Art and Architecture of Romanesque Period

Much of the Romanesque art and architecture can be attributed to what was happening socially during this period. There was an increase in trade and this gave rise to towns and cities, replacing feudalism as the government source. The rise of towns and cities are also attributed for the sudden increase in the construction and remodel of monasteries and churches. Also attributed with the rise in church construction was in celebration and relief of the Christian millennium. Whatever the source the building of monasteries and churches became a fixation of those who lived in this period. This increased the amount of pilgrimage traffic in Europe and this brought in more revenue for the monasteries and towns. The idea of donations was to make the lord’s house a beautiful place which our book quotes Psalm 26:8. These pilgrimages became responsible for the economic prosperity during the Romanesque period and inspired the art and architecture associated with this period.
Most of the architecture from the Romanesque period is seen in the monasteries and churches. Very high ceilings, rounded arches, stone vaults (but some still used timber), thick walls, barrel and groin vaults. Architectural sculpture is another important aspect incorporated into the churches. It is likely that the revival of stonecarving came from the remaining ancient sculptures of Rome. To draw in a large population of illiterate people, monasteries began to us stone sculpture to Christian stories to the public. This was done a lot in portals because stone is a durable medium for the outdoors. With the outdoor sculpture bringing the people in murals paintings and illustrated books helped illustrate the Christian faith further. The Romanesque period soon developed into the Gothic period with brought more incredible architecture to monasteries and churches.