child (13 yrs. old) denounced by her father in 303 AD because she refused to forswear her then-forbidden Christian faith and make a sacrifice to the goddess Diana•Cranium relic originally located in different monastery but monk from Conques stole it (relics=important source of income)•Saint known for curing blindness and freeing captives

Reliquary statue of Saint Foy, late 10th-11th

century. Gold repoussé and gemstones over a wood core with later additions, 33.5" high. Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy at Conques,

France.

Romanesque: FranceExample• Short towers at the

entrance (from westwork of Carolingian buildings) and over crossing=intersection of nave and transept

• Rounded arches• Relatively small

windows with lots of wall surface left intact

The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy, Conques, France, from the west end, ca.

1050.

Romanesque

Example:

•Exterior plain sandstone, looks like plain exteriors of Roman basilicas and early Christian churches

•Masonry seems solid, dense, thick, heavy, and compartmentalized

•Apsidioles for relic display

The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy, Conques, seen from the east

Romanesque

Example: • Pilgrimage church• Radiating chapels• Ambulatory• Side aisles• Barrel and groin vaults• Nave bays, crossing• Engaged columns,

compound piers• Crossing tower

Plan, Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France, ca. 1070–

1120.

Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, France, ca. 1070–1120.

Romanesque• Technically, "Romanesque" can be

used to cover all derivations of Roman architecture in the West, from the fall of Rome (c.450 CE) until the advent of the Gothic style around 1150

• Traditionally, however, the term refers to the specific style of architecture, along with sculpture and other minor arts that appeared across France, Germany, Italy and Spain during the 11th century

• Due to its quick spread, Romanesque art and architecture can be very regional Christ in Majesty (Maiestas Domini), ca.

1096. Marble, height 50.” Saint Sernin, Toulouse, France.

Romanesque

Example:•Shallow relief thought to have once decorated altar space of church

•Christ in mandorla recalls earlier metalwork

•Double lines enhance figure’s presence

•Possible reference Carolingian and/or Ottonian manuscripts

Christ in Majesty, ca. 1096. Marble, 50” high. Saint-Sernin, Toulouse,

France..

Romanesque

– Rounded arches– Stone materials– Thick, heavy walls– Basilica style plan (used by

Romans for secular purposes)

• Influences on Romanesque architecture are far more varied and include styles associated with:– Visigoth– Carolingian– Byzantine – Islamic

• Similarities between Romanesque and Roman architecture include:

Cathedral Complex, Pisa, Italy, ca.1063-1174.

Romanesque Characteristics of Romanesque Architecture

– Harmonious proportions

– Use of stone barrel or groin vault

– Thick and heavy walls with small windows

– Thick and heavy pillars

– Round arches to support roof

– Blind arches used for decorative purposes

– Nave with side aisles

– Galleries separated from triforium (space below clerestory but above nave)

Santa Maria Assunta (St. Mary of the Assumption), Pisa Cathedral west end,

Pisa, Italy, begun 1064 completed 1110. Grey marble with white stone and

colored marble, 91’ high.

Romanesque Characteristics of Romanesque Architecture

– Transept (section crossing nave at right angles to give church cross shape)

– Apse

– Ambulatory

– Towers (can be multiple over crossing and at west end)

– Modest sculptural, mosaic, and fresco decoration

• Very little painted works survive

The Building of the Tower od Babel, early 12th century, ca. 1115. Details of painting on the nave

vault of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, France. Fresco.

Romanesque

• Romanesque style develops due to a series of causes:

• End of Barbarian activity• Decomposition of Córdoba,

triumph there over Islam• Peace in the Christian world

which lead to the develop of cities, commerce, and industry (including the cult of relics)

Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (west end), 1100-1199, Vezelay, France.

Romanesque

Map primary pilgrimage routes throughout Europe

• Term “Romanesque” was first coined in 1818 by Charles-Alexis-Adrien de Gerville to describe the form of art that preceded the Gothic style

• Style first appears during the Medieval period and is the first style to be found throughout Europe, with regional style variations

• The quick expansion was due to the pilgrimages, primarily to Santiago de Compostela

Romanesque• Factors to the quick and successful

spread of Romanesque style include:

– Development of feudal system– Expansion of religious orders,

including Benedictine and Cistercians, a break-away group from the Benedictines

– Pilgrimage routes– The Crusades (1095-1291*)

Knight, Psalter, with litany, prayers and Easter tables (The "Westminster

Psalter"), c. 1200, f. 220 British Library, London . A knight kneels before setting off on Crusade, his servant leaning over

the turret with his helm*schlars debate the exact end of the Crusades

• These were military campaigns sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church to restore Christian access to the Holy Land

RomanesqueMonastic Life•Romanesque period sees an expansion of religious orders, including Benedictine•Cluny represents model for monastic world

• Monastery designed to be self-sufficient, a microcosm of city of God

• Cluny administrative center of large network of “daughter” houses throughout Europe

• Could determine papal elections and call for crusades against Muslims Gunzo and others, Plan of Monastery of

Cluny (Clunu III), France, ca. 1088-1130. Darkened areas indicate remains.

RomanesqueMonastic Life•Rise of monastic orders important but Cluny was most important and most powerful•Original basilica church built 910, soon replaced in 1088 by largest Romanesque church every built

• Cluny III, as it became known, was destroyed during French Revolution

• Design based on perfect numbers and musical harmony indicating important of music to medieval church Model of Monastery of Cluny (Clunu III),

France, ca. 1088-1130. Vault, 100’ high.

Romanesque

• Cluny priory

• Important pilgrimage center

South portal with Second Coming of Christ on tympanum, Church of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France, ca. 1115-1130.

Romanesque

• Justification for decoration of Christian themes found in the following:Quod legentibus scriptura, hoc idiotis…pictura. (painting conveys the Word of God to the unlettered)

Diagram of a typical Romanesque portal

Romanesque• Architectural sculpture at Moissac second only

to Santiago in all of Europe

– Christ in Majesty central imagery of tympanum

– Subject is return after end of days

– Joined by 24 elders, 4 beasts, 2 angels South portal with detail of Second Coming of Christ on

tympanum, Church of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France, ca. 1115-1130.

Romanesque

South portal with detail of 24 elders from Second Coming of Christ on tympanum, Church of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France, ca. 1115-1130.

• Design is abstract and diversified

• Individualization of elders communicated through gesticulation, facial features, and expression

• Surrounding by meandering ribbons for decoration

Romanesque

Saint Jeremiah, trumeau from Church of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France, ca. 1115-1130.

• Other elements of portal at Moissac also decorated

• Saint Jeremiah subject of trumeau

• Elongation and segmentation of form characteristic of Romanesque

• Forms treated with flexibility• Scalloped edges display Islamic

influence in region– Admiration and political

message

Romanesque

• Cluny church houses remains of St. Lazarus

• West portal depicts scene of Last Judgment, Christ after Second Coming separating the damned from the saved

• Hieratic scale• Author trained at Cluny• Marks return of

monumental sculptureGislebertus, West portal, with Last Judgment,

Cathedral of Saint-Lazare, ca. 1120-1135, Autun, France

Romanesque

Gislebertus, detail West portal, Weighing of Soulst, Cathedral of Saint-Lazare, ca. 1120-1135, Autun,

France

• Images of the weighing of souls is not a new motif as seen below in the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead

Judgment of Hunefer Before Osiris, illustration from the Book of the Dead, 19th Century, New Kingdom, 1285 BCE. Painted

papyrus.

Romanesque

Gislebertus, West portal, with Last Judgment, Cathedral of Saint-Lazare, ca. 1120-1135, Autun, France

Romanesque • Most frescos on walls and ceilings of Romanesque churches

destroyed by time and war

• Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe hosts one of the best preserved cycles– Church designed to provide

space for murals• Subject is the building of the

Tower of Babel located on barrel vault of nave

• Design is crowded with flurry of activity, including Christ who serves as counterbalance to builders, most especially Nimrod, leader of project

• Exaggerated gestures aid in reading from below

The Building of the Tower od Babel, early 12th century, ca. 1115. Details of painting on the nave

vault of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, France. Fresco.

RomanesqueManuscript Illustration•Manuscript illumination continues in Romanesque period mainly at scriptoria•Manuscripts similar in style to wall paintings•Interrelationship of monastic communities also helps explain consistency

•Influence of migration art also noticeable as they conform to design

•Matthew appears next to letter, “L,” first letter in Liber, or book

St. Matthew, from the Codex Colbertinus, ca. 1100. Tempera on

vellum, 7 ½” x 4.” Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris.

Romanesque

Manuscript Illustration•“Guda, the sinful woman, wrote and illuminated this book”

•Manuscript illumination also shows improved position of women in Romanesque period

– Little first hand knowledge however

•Late 10th century rise of women as artists and patrons

– Improvement probably dates to Ottonian period

Page with self-portrait of the nun Guda, book of Homilies, from Germany, early 12th cent. Ink on parchment (calf, goat

or sheep skin). Univeritätsbibliothel Johan Christian Senckenberg, Frankurt

am Main

Romanesque

• Woman may have also played role in constructing the Bayeux Tapestry

• Not actually a tapestry because it is embroidered, not woven

• Important historical artifact– 50 surviving scenes that

record events of William the Conqueror

Haley’s Comet, scene from the Bayeux Tapestry, ca. 1066-1083. Wool embroidery on linen. Height 20”, length 230.’

Centre Guillaume le Conquerant, Bayeux, France.