Romanesque

Romanesque is a medieval European architectural style that dominated church building from roughly the 10th to the 12th century, with later persistence in some regions. The term, coined in the 18th century, denotes a revival and adaptation of ancient Roman forms into a new, solid idiom. Romanesque buildings are primarily churches and monasteries, but also palaces and civic structures across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and England.

Key features include thick load-bearing walls, rounded arches, heavy columns or piers, and barrel or groin vaults. Windows are small, producing dim interiors, while exteriors show blind arcades and decorative sculptures around portals. The typical plan is cruciform, often with a western tower or tower group and, in major churches, radiating chapels.

Regional variants developed: French Romanesque emphasizes monumental stone work and unified elevations (Saint-Sernin and other major pilgrimage churches); Italian Romanesque often uses polychrome marble facades and coffered ceilings; German Romanesque features strong westworks and tall towers; English Norman churches are heavy and fortress-like; Spanish and Portuguese churches combine local traditions with continental forms, especially along pilgrimage routes.

By the late 12th century, innovations such as ribbed vaults and more expansive windows began to undermine the solid, heavy aesthetic, signaling the transition to Gothic. The term also reflects a broader medieval culture of pilgrimage, monastic reform, and the revival of monumental stone building.

Romanesque left a lasting imprint on medieval architecture, shaping the early stages of European stone building and serving as a bridge to the Gothic style that followed.