Romanesque art is the style that dominated Western Europe from about the year 1000 until the rise of Gothic art in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In architecture it is recognised by round arches, thick walls, small windows and barrel or groin vaults, as seen in pilgrimage churches such as Santiago de Compostela and in cathedrals like Durham and Speyer. Sculpture decorated church portals with scenes of the Last Judgement, and wall paintings and manuscripts also flourished. The style grew from the expansion of monasteries such as Cluny, the growth of pilgrimage and the confidence of a more stable Europe. The name Romanesque was coined in the nineteenth century because of its resemblance to Roman building.
Before and after
- 994 CEBirth of Cnut the Great
- from 1000 to 1946Kingdom of Hungary
- from 1000 to 1300High Middle Ages
- from 10th century to 14th centurySeljuk dynasty
- from 1000 to 1200Rise of Romanesque art
- from 10th century to 20th centuryFoot binding
- 11th centuryConstruction of Winchester Cathedral
- from 11th century to 18th centuryHouse of Habsburg
- 11th centuryConstruction of Chora Church
More in Art, literature & culture
- from 8th century to 13th centuryHouse of Wisdom
- 823 CEOrigins of Shingon Buddhism
- 12th centuryPublication of Primary Chronicle
- c. 1260sPublication of Poetic Edda
- 14th centuryPublication of Water Margin
- 1499Pietà (Michelangelo)
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 10th century.