The main element of the composition of an architectural work of the Romanesque style. Romanesque architecture

Roman style

an artistic style that dominated Western Europe (and also affected some countries in Eastern Europe) in the 10th-12th centuries. (in a number of places - in the 13th century), one of the most important stages in the development of medieval European art. The term "R. With." was introduced at the beginning of the 19th century

R.s. absorbed numerous elements of early Christian art, Merovingian art (See Merovingian art) , the culture of the “Carolingian Renaissance” (See Carolingian Renaissance) (and, in addition, the art of antiquity, the era of migration, Byzantium and the Muslim Middle East). In contrast to the trends in medieval art that preceded it, which were of a local nature, R. s. was the first artistic system of the Middle Ages, which covered (despite the huge variety of local schools caused by feudal fragmentation) most European countries. The basis of the unity of the R. s. there was a system of developed feudal relations and the international essence of the Catholic Church, which was in that era the most significant ideological force in society and, due to the absence of a strong secular centralized power, had fundamental economic and political influence. The main patrons of the arts in most states were monastic orders, and the builders, workers, painters, copyists and decorators of manuscripts were monks; only at the end of the 11th century. wandering artels of lay stonemasons (builders and sculptors) appeared.

Individual Romanesque buildings and complexes (churches, monasteries, castles) were often created among the rural landscape and, located on a hill or on an elevated river bank, dominated the area as an earthly likeness of the “city of God” or a visual expression of the power of the overlord. Romanesque buildings are in perfect harmony with the natural environment, their compact forms and clear silhouettes seem to repeat and enrich the natural relief, and the local stone, which most often served as the material, organically combines with the soil and greenery. The external appearance of the buildings of the R. s. filled with calm and solemnly stern strength; In creating this impression, a significant role was played by massive walls, the heaviness and thickness of which were emphasized by narrow window openings and stepped portals, as well as the towers that stand in the village. one of the most important elements of architectural compositions. The Romanesque building was a system of simple stereometric volumes (cubes, parallelepipeds, prisms, cylinders), the surface of which was dissected by blades, arched friezes and galleries, rhythmizing the mass of the wall, but not violating its monolithic integrity. Temples of R. village developed the types of basilical and centric (most often round in plan) churches inherited from early Christian architecture; At the intersection of the transept with the longitudinal naves, a lantern or tower was usually erected. Each of the main parts of the temple was a separate spatial cell, both inside and outside, clearly separated from the rest, which was largely due to the requirements of the church hierarchy: for example, the church choir was inaccessible to the flock occupying the naves. In the interior, the measured, slow rhythms of the arcades and supporting arches separating the naves, cutting through the stone mass of the vault at a considerable distance from each other, gave rise to a feeling of the unshakable stability of the divine world order; this impression was strengthened by the vaults themselves (mostly cylindrical, cross, cross-rib, and less often domes) coming to the Russian village. replacing the flat wooden floors that originally appeared in the side naves.

If in early R. s. Wall painting dominated, then at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th centuries, when the vaults and walls acquired a more complex configuration, the leading type of temple decoration became monumental reliefs that adorned the portals, and often the entire facade wall, and in the interior, concentrated on the capitals. In mature R. s. the flat relief is replaced by an increasingly convex one, saturated with light and shadow effects, but invariably maintaining an organic connection with the wall, inserted into it or, as it were, growing out of its mass. The era of R. s. It was also the heyday of book miniatures, generally distinguished by the large size and monumentality of the compositions, as well as various branches of decorative and applied art: casting, embossing, bone carving, enamel work, artistic weaving, carpet weaving, and jewelry.

In Romanesque painting and sculpture, a central place was occupied by themes related to the idea of ​​the limitless and formidable power of God (Christ in glory, the “Last Judgment,” etc.). The strictly symmetrical compositions were dominated by the figure of Christ, significantly larger in size than the other figures. Narrative cycles of images (based on biblical and evangelical, hagiographic, and occasionally historical subjects) took on a freer and more dynamic character. For R. s. characterized by numerous deviations from real proportions (heads are disproportionately large, clothes are interpreted ornamentally, bodies are subordinated to abstract patterns), thanks to which the human image becomes the bearer of an exaggerated expressive gesture or part of an ornament, often without losing intense spiritual expressiveness. In all types of Romanesque art, patterns, geometric or composed of motifs of flora and fauna (typologically dating back to the works of the animal style) often played a significant role. and directly reflecting the spirit of the pagan past of European peoples). The general system of images of the Russian style, which at the mature stage gravitated towards the universal artistic embodiment of the medieval picture of the world, prepared the characteristic of Gothic (See Gothic) the idea of ​​the cathedral as a kind of “spiritual encyclopedia”.

In the architecture of France, where the initial forms of R. s. appear at the end

10th century, the most widespread were three-nave basilicas with barrel vaults in the middle nave and cross vaults in the side ones, as well as the so-called pilgrimage churches with a choir surrounded by a bypass gallery with radial chapels (the Church of Saint-Sernin in Toulouse, around 1080 - 12th century). . In general, French Romanesque architecture is marked by an extreme diversity of local schools: the Burgundian school gravitated towards the special monumentality of compositions

(the so-called Cluny 3 church) , to the wealth of sculptural decoration - the Poitou school (Notre Dame Church in Poitiers, 12th century); in Provence, a distinctive feature of the churches was the main portal (single-bay or three-bay), richly decorated with sculpture, probably developing the motif of the ancient Roman triumphal arch (the Church of Saint-Trophime in Arles) . The Norman churches, strict in their decor, largely prepared the Gothic with the clarity of their spatial divisions (the church of La Trinite in Caen, 1059-66). In secular architecture R. s. In France, a type of castle-fortress with a Donjon developed. The sculpture of the tympanums of the Burgundian and Languedoc churches, imbued with powerful expression, belongs to the peaks of Romanesque fine art in France [in Vézelay, Autun , Moissac], numerous cycles of paintings, monuments of miniatures and decorative arts (including Limoges enamels (See Limoges enamel)).

In Romanesque architecture in Germany, the Saxon school stood out [churches with two symmetrical choirs on the west and east, sometimes with 2 transepts, deprived of a front facade (St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim, after 1001-33)], and in the mature period - church architecture Rhine cities, where in the 11th-13th centuries. grandiose cathedrals were built [in Speyer, Mainz, Worms]; here the so-called connected system of floors was widely used, in which each trave of the middle nave corresponded to 2 traves of the side naves. The ideas of the greatness of imperial power, characteristic of German Romanesque, found vivid expression in the construction of imperial palaces (palatinates). During the “Ottonian period” R. s. (2nd half of the 10th - 1st half of the 11th centuries) German book miniatures flourished (the most important centers were Reichenau Abbey and Trier), as well as the art of casting (bronze doors in the cathedral in Hildesheim). In the era of mature German R. s. Stone and stucco sculpture is becoming increasingly important.

In Italy, elements of R. s. first of all originated in the Lombard school (See Lombard school) , where already in the 9th-10th centuries. the so-called first R. s. (regular masonry of walls and supports, stone floors, tectonic decoration of external surfaces in the absence of a clear relationship between the elements of the volumetric-spatial composition). For Italian R. s. Typical are the predominantly urban nature of the architecture, constant antique and (in southern Italy and Sicily) Arab influences. The architecture of Tuscany [the cathedral complex in Pisa], where the Inlay style arose, is more closely related to German and French Romanesque.

In Spain, partly in connection with the Reconquista, the construction of castles, fortresses and city fortifications [for example, in Avila] began widely (like nowhere else in Europe) in the Romanesque era. The church architecture of Spain often followed the French “pilgrimage” prototypes (the cathedral in Salamanca; see illustration at Art. Salamanca), but in general it was distinguished by the comparative simplicity of compositional solutions. Spanish sculpture R. s. in some cases it anticipates the complex figurative systems of Gothic. In Spain (mainly in Catalonia) numerous Romanesque paintings have also been preserved, marked by the sharp lapidary design and extreme intensity of color.

R.s. also develops in England (after the Norman conquest of 1066; in architecture here the traditions of local wooden architecture were combined with the influence of the Norman school, and in painting miniatures, which are characterized by a special richness of plant ornaments, gained leading importance), in the countries of Scandinavia (if large city cathedrals here follow predominantly German models, then in parish and rural churches features of local originality clearly appear), in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. Outside Europe, foci of R. s. there were castles built by the crusaders in the 12th and 13th centuries. in Palestine and Syria (Krac des Chevaliers castle,

12-13 centuries). Certain features of artistic style, due not so much to direct influences as to certain similarities in ideological and artistic goals, appeared in the art of Ancient Rus' (for example, in the architecture and plastic arts of the Vladimir-Suzdal school (See Vladimir-Suzdal school)).

Lit.: General History of Arts, vol. 2, book. 1, M., 1960; General history of architecture, vol. 4, L. - M., 1966; Grabar A., ​​Nordenfalk S., Romanesque painting from the 11th to the 13th century, N.Y., ; Conant K. J., Carolingian and romanesque architecture. 800-1200, [Harmondsworth, 1959]; Demus 0., Romanische Wandmalerei, Münch., ; Fillitz H., Das Mittelalter, Bd I, B., 1969; Francastel P., L "humanisme roman, P. - La Hayt, .

E. T. Yuvalova.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

The Romanesque style is a stage in the development of medieval European art, an artistic style that dominated Western Europe, and also affected the countries of Eastern Europe, in the 10th-12th centuries, in a number of places until the 13th century. The main role in the Romanesque style was given to harsh, serf-like architecture: monastery complexes, churches, castles were located on elevated places, dominating the area. Churches were decorated with paintings and reliefs, expressing the power of God in conventional, expressive forms. At the same time, semi-fairy tales, images of animals and plants went back to folk art. During the Romanesque period, metal and wood processing, enamel, and miniatures achieved high development. The term Romanesque style was introduced in the early 19th century.

Pisa. Cathedral complex

The Romanesque style absorbed elements of early Christian art, Merovingian art, the culture of the Carolingian Renaissance, but, in addition, the art of antiquity, Byzantium, and the Muslim Middle East. In contrast to the preceding trends in medieval art, which were local in nature, the Romanesque style became the first artistic system of the Middle Ages, which, despite the diversity of local schools, covered most European countries. The unity of the Romanesque style was based on the international essence of the Catholic Church, which was the most significant ideological force in society and, due to the absence of a strong secular centralized authority, had fundamental political influence. The main patrons of the arts in most states were monastic orders, and the builders, workers, painters, copyists and decorators of manuscripts were monks. It was only at the end of the 11th century that wandering artels of lay stonemasons - builders and sculptors - appeared.

Principles of the Romanesque style

Monastery of Maria Lach

Individual Romanesque buildings and complexes (churches, monasteries, castles) were often created among the rural landscape and, located on a hill or on an elevated river bank, dominated the area as an earthly likeness of the “city of God” or a visual expression of the power of the overlord. Romanesque buildings are in harmony with the natural environment, their compact forms and clear silhouettes seem to repeat and enrich the natural relief, and the local stone, which most often served as the material, organically combines with the soil and greenery. The external appearance of the buildings is full of harsh strength; in creating such an impression, a significant role was played by massive walls, the heaviness and thickness of which were emphasized by narrow window openings and stepped recessed portals, as well as towers, which in the Romanesque style became one of the elements of architectural compositions.

Pentecost. Tympanum of the Church of La Madeleine in Vézelay

The Romanesque building was a system of simple stereometric volumes (cubes, parallelepipeds, prisms, cylinders), the surface of which was dissected by blades, arched friezes and galleries, rhythmicizing the mass of the wall, but not violating the monolithic integrity. Temples developed the types of basilical and centric (most often round in plan) churches inherited from early Christian architecture; at the intersection of the transept with the longitudinal naves, a light lantern or tower was erected. Each of the main parts of the temple was a separate spatial cell, both inside and outside, isolated from the rest, which was determined by the requirements of the church hierarchy: for example, the choir of the church was inaccessible to the flock that occupied the naves. In the interior, the rhythms of the arcades and supporting arches separating the naves, cutting through the stone mass of the vault at a considerable distance from each other, gave rise to a feeling of stability of the divine world order; this impression was strengthened by vaults (mostly cylindrical, cross, cross-rib, less often - domes), which replaced flat wooden ceilings in the Romanesque style and originally appeared in the side naves.

Apostle Paul. Relief from the abbey at Moissac

The early Romanesque style was dominated by wall painting. At the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th century, when the vaults and walls acquired a complex configuration, the leading type of temple decoration became monumental reliefs that decorated the portals and the facade wall, and capitals in the interior. In the mature Romanesque style, the flat relief became more convex, rich in light and shadow effects, but maintaining an organic connection with the wall. The Romanesque period in medieval art was characterized by the flourishing of book miniatures, distinguished by their large sizes and monumental compositions, as well as decorative and applied arts: casting, embossing, bone carving, enamel work, artistic weaving, carpet weaving, and jewelry. In Romanesque painting and sculpture, themes related to the idea of ​​God's power (Christ in glory, the Last Judgment) occupied a central place. The strictly symmetrical compositions were dominated by the figure of Christ, which was larger than the other figures. Narrative cycles of images (based on biblical and evangelical, hagiographic, and occasionally historical subjects) took on a freer and more dynamic character. The Romanesque style is characterized by deviations from real proportions (heads are disproportionately large, clothes are interpreted ornamentally, bodies are subordinated to abstract patterns), thanks to which the human image becomes the bearer of an exaggerated expressive gesture or part of an ornament. In all types of Romanesque art, a significant role was played by patterns, geometric or composed of motifs of flora and fauna (typologically dating back to the works of the animal style and directly reflecting the spirit of the pagan past of European peoples).

Romanesque style in European countries

Monastery church in Cluny. South facade

The original forms of the Romanesque style appeared in French architecture at the end of the 10th century. In France, three-nave basilicas with barrel vaults in the middle nave and cross vaults in the side ones, as well as the so-called pilgrimage churches with a choir surrounded by a bypass gallery with radial chapels (the Church of Saint-Sernin in Toulouse, around 1080 - 12th century), became widespread. French Romanesque architecture is marked by a variety of local schools; the Burgundian school (the so-called Cluny 3 church) gravitated towards monumental compositions, and the Poitou school (Notre Dame Church in Poitiers, 12th century) towards the richness of sculptural decoration. In Provence, a feature of the churches was a single-bay or three-bay main portal decorated with sculpture, probably similar to the motif of the ancient Roman triumphal arch (the Church of Saint-Trophime in Arles). Norman churches, strict in decoration, prepared the Gothic style with the clarity of spatial divisions (the church of La Trinite in Caen, 1059-1066). In secular Romanesque architecture in France, a type of castle-fortress with a donjon developed. The achievements of Romanesque fine art in France include the sculpture of the tympanums of the Burgundian and Languedoc churches in Vézelay, Autun, Moissac, cycles of paintings, monuments of miniatures and decorative arts, including Limoges enamels.

Ghent. Count's Castle

In early Romanesque architecture in Germany, the Saxon school stood out: churches with two symmetrical choirs in the west and east, sometimes with two transepts, devoid of a front façade, for example the St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim (after 1001-1033). In the mature period (11th-13th centuries), grandiose cathedrals were built in the Rhine cities in Speyer, Mainz, and Worms using the so-called connected system of ceilings, in which each trestle of the middle nave corresponded to two trestles of the side naves. The ideas of the greatness of imperial power, characteristic of German Romanesque, found expression in the construction of imperial palaces (palatinates). The “Ottonian period” (second half of the 10th - first half of the 11th centuries) became the heyday of German book miniatures, the centers of which were the Abbey of Reichenau and Trier, as well as the art of casting (bronze doors in the cathedral in Hildesheim). During the era of the mature German Romanesque style, the importance of stone and stucco sculpture expanded.
In Spain, like nowhere else in Europe, in the Romanesque era, widespread construction of castles, fortresses and city fortifications began, for example, in Avila, which is associated with the Reconquista. The church architecture of Spain followed the French “pilgrimage” prototypes (the cathedral in Salamanca), but in general it was distinguished by the simplicity of its compositional solutions. In a number of cases, sculpture anticipated the complex figurative systems of Gothic art. In Catalonia, Romanesque paintings have been preserved, marked by the lapidary design and intensity of color.
After the Norman Conquest (1066), in the architecture of England, the traditions of local wooden architecture were combined with the influence of the Norman school; in painting, miniatures, which are characterized by a wealth of floral ornaments, gained leading importance. In Scandinavia, large city cathedrals followed German models, and parish and village churches had a local flavor. Outside of Europe, the castles built by the Crusaders in Palestine and Syria (Castle des Chevaliers, 12th-13th centuries) became centers of the Romanesque style. Certain features of the Romanesque style, due not so much to direct influences as to the similarity of ideological and artistic goals, appeared in the art of Ancient Rus', for example, in the architecture and plastic arts of the Vladimir-Suzdal school.

What do you imagine when you hear the word “medieval”? Most likely, the imagery is standard: Bosch, plague, Crusades, fires of the Inquisition, Gothic. Naturally gothic! After all, this is one of the most striking and monumental symbols of the Middle Ages. Beautiful cathedrals adorning the famous cities of Europe, reaching into the sky with the spiers of numerous towers and arrows of elongated windows. However, in my opinion, there is another architectural style that is undeservedly ignored by ordinary people and is not singled out as a separate type of object by ordinary tourists - Romanesque architecture.

"Romance Dictionary"

I myself noticed this style quite recently and realized that what I previously took for gothic, most often is not. I am justified by the fact that in my life I have not traveled around Europe as much as I would like; I have seen practically no examples of both Gothic and Romanesque architecture with my own eyes - just a couple, literally. So, excuse me, I don’t have my own photographs of such objects. There are a lot of photographs of Romanesque buildings on the Internet, but I did not dare to use other people’s photos for my post. I decided to decorate my self-lecture with engravings and drawings (from old guidebooks, for example), which I found on various public sites. This style of architecture is very picturesque, so when drawn it looks no worse than in photographs.

Plan of a typical Romanesque church

So what defines the Romanesque style? Let's start with the term itself. It began to be used late - in the 19th century. It was invented by the archaeologist Arciss de Caumont. It must be said that the term is very conditional. “Roman” means similar to Roman. However, by and large, it differs from the real Roman style just as much as from the Greek or, say, ancient Chinese. Those elements taken from the Roman style have been transformed beyond recognition. For example, the columns became squat and lost all their decorative effect.

Church of San Felix de Barruera, Val de Boi, Spain


Church of Saint Juan de Boi, Val de Boi, Spain

Church of Santa Maria de Tayuli, Val de Boi valley, Spain (this and the two previous drawings are the work of an unknown Spanish artist from THIS SITE).

With rare, let us clarify, exceptions - for example, the Pisa Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the famous Leaning Tower - this is where columns are in abundance! In the vast majority of other buildings, the columns were insignificant - short, thick, not particularly expressive. At first, the capitals were generally devoid of decoration and had a purely utilitarian, i.e. supporting function. During the period of maturity of the style and its heyday, they began to be decorated with floral ornaments and sculptural compositions, but it looked so unique and original that it does not occur to compare these capitals with the capitals of Roman columns.

Pisa Cathedral

Still, we will not completely discard Roman influence. Thus, the main and most typical element - the semicircular arch - was nevertheless borrowed from Roman construction; this element can be found everywhere - in vaults, in door and window openings, etc. Here, however, it must be clarified that if we talk about Roman influence, then it was rather late Roman influence, and even more precisely, Byzantine. This is especially evident in Italian examples of Romanesque architecture. After all, Ravenna, located on the Adriatic coast, was the second, western, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Of course, we see some Byzantine features in a number of buildings of the Romanesque period - this is a peculiar alternation of secondary volumes and aisles, multi-tiered arcades, and even the presence of domes - this, however, is very rare.

Longpont Abbey, France (artist Jean-Pierre Leopold)

From the Roman-Byzantine heritage and the dominant plan of buildings (we are talking about temples in the first place) is the basilica. In the vast majority of cases, the main volume of temples is rectangular. In later large churches it is very elongated from the portal to the apse. First of all, this is due to the simplest technologies that were available in those days. The construction was made of stone, the fastening mortars were primitive, construction knowledge and experience were minimal. In addition, the elongated temple, lengthening the path from the entrance to the altar, symbolized the solemn and long path of a sinful human being to God. So here it is: a lack of skill can always lead to a spectacular idea. So, we have determined that Byzantine influences undoubtedly took place. In addition, primordial local influences can be traced in a number of buildings. Apparently, the tastes of the customer and the skill of the builders were also evident. Thus, the Gothic buildings that generously dotted Europe from the end of the 10th to the end of the 13th century are very diverse and heterogeneous, they have territorial features, but a number of features still unite them.

Cathedral in Angoulême, France (rec. Paul Abadie)

Let's look at some typical elements.
The heavy roof rested on the walls, its weight was distributed from top to bottom, and practically no supports were used. External supports - wide buttresses and flying buttresses - began to be used later; these are precisely elements of Gothic frame architecture. In the Romanesque period, internal, “built-in” buttresses were sometimes used, scanty and not particularly aesthetic, looking like the ribs of a central heating radiator. Due to the lack of additional supports, the walls were made thick and massive. The window openings were small so as not to weaken the structure. The completion of the windows was also arched and semi-circular - this strengthened the opening. If you see tall windows with pointed ends, this is most likely already Gothic, or a cathedral, originally Romanesque, but rebuilt in the Gothic style. In the meantime, everything was monumental, durable and practical, although picturesque in its own way.
We should not forget that the cold climate of Europe and constant civil strife forced builders to erect such massive, reliable buildings. In the event of attacks by aggressive neighbors, most of the village could take refuge in the church.

Cathedral of Angoulême

At first the roof was a big problem. In the first buildings, the floors were made of wood and the roofs were gable. True, with frequent fires the roof would certainly collapse. Then they learned how to lay out a half-barrel vault - also a Roman technique. They used pointed and even domed vaults. A pointed cross vault was also used. This type of vault was used in cruciform buildings, when the main rectangular nave crossed with a transverse transept. During the Gothic period, they learned to make such vaults masterfully; the crosshairs became sail-like, multi-component, very impressive-looking ribs (curved ribs of a frame-cross-frame roof) appeared. During the Romanesque period, the primary cross elements of the roof looked simpler and more modest.

With all this, pitched roofs, as before, were used very widely.
Many temple buildings had bell towers, sometimes two or more. The Abbey of Cluny in France at one time became the trendsetter of the “tower” fashion. This Benedictine monastery had enormous influence in Europe in the 10th-13th centuries, perhaps next in importance after papal Rome. The main church of the abbey was quite consistent with this influence. The temple was simply gigantic for those times - 187 meters long, the width of the transept was 17 meters, the height was 30 meters, and it was decorated with as many as 5 towers! Since the 13th century, the abbey, however, began to decline, and by the 19th it was practically destroyed. The roof collapsed, and a street ran between the walls. Then these walls were completely dismantled. Now on the site of the once most influential monastery you can see only the preserved part of the northern transept and one of the towers.

Abbey of Cluny


Abbey of Cluny

Abbey of Cluny

One of the buildings in Cluny on the labels of chocolate packaging

Not all abbeys were interested in architecture on such a large scale. A famous person who influenced the Romanesque architecture of Europe was Bernard of Clairvaux. He is famous for being the inspirer of the Crusades, including against the Slavs. One of the relatively useful things he did was the creation of the Order of the Cistercians (later they began to be called Bernardines). The monastery he founded in Clairvaux differed in key ways from Cluny Abbey. Bernard's charter was very strict; humility and modesty were considered the main virtues, which was reflected in the church monastery buildings. The temples were small and squat. They were usually crowned by a single tower that served as a bell tower.

No gigantomania, no decoration - Bernard contrasted this with cleanliness and severity of lines and careful finishing of the stone. No Romanesque buildings have survived in Clairvaux itself, but they can be seen in Fontaine, another monastery founded by Bernard. The Order grew with rapid speed - approximately 400 monasteries in less than 100 years! You can still see a lot of surviving buildings of this type in France.

Vaults of the monastery building in Fontaine

There are Romanesque churches in other European countries. Almost simultaneously with France, grandiose and wonderful temples appeared in Germany - the famous cathedral in Speer, the Abbey Church of Maria Laach, the Church of St. Michael in Gildsheim, etc. There were also a lot of them in Spain - nine small rural churches in the Val de Boi valley are still preserved. And in Italy, and in Denmark, and the Czech Republic.

A rather short period of European history gave rise to an expressive style of architecture, which was reflected by its originality, and, in addition, became the basis for the development of a new, no less striking style - Gothic. But this should be a separate story.
I won’t overload you with information, I think it’s enough for general information. Then look at the pictures.

Abbey of Saint-Aubin, Angers

Bamberg Cathedral, Germany

Beauvais. Notre-Dame de la Beauvre

Vézelay Abbey

Saint-Etienne, Vignory

Worms Cathedral, Germany

Gernrod, Kyriak Church, Germany

Durham Cathedral, UK (art. Stuart Fisher)

Durham Cathedral, (art. Stuart Fisher)

Zamora Cathedral, Spain

He's the same

Monastery church in Poblet, Spain

Temple of Saint-Austermont in Issoire

Church of the Holy Mother of God in Kallumborg, Denmark

Abbey at Caen

Abbey in Cahors

Cologne, Mathis Center

Cologne, St. Kunibert

Cologne, St. Church Andrey

(artist John Heinrich Mitze)

Cologne, St. Church Big Martin

Cologne, St. Church Big Martin

Cologne, Abbey of St. Panteleimon

Cologne. Church of St. Jacob

Cologne. St. Severin

Cologne. Church of St. Apostles

Cologne. Church of St. Andrey

Conques, Abbey of Sainte-Fé de Conques

Temple in Kursi



Limburg, Belgium

Liege, Saint Martin

Mainz

Mainz

Maria Laach, Germany

Mont Saint Michel

Mont Saint Michel

Mont Saint Michel

Monte Casino

Monte Casino

Monte Casino

Notre-Dame du Port, Clermont

Notre-Dame du Port, Clermont

Auvergne, Saint-Ostramont

Aulnay

Aulnay

Pare-le-Monial

Pare-le-Monial

Périgord

Poissy

Poitiers, Notre-Dame de la Grand

Poitiers, Saint-Savin-sur-Gartampe

Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val (town hall)

Regensburg Cathedral

Sahagun, Spain

San Martin de Tour

Saint Martin de Fromista

Santa Maria, Cornea de Conflents

Saint-Allee de Clermont

Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire, Fleury

Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Saint Gilles de Gard

Saint-Georges-de-Boscherville

Saint Julien de Caen

Saint-Caprin-de-Angens

Saint-Caprin-de-Angens

Saint-Nectaire, Auvergne

Saint-Nicolas-Aux-Bois

Saint-Cernay de Toulouse

Saint-Trophime-de-Harlay

Saint Philibert de Tournus

Saint-Etienne-de-Nevers

Saint-Etienne-de-Nevers

Saint-Frond-de-Périgueux

Saint-Frond-de-Périgueux

Saint-Frond-de-Périgueux

Saint-Frond-de-Périgueux

Saint Sernin de Toulouse

Saint-Eupré

Ely Cathedral (Albert Dawson)

Ely Cathedral

Saint Pierre in Hervaux

I found some pictures on Wikipedia, and also here:

and somewhere else, I don’t remember exactly.

Also look for the doc. the film "Masterpieces of Romanesque Art" and the film "Romanesque Style" from the series

Romanesque style (from lat. romanus- Roman) developed in Western European art of the X-XII centuries, one of the most important stages in the development of medieval European art.

The Romanesque style completely rejected the proportional canons and forms of ancient architecture and its inherent arsenal of ornamental and decorative means. What little remained of the architectural details of ancient origin was extremely transformed and roughened.

The term "Romanesque style" appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, when a connection was established between the architecture of the 11th and 12th centuries with ancient Roman architecture. In general, the term is conditional and reflects only one, not the main, side of art. However, it has come into general use. The main type of art of the Romanesque style is architecture, mainly church (stone temple, monastery complexes). Its development was associated with monumental construction that began in Western Europe during the formation and prosperity of feudal states, the revival of economic activity and the new growth of culture and art.

The monumental architecture of Western Europe arose in the art of barbarian peoples. Such are, for example, the tomb of Theodoric in Ravenna (526-530), church buildings of the late Carolingian era - the court chapel of Charlemagne in Aachen (795-805), the church in Gernrode of the Ottonian period with its plastic integrity of large masses (second half of the 10th century). Combining classical and barbaric elements, distinguished by austere grandeur, it prepared the formation of the Romanesque style, which subsequently developed purposefully over the course of two centuries.

Romanesque architecture developed as a result of the combination of original local and Byzantine forms. It was the earliest stage in the development of Western European architecture. New types of buildings were identified - a feudal castle, city fortifications, large city churches, cathedrals. A new type of urban residential building also emerged.

The severity and power of Romanesque structures were generated by concerns about their strength. The builders limited themselves to simple and massive forms of stone, which impress with their power, internal strength, combined with external calm.

The main building material of Romanesque architecture was stone. The most complex process was the development of rational and rhythmic planning solutions for the massive stone structure of religious buildings. The system of vaults and the stone supports that support them evolved. The process proceeded differently in various architectural schools in France, Germany, Italy and other countries.

The church buildings, mainly monastic ones, that have survived from that time are of the basilica type. They have the shape of a Latin cross. These are massive stone buildings, with narrow and small windows in thick oblong walls with squat columns inside, separating the main and side naves from each other.

Built in 1030-1061 by the Holy Roman Emperors. The construction was started by Kaiser Conrad II, then continued by his son Henry III and completed by his grandson Henry IV, under whom the consecration of the cathedral took place. At that time, about 500 people lived in Speyer, and Speyer Cathedral was one of the largest buildings in the world. It had political significance in particular, since its size symbolized the power of the Kaiser.

Pisa Cathedral and partly famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is part of the ensemble of the city cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore in Pisa. The tower is the bell tower of the cathedral and is adjacent to its north-eastern corner.

Church of St. Jacob(German: die irische Benediktinerklosterkirche St. Jakob und St. Gertrud) is a Romanesque basilica in Regensburg. The church originally belonged to an Irish Benedictine abbey, founded in 1070; its construction dates back to 1175-1180.

The church is a fine example of Romanesque architecture: a three-nave basilica with three apses, towers in the east, and a transept in the west. The gallery in which the organ is installed runs over all three naves in the transept.

The central nave is separated from the side naves by cylindrical pillars of masonry (not monolithic columns), their capitals are fine examples of high Romanesque sculpture, depicting men, lions, eagles and crocodiles, and may have an allegorical meaning. The corners of the bases of the pillars are decorated with the heads of less noble animals, including pigs, dogs, donkeys, and vultures.

Under the arch of the central apse stand three late twelfth-century wooden sculptures, which together form a crucifixion scene.