Romanesque vs Gothic Cathedrals
Romanesque Gothic
Separate compartments Unified, unbroken space
Radiating chapels and
apse
Mostly barrel vaults, some Groin vaults
Vault groin vaults
Rounded arches Pointed arches
Arch type
Thin walls, buttresses Exterior flying buttresses
Main vault support
Small windows Large stained-glass
Clerestory windows
Horizontal, normal height Vertical, unbelievable
Elevation heights and grandeur
Plain, little decoration Ornate, lots of sculpture
Exterior
Thin, elongated, abstract More realistic proportions
Sculptural decoration figures that served as and indivualized features
columns
Dark, gloomy Thin, light filled, made to
Mood feel like a psudo heaven
St. Sernin, Toulouse, Chartres Cathedral, France
Example France.
Romanesque and Gothic Cathedrals
Romanesque architecture is massive and heavily-built. Round Roman arches, thick
walls, and small windows are typical of the buildings. Churches were built in the shape
of a cross, using the basilica (a type of Roman building) as the basis for the design.
Gothic cathedrals are characterized by slender vertical piers and flying buttresses and by
rib vaulting and pointed arches. They had more of a light and airy feeling to them
compared to Romanesque stuctures at the time.
The APSE is typically the rounded end of the nave, but can also be any rounded
part of the cathedral springing off the sides of a floor plan.
The NAVE is the long, central aisle that goes down the middle of the structure.
The AISLES border each side of the nave, and are usually separated from the nave
by a colonnade.
The TRANSEPT cuts across between the apse and the nave. (The transept gives the
floor plan the shape of the cross.)
The CHOIR is the area where the nave and the transept intersect.
The NARTHEX (not labeled) is the entrance area on the opposite side of the front
apse. It's sometimes shaped like the transept, although not as large.
Interior of a Cathedral
A. The nave.
B. Rib vaulting (Sort of like a groin vault, only creased with ridges.)
C. Pier (The main supports that hold up the nave vaulting.)
D. The Aisle
E. Clerestory windows (Small, upper story window that flank the aisles.)
F. Triforium (A small walkway usually reserved for nuns and women.)
Groin Vaults vs Rib Vaults
Groin Vault Rib Vault
The rib vault's only difference is that there is a rib going across the top of each vault.
This feature gives Gothic cathedrals a lighter feel over typical Romanesque structures.
Flying Buttresses (A) vs Standard Buttresses(B)
Buttresses are support columns that help carry the weight of the structure's vaulting.
There are two main types that we commonly see in Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals,
standard buttresses and flying buttresses. The difference is that standard buttresses hug
the structure by butting directly up the the exterior walls. Flying buttresses, on the other
hand, stand detached from the exterior walls, and are connected only by an arch. Flying
buttresses give cathedrals an airy and weightless feeling, while standard buttresses look
and feel more heavy and dense.
Exterior of a Cathedral
A. ARCHIVOLTS (concentric arches that expand out from the tympanum.)
B. JAMB FIGURES (high relief sculpture that protrudes out from the doors.)
C. TYMPANUM (symmetrical, high relief sculpture above the main entrance way.)
D. PINNACLES (usually the spiked tips of buttresses.)
E. ROSETTA WINDOW (a large, round window located directly in the front-middle
of the facade.)
F. BUTTRESSES (structures that support and hold up the walls of the building,
often very decorative in Gothic structures.)
