Similarities Between Romane And Gothic Architecture

Romanesque and Gothic architecture, for me, is a very interesting topic as one style evolved from the other. Romanesque architecture is believed to have developed between the 6th and 10th century, while Gothic architecture arose in the 12th century.
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe, although in England, it is more often referred to as Norman architecture. It was the first style of architecture which stood out since the Roman Empire. Many of the Romanesque architecture buildings still standing consist of churched and cathedrals. The best examples of these Romanesque churches can be found right across Europe in Britain, Scandinavia, Italy, and France and many countries in central and Eastern Europe. The Romans …show more content…
Gothic architecture originated in the 12th century and lasted into the 16th century. Gothic architecture is best known for its great cathedrals, abbeys and churches built across Europe. It’s also the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls and universities. The style of Gothic architecture was powerfully expressed in the form of churches and cathedrals and a number of civic buildings. Gothic architecture is also often referred to as pointed architecture, as the pointed arches are the style’s defining characteristic, as opposed to round arches in Romanesque architecture buildings. There are many similarities between Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Many churches inherited the basic design from Romanesque architecture. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture) They had many similar characteristics such as the cruciform plan with the nave longer than the other three arms, the use of the basilica form and arcades separating the nave and aisles. One of the main distinctive characteristics of Gothic architecture were the grand, tall designs. The introduction of the flying buttresses enabled the architects to spread the weight of taller walls easier. This allowed churches and cathedrals to ‘reach up to the heavens’. Another defining characteristic of gothic architecture is the flying buttresses. As mentioned already, these were introduced to allow the architect to spread the weight of the building easier to allow for tall buildings to be constructed. They take the weight from the walls and transfer force directly to the ground. As well as its functionality, they are also very decorative too. The vaulted ceiling is another feature of Gothic architecture, inherited from Romanesque architecture. While Romanesque ceilings mainly consisted of barrel-vaults, Gothic ceilings mainly consisted of groin-vaulted ceilings. This feature was