ROMANESQUE ART

The term “Romanesque Art” defines a style derived from Roman art, to which Palaeochristian, Byzantine, Carolingian, and Arabic elements were added. It spread in Europe mostly during 11th and 12th centuries.

The Architecture- The building mostly characterizing Romanesque art is the cathedral, a  name coming from the Latin word cattedra, the bishop’s desk. The shapes are simple and essential: these are solid constructions, made with stones, marble or bricks.

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Walls are thick to maintain stability, windows are few in number and very small not to weaken the structure and to suggest a dark place for the meditation of the believers.  The general impression given by a Romanesque Church is that of grandeur. The characteristic element of all Romanesque architecture is the round arch, of circular shape, seen both in the inside and on the outside of the Church.