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Romanesque Capital with Supporting Heads

Romanesque Capital with Supporting Heads
Romanesque Capital with Supporting Heads
Romanesque Capital with Supporting Heads

What is Romanesque Architecture?

Romanesque is an architectural style that dominated in Western Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries, and whose name means “from Rome.” This was a term coined in the 19th century, reflecting that fact that Romanesque buildings, like those of the ancient Roman Empire, tend to display a strong sense of proportion and order, are solid and robust, and feature numerous rounded arches and vaults (a key difference from Greek architecture, which does not use arches and vaults).

Sources of Influence

Despite its name, the inspiration behind Romanesque architecture was not Rome, but the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The church of St Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, dating from the 6th century, was one building that had a major influence: it inspired the palace complex of the emperor Charlemagne in Aachen, Germany, built around 800 AD.

Charlemagne was a key figure of the middle ages, the first ruler to reunite Western Europe since the Roman Empire, and shaped European identity. Charlemagne’s court at Aachen was legendary: it had a major influence on the culture — including the architecture — of much of western Europe. Romanesque architecture developed from the buildings constructed during Charlemagne’s reign.

Source: https://www.durhamworldheritagesite.com/architecture/romanesque

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