neoRomanesque

Neo-Romanesque, also known as Romaneque Revival, is an architectural style that revived elements of Romanesque architecture from the 11th and 12th centuries. It emerged in the first half of the 19th century and remained popular into the early 20th century, part of the broader historicist currents of the period. The style was adopted across Europe and in the United States for a range of building types, notably churches, libraries, government structures, and railway stations.

Characteristic features of Neo-Romanesque include heavy masonry walls, thick piers, and rounded arches over entrances, windows, and arcades. Vaulting often employs groin or barrel forms, and towers with simple massing are common. Facades may display rusticated stone or brick, robust cornices, and a restrained use of sculpture and ornament. Symmetry is common, though some regional variations favor more complex and asymmetrical layouts. The overall impression is one of solidity and permanence, drawing on the monumental qualities of medieval Romanesque architecture.

Regional variations exist. In the United States, the style produced the so-called Richardsonian Romanesque, named for Henry Hobson Richardson, which emphasizes massive stone massing and eclectic detailing. In Europe, Neo-Romanesque often appeared in ecclesiastical and university buildings, and brick variants are found in parts of Germany and other regions.

Decline came with the rise of modernist and eclectic styles after World War I, though Neo-Romanesque influenced later revival trends and left a durable mark on civic and religious architecture in several countries.