Medieval architecture is architecture common in Medieval Europe.
Types = Religious architecture =
The Latin cross plan, common in medieval ecclesiastical architecture, takes the
Roman basilica as its primary model with subsequent developments. It consists of
a nave, transepts, and the altar stands at the east end. Also, cathedrals
influenced or commissioned by Justinian employed the Byzantine style of domes
and a Greek cross, with the altar located in the sanctuary on the east
side of the church. = Military architecture =
Surviving examples of medieval secular architecture mainly served for defense.
Castles and fortified walls provide the most notable remaining non-religious
examples of medieval architecture. Windows gained a cross-shape for more
than decorative purposes, they provided a perfect fit for a crossbowman to
safely shoot at invaders from inside. Crenellated walls provided shelters for
archers on the roofs to hide behind when not shooting invaders
= Civic architecture = While much of the surviving medieval
architecture is either religious or military, examples of civic and even
domestic architecture can be found throughout Europe. Examples include
manor houses, town halls, almshouses and bridges, but also residential houses.
Styles = Pre-Romanesque =
European architecture in the Early Middle Ages may be divided into Early
Christian, Romanesque architecture, Russian church architecture, Norse
Architecture, Pre-Romanesque, including Merovingian, Carolingian, Ottonian, and
Asturian. While these terms are problematic, they nonetheless serve
adequately as entries into the era. Considerations that enter into histories
of each period include Trachtenberg's "historicising" and "modernising"
elements, Italian versus northern, Spanish, and Byzantine elements, and
especially the religious and political maneuverings between kings, popes, and
various ecclesiastic officials. = Romanesque =
Romanesque, prevalent in medieval Europe during the 11th and 12th centuries, was
the first pan-European style since Roman Imperial Architecture and examples are
found in every part of the continent. The term was not contemporary with the
art it describes, but rather, is an invention of modern scholarship based on
its similarity to Roman Architecture in forms and materials. Romanesque is
characterized by a use of round or slightly pointed arches, barrel vaults,
and cruciform piers supporting vaults. = Gothic =
The various elements of Gothic architecture emerged in a number of 11th
and 12th century building projects, particularly in the Île de France area,
but were first combined to form what we would now recognise as a distinctively
Gothic style at the 12th century abbey church of Saint-Denis in Saint-Denis,
near Paris. Verticality is emphasized in Gothic architecture, which features
almost skeletal stone structures with great expanses of glass, pared-down wall
surfaces supported by external flying buttresses, pointed arches using the
ogive shape, ribbed stone vaults, clustered columns, pinnacles and sharply
pointed spires. Windows contain stained glass, showing stories from the Bible
and from lives of saints. Such advances in design allowed cathedrals to rise
taller than ever, and it became something of an inter-regional contest
to build a church as high as possible. Variations included Brick Gothic
Regions = Central Europe =
= Scandinavia = = Kievan Rus =
See also History of Arabic and Western European
domes Further reading
Braun, Hugh, An Introduction to English Mediaeval Architecture, London: Faber
and Faber, 1951. Fletcher, Banister; Cruickshank, Dan,
Sir Banister Fletcher's a History of Architecture, Architectural Press, 20th
edition, 1996. ISBN 0-7506-2267-9. Cf. Part Two, Chapter 13.