Classical Architecture and the Western Succession

EARLY CHRISTIAN
Early Christian (200-1025)
➢ The final phase of Roman Architecture.
➢ Christianity became the state religion.
➢ House-churches, early venue for religious practices.
➢ Roman basilica form was adopted as the ground plan for most churches: rectangular
plan and a nave with two side aisles.
➢ Basilican churches were constructed over the burial place of a saint.
➢ Facades faced west.

BASILICA
Basilica Papale San Paolo fuori le Mura
An early Christian church, characterized by a long, rectangular plan, a high
colonnaded nave lit by a clerestory and covered by a timbered gable roof.

Early Christian Basilica. San Clemente, Rome; 4th century AD. (Opus Grecanicum, glass mosaic decorations)

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 Apse, sanctuary. Atrium, forecourt
Bema, stage for clergy Narthex, for the penitents
Altar, under the baldacchino Choir, enclosed by a cancelli
Nave, central aisle Ambo, pulpit

BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE
Byzantine (300-1450)
➢ Circular or polygonal plans for churches, tombs, andbaptisteries.
➢ Characterized by masonry construction, round arches,shallow domes carried on
pendentives, and the extensive use of rich frescoes, and coloured glass mosaics to
cover whole interiors.
➢ First buildings constructed were churches
➢ Dumped Early Christian style for new domicalByzantine style
➢ Byzantine is still official style for Orthodox church
➢ Basilican plan - Early Christian
➢ Domed, centralized plan

3 types of Dome:
★ SIMPLE DOME - dome and pendentives were part of the same sphere
★ COMPOUND DOME - dome is not a part but rises independently above hem
★ MELON-SHAPED DOME / ONION OR BULBOUS - consist of curved flutings
which avoided the necessity of pendentives

19 basket capital; 20 dosseret and basket capital; 21 dosseret and trapezoidal capital.
Dosseret. A thickened abacus or supplementary capital set above a column capital to
receive the thrust of an arch;also called a pulvin, impost block or supercapital.

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Basilica di San Vitale
Ravenna, Italy
➢ A Byzantine centralized church.
➢ Prime example of Byzantine architecture in
the West.

St. Mark’s Basilica; Venice, Italy. (Greek cross plan.)

St. Mark’sBasilica
Venice, Italy
➢ Greek cross plan
➢ Golden mosaics (Church of Gold)
➢ It lies at the eastern end of thePiazza San Marco, adjacent and connected to the
Doge's Palace.

Hagia Sophia
➢ “Sacred wisdom” in Greek.
➢ Constructed by EmperorJustinian; designed by Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of
Miletus.
➢ The interiors were beautified by richly coloured marble pavement in Opus Sectile or
Opus Alexandrinum.
➢ Used as a church, mosque, and presently a museum.

Hagia Sophia
Spatial configuration
➢ A 30-meter square forms the center. At the corners, piers rise up to support
four arches, between which are pendentives that hold a dome scalloped with
forty ribs. Windows line the base of the dome, making it seem to float.

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 St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia. Designed by Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Barma.

ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE
Romanesque (800 - 1180)
➢ "Roman-like” or “Descended from the Roman”
➢ Heavy articulated masonry construction with narrow openings, round arches, barrel
vaults, introduction of central and western towers, and sparse ornament.
➢ Churches gradually changed to cross-shaped plans formed by wings called transepts
and the choir.
➢ Known in England as Norman architecture.
➢ The Roman Empire was halved into East and West .
➢ Those outside the Empire were called “barbarians” - Germanic Tribes such as the
Franks, Saxons, Vandals, Goths; Asian Tribes such as the Huns.

Romanesque (800 - 1180)

Geographical Influence
➢ On the decline of the Roman Empire, the Romanesque style grew up in those
countries of Western Europe which had been under the rule of Rome, and
geographical position determined many of the peculiarities of the style in each
country.
➢ Combination of Roman & Byzantine Architecture.
➢ Basically Roman in style.

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Romanesque (800 - 1180)
Geological Influence

➢ The use of local materials, whether stone or brick, marble or terra-cotta, as well as of
ready-made columns and other features from old Roman buildings.

Romanesque (800 - 1180)

Religious Influence
➢ Christianity, the chief source of education and culture and the erection of a church
often resulted in the foundation of a city; for the Papacy had been rising to great
power and influence.

Romanesque (800 - 1180)

Historical Influence
➢ The Roman Empire in the West had already come to an end in A.D. 475. The
election of the first Frankish King Charlemagne (A.D. 799) as Holy Roman Emperor
marks the beginning of a new era.
➢ Next two hundred years little progress was made, and it has been suggested that this
was owing to a popular superstition that the millennium would bring the end of the
world.

Characters of Romanesque Architecture

● WALLS
○ The walls of Romanesque buildings are often of massive thickness with few
and comparatively small openings. They are often double shells, filled with
rubble.
● BUTTRESSES
○ Romanesque buttresses are generally of flat square profile and do not project
a great deal beyond the wall. In the case of aisled churches, barrel vaults,or
half-barrel vaults over the aisles helped to buttress the nave, if it was vaulted.
● ARCHES and OPENINGS
○ The arches used in Romanesque architecture are nearly always
semicircular, for openings such as doors and windows, for vaults and for
arcades.
● VAULTING
○ a row of arches supporting the VAULTS of the churches.
● PIERS
○ In Romanesque Architecture, piers were often employed to support arches.
● ROMANESQUE PORTALS
○ The door, or portal, of a temple or sanctuary carries in itself a powerful
symbolism.

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ROMANESQUE
Example

The Cathedral Complex of Pisa; Tuscany, Italy.

BAPTISTERY
○ Designed by Dioti Salvi
○ 39.3 m circular plan in diameter
○ Built of marble
○ Largest Baptistery in Italy
○ The lower part is 12th century Romanesque (with round arches) and the
upper parts are predominantly 13th century Gothic (with pointed arches)
○ Open during Easter, Pentecost, Epiphany.
CAMPANILE
○ A circular structure 52 feet in diameter
○ Ornamented with eight stories of arcades
○ During its erection the foundations gave way, thus causing the tower to lean
about 11 feet from the vertical
○ Architect: Bonanno Pisano

SOUTH FRANCE. Notre Dame duPort.

The 13th-century Romanesque Cathedral in Ruvo di Puglia,
Italy

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 Santiago de Compostela
Spain
➢ Finest achievement of Romanesque in Spain
➢ Use of both Basilican and Greek-cross forms
➢ Use of horseshoe arch

Malmesbury Abbey, England

Loarre Castle

ENGLAND. Canterbury Cathedral

Notre Dame du Puy, le Puy en Velay,France

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 Worms Cathedral
Worms, Germany
➢ Eastern and western apses and
octagons
➢ 2 circular towers flank each
➢ Octagon at crossing, with pointed
roof

Carolingian
Pertaining to the pre- and early
Romanesque art and Byzantine-influenced
architecture in France.
Abbey
A community of monks overseen by an
abbot, or of nuns by an abbess; also the
main buildings of this community.

Benedictine Abbey of Corvey

Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire

Britain's largest monastic ruin and
most complete Cistercian abbey isa
World Heritage site.

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Romanesque (800-1180)
➢ Establishment of “Feudal System”: Landlords build “castles” to separate them &
protect them from the peasants. This castle was made with man –made canals.
➢ Feudalism: a military and political system based on.
➢ Personal loyalty (vassal and lieges).

PARTS OF A MEDIEVAL CASTLE

Allure
- The allure is the wall-walk found at the top of a curtain wall and is
normally found on the inside of the wall. This allowed guards to look
over the top of the wall to look for enemies.
Armory
- An important function of a castle was to store weapons for use in war
or in times of attack. They needed to be protected so that they didn't
fall into enemy hands.
Bailey
- As part of the Motte and Bailey castle, the bailey was the area next to
the motte (mound) that was enclosed by a ditch and palisade.
Barbican
- This is a defensive element that protects an entrance to the castle.
Some barbicans consisted of a narrow passage that allowed a limited
number of attackers access to a gate, forcing them into a confined
area where they could be shot at by defenders.
Berm
- This is the flat piece of land between the base of the curtain wall and
the start of the ditch that protects it.
Buttress
- Rectangular sections of masonry built on the outside of walls to
provide extra strength and support. Buttresses become thinner
towards the top.
Chapel
- It was very common for there to be a chapel built within the keep or
within the bailey of the castle.
Cross-wall
- The cross-wall is a masonry wall that divides the keep in two.
Curtain Wall
- This refers to the outer wall of a castle. Technically it means the
sections of wall between the towers, but generally it refers to the entire
wall including the towers.
Ditches
- Ditches are the most common form of defense at a castle. Dug around
the outside the walls and the resulting earth used to create banks.
Galleries
- The passage built into the thickness of the walls that runs around the
upper part of the hall of a keep is usually known as a gallery.

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Hall
- The hall is possibly the heart of the castle. Over the centuries its
design has varied greatly but its purpose has not.
Fore building
- The entrance to the keep needed to be defended and the fore building
was designed to do this important job.
Gatehouse
- As the main entrance to the castle, the gatehouse was probably the
first part of a castle to be completed.
Keep OR Donjon
- The keep was probably the strong-point of the castle and was where
the defenders would retreat to if the rest of the castle fell into enemy
hands.
Moat
- The moat is the water-filled ditch that surrounds all or parts of a castle.
Rivers or springs were diverted to provide the water for the moat and
dams were built to provide a suitable depth of water. Moats made
undermining castles much more difficult as digging a mine beneath the
water could mean it getting flooded.
Motte
- A mound of earth on which a wooden tower was built to act as a
defensible position and a look-out point. The motte was constructed
by building up layers of earth and rocks to a height anywhere between
10 and a 100 feet. At the top of the motte was built a wooden palisade
and tower which was usually on stilts.Wooden steps or ladders
connected the top of the motte to the bailey below.
Palisade
- Usually a wooden fence erected around the edge of a bailey or at the
top of a motte. The posts were tightly packed so that there were no
gaps between them and the tops were pointed.
Machicolation
- An opening between the supporting corbels of a projecting parapet or
the vault of a gate, through which stones or burning objects could be
dropped on attackers.
Merlin
- The solid part of an embattled parapet between two embrasures.
Crenel
- An indentation in the battlements of a fort or castle, used for shooting
or firing missiles through.
Portcullis
- A portcullis is a large wooden gate that was lowered through slots in
the gatehouse to defend the entrance to the castle. Made usually from
many pieces of horizontal and vertical oak beams with sharp spikes at
the bottom, the portcullis was strong and very heavy. Counterweights
were sometimes used to make it easier to raise a heavy portcullis.
Postern
- The poster is a small gate for the doorway leading out of the castle
and tends to be away from the main gatehouse. They are small,

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 allowing just a single person to leave or enter at a time. Their purpose
was most likely to allow a small number of people to secretly leave or
enter the castle in times of siege.
Stables
- The foundations of stables remain at several castles including
Goodrich shown above. Horses were the main means of transport in
medieval times and it was important to keep them close and safe.
Tilting Yard
- The foundations of stables remain at several castles including
Goodrich shown above. Horses were the main means of transport in
medieval times and it was important to keep them close and safe.
Watergate
- Watergates allowed the castle to be resupplied by sea. This was
important when the castle was under siege and was a common
feature in the castles built in the north of Wales by Edward I. The
Tower of London has a watergate leading to the River Thames and is
known as the Traitors' Gate.
Well
- The well could be situated in the courtyard or inside the keep. If the
well was outside, a wooden covering usually protected it from the
elements. Water was needed for kitchens and was either located near
the kitchen or arrangements were made to get the water to the
kitchen.
Zoo
- The Tower of London contained a collection of exotic animals
including an elephant. The keepers had very little knowledge of how to
look after the animals in their care so it is likely that they suffered
greatly.

STRUCTURES BUILT DURING THE ROMANESQUE ERA

★ CATHEDRALS - Mostly Basilican in plan
★ BAPTISTERIES - Large, separate buildings usually octagonal in plan and connected
to the cathedral by the atriumUsed 3 times a year: Easter, Pentecost, Epiphany
★ CAMPANILES - Straight towers shafts, generally standing aloneServed as civic
monuments, symbols of power, watchtowers
★ CASTLES
★ FORTIFICATIONS & TOWN WALLS
★ MONASTIC BUILDINGS

GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Gothic (1050-1530)
➢ “Style Ogivale” or “L'architecture Ogivale”
➢ Progressive lightening and heightening of structure(made possible by the flying
buttress).
➢ Use of the pointed arch and ribbed vault.
➢ Richly decorated fenestration.

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Cathedral - A large and principal church of a diocese, the seat of a bishop.

Amiens Cathedral
Amiens, France.

The Seven Key Characteristics ofGothic Architecture

● Grand, Tall Designs, Which Swept UpwardsWith Height and Grace
● The Flying Buttress
● The Pointed Arch
● The Vaulted Ceiling
● Light, Airy Interiors Through stained glass
● The Gargoyles of Gothic Architecture
● The Emphasis Upon the Decorative Style and the Ornate

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Rib or Ribbed Vault - A vault constructed of structural arched stone members or ribs with
an infill of masonry.

Parts of a Rib Vault

● Diagonal Rib - A rib crossing a compartment of a rib vault on a diagonal.
● Ridge Rib - A horizontal rib marking the crown of a vaulting compartment.
● Boss - An ornamental, knob-like projection at the intersection of ogives.
● Lierne - A tertiary rib in a vault often for decorative rather than structural purposes.
● Tierceron - A subsidiary rib which connects a point on the ridge rib or central boss
with one of the main springers or supports.

ENGLISH ARCHITECTURE

Early English
➢ Also known as Lancet, First Pointed or Early Plantagenet.
➢ Use of lancet-shaped arches and plate tracery (tracery using masonry into which
shapes have been cut).

Worcester Cathedral. (Early English)

Decorated Style
- Also Geometrical and Curvilinear, Middle Pointed, Edwardian, or Later Plantagenet.
- Rich tracery, elaborate ornamental vaulting, and refined stone-cutting techniques.

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 Westminster Abbey. (Decorated)

Perpendicular
- Also Rectilinear, Late Pointed, or Lancastrian.
- Perpendicular tracery (use of a lacework of vertical glazing bars), fine intricate
stonework, and elaborate fan vaults.

Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester, England. (Perpendicular Gothic)

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 Bath Abbey; Somerset, England; King's College Chapel; Cambridge, England.

FRENCH GOTHIC

Three Phases of French Gothic

● Primarie: a lancettes, pointed arches and geometric traceried windows.
● Secondaire: rayonnant, circular windows, wheel tracery.
● Tertiaire: flamboyant, flowing and flamelike tracery.

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NOTABLE STRUCTURES

ENGLAND

Salisbury Cathedral Westminster Abbey

● Complex of church, royal palace and burial
grounds
● Most important medieval building inBritain
● Widest (32 m) and highest vault inEngland (102
ft)

Windsor Castle

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FRANCE

REIMS CATHEDRAL
AMIENS CATHEDRAL ● Coronation church of France
● Famous for its carved woodwork in the ● West façade is famous for its 500 statues
choir stalls
● Designed by Robert de Luzarches.

CHARTRES CATHEDRAL NOTRE DAME, PARIS

● Dominated by two contrasting spires – a ● One of the oldest French Cathedrals
105- meter plain pyramid completed ● Begun by Bishop Mauricede Sully
around 1160 and a 113-meter early
16th-century Flamboyant spire on top of
an older tower
● Famous for its 176 stained glass
windows

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 ● Façade features successive tiers of niches with
statues: Christ and French kings
● Central wheel window
● Two western towers with high pointed /
louvered openings

NOTRE DAME, PARIS

GERMANY

Ulm Cathedral (Regarded as the tallest Cologne Cathedral

Cathedral in Germany)

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SPAIN

Burgos Cathedral Seville Cathedral (Tallest cathedral in Spain)

● Strong Moorish influences: the use of ● The Cathedral was built on the site of the Great
horseshoe arches and rich surface Mosque in Seville. The Giralda Tower was
decoration of intricate geometrical and changed from a minaret into a bell tower.
flowing patterns Construction began in 1402. It took a century to
● Churches had flat exterior appearance, complete.
due to chapels inserted between
buttresses
● Excessive ornament, without regard to
constructive character

Barcelona Cathedral

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 ITALY
● Designed by Arnolfo di Cambio
● Essentially Italian in character, without the
vertical features of Gothic
● Peculiar latin cross plan with campanile and
baptistery
● Pointed dome added by Brunelleschi
● Lantern in 1462 by Giuliano Majano
● The Florence Cathedral is composed of three
buildings: the "Duomo," which is famous for its
huge dome roof and is the fourth-biggest
cathedral in the world; the "Baptistery of San
Giovanni," an octagonal building famous for
the "Gates of Paradise;" and "Giotto's Bell
Tower," which stands to the side of the Duomo.
Florence Cathedral or S. Maria del Fiore The white, green, and red marble exterior of the
Cathedral is decorated with beautiful sculptures
and mosaic works from many different artists.

Siena Cathedral (Use of striped marbles) Milan Cathedral (Largest Medieval cathedral in Italy)

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 Other Building Types

CASTLES. Château d'Amboise, France. (Built PALAIS DE JUSTICE. Palais de Justice de Rouen,
on mounds above rivers, with thick walls and France.
small windows.)

MANOR HOUSE. Ightham Mote, England. (A moated merchant’s house.)

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