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Romanesque architecture
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Romanesque architecture

How do you build a Romanesque church? Here is the method, which would have been adjusted to suit each region.

  1. Build it in stone, following a “basilica-type” plan (following an ancient model)
  2. Place the relics in the choir stalls (the most sacred area)
  3. Create “barrel” vaulted ceilings, with rounded arches (in a semicircle)
  4. Be careful, they are heavy and may push the walls apart. To avoid this, walls should be thick, with buttresses, and windows should be narrow
  5. Decorate them with wall paint and sculptures
Cross-section of Conques church
Conques Abbey, around 1041-12th century, Conques. Photo: Claude Valette, CC BY-ND 2.0

Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalen of Vézelay. 1120-1150, Vézelay. Photo: DKrieger, CC BY-SA 3.0
Basilica of Saint-Sermin around 1071-13th century, Toulouse. Photo: Patrice Bon, CC0 1.0

In a nutshell

Romanesque architecture has several characteristics: rounded arches, thick walls, narrow windows, painted decorations and sculptures.

See also