The Romanesque style that was most influential for the development of Gothic architecture was the

Gothic and Romanesque Cathedrals

The Romanesque style transformed into the Gothic style during the Middle Ages. This happened for many reasons. The Romanesque period was a time of trial and error while the Gothic period was a time of advancements in inventions. Religion was an important factor in the shift between Romanesque and Gothic. The locations of the two types of cathedrals also contributed toward the change between Romanesque and Gothic, as well as the power of the relics and the community to raise funds for the Gothic cathedrals. There are several reasons the architecture of the cathedral changed from Romanesque to Gothic in the Middle Ages.

The Romanesque period lasted from 1000 to 1200 AD. Today's France was the center of Romanesque architecture and the birthplace of one of the most beutiful features of medieval architecture, the ambulatory with radiating chapels. "Romanesque is the name we give to christian architecture in Western Europe from the end of the Roman Empire to about the close of the twelfth century. It is the architecture of a long period of struggle, suffering, and invenion leading to two centuries of glorious achievement." There are many reasons that the Romanesque cathedrals were built. They were built not only as a place of worship, but also to house the shrines of the relics brought back from the Holy Land by the Crusades. The remains of saints and martyrs attracted thousands of pilgrims seeking pardon from sins or miraculous cures or wished simply to pay homage to a favorite saint.

The Romanesque period was an age of new and experimental architecture. One advancement in construction was the shift to all-stone structure that replaced the timber ceilings that caused many churches to burn down. One experimental architectural style was the use of stone barrel and groined vaults in the early Romanesque church. The stone vaulting let the architects build on a larger scale than before.

The Gothic style emerged out of architectual style of the Romanesque cathedrals. The Gothic style started in northern France and spread throughout medieval Europe. The two styles of architecture were similar in many ways but also "The difference between Gothic and Romanesque architecture is the spiritual approach. In Romanesque,the emphasis was on transcendental and feudalistic systems whereas in the Gothic this approach was humanized and...

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...le. They were successful at accomplishing this that not only did the cathedral serve its purpose of providing church services for the people, but also began to symbolize a commanding position in the lives of men and women.

In conclusion, the Romanesque period of architecture transformed into the Gothic period of architecture for amny reasons. The shift occurred because of the inventions that the Gothic architects created, the locations of the two different styles of architecture, the raising of money for the cathedrals, and the competitiveness between the communities to havea better, bigger cathedral.

Works Cited:

Brooks, Chris.The Gothic Revival. London:Phaidon Press Ltd.,1999.

Erlande, Alain. The Cathedral:The Social andArchitectual Dynamics of construction.New York:Cambridge University press,1994.

Simson von,Otto. The Gothic Cathedral: Origins of Gothic Architecture and the Medieval Concept of Order. Princeton:Princeton University press,1988.

Cathedrals. Kristen Schank. 5 dec. 1995. http://www5.palmnet.net/eschank/cathedral.html

Gothic Architecture in England:The cathedrals. Amy Johansen. 9 may 1999. http://members.tripod.com/gothic_architecture/index.html

Style Use
The Romanesque Revival style, appearing in various phases from the 1880s through the first decade of the 20th century, was unlike the Queen Anne style in that it was used more in large public and commercial buildings than in houses. The Romanesque Revival style looks to the 10th-13th centuries, when builders in Europe were rediscovering ancient Roman forms.

Key Features
The most salient elements of the Romanesque style and its nineteenth-century counterpart are the round arch and the heavy masonry facades. Romanesque Revival buildings tend to have massive hipped roofs, many with wall gables and conical or pyramidal-roof towers or belfries. They are generally ponderous and fortress-like, conveying an impression of defiance.

Richardsonian Romanesque Style
The most influential proponent of the style, Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886), developed his own Romanesque vocabulary, which became known as the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It was often imitated, not always successfully, by architects of large public buildings to which the style was well-suited. In Indiana, several courthouses, churches, and schools approximate the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

Memorial Opera House
Although few examples of the Romanesque Revival style remain in Porter County, those that still exist are outstanding representations. The Memorial Opera House, with its corner towers, stone banding, and massive round-arched entry, is a fine example of this style.

How did Romanesque architecture influence Gothic architecture?

Gothic architecture did away with the thick, heavy walls, and rounded arches associated with Romanesque architecture by using flying buttresses and ribbed vaulting to relieve the thrust of the building outward, allowing thinner and taller walls to be constructed.

What was Romanesque architecture influenced by?

Scholars consider Romanesque architecture to be closer to Roman architecture than its medieval predecessors were. However, Romanesque also had several other influences, including early Christian, Carolingian, Ottonian, Byzantine, Islamic, and Insular (meaning of the British Isles) art and architecture.

What influenced the Gothic period?

The Gothic style of architecture was strongly influenced by the Romanesque architecture which preceded it; by the growing population and wealth of European cities, and by the desire to express national grandeur.

What is the architectural style that evolved from Romanesque architecture?

4. Evolution over the centuries: Beginning in the twelfth century, Romanesque design began to evolve into the Gothic style, which eventually dominated medieval architecture across the European continent by the thirteenth century.