The disintegration of Roman culture and economy, led in turn to a collapse of the framework in which skilled architects and trained artisans could flourish. Without their skills, attempts at large-scale building, which were usually restricted to churches, resulted in structures that were often crude and of relatively modest proportions. The exception to this type of architecture, which from the end of the 5th to the 8th century was generally simple, was that in the city of Ravenna, Italy, then under Byzantine rule. Buildings there are often composed of, or decorated with, elements removed from Roman structures.

In many regions the pre-Romanesque style was a continuation of Early Christian art and architecture; such, for example, were the churches of Rome, built on the plan of the basilica.

Circular or polygonal domed churches inspired by Byzantine architecture were also built during the pre-Romanesque period; later they were built in the region of Aquitaine in south-western France and in Scandinavia. The best-known and most elaborate examples of this type are San Vitale (526-548) in Ravenna, built for the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, and the octagonal palace chapel built between 792 and 805 by Charlemagne at Aix-la-Chapelle (now Aachen, Germany) and directly inspired by San Vitale. One of the creations of Carolingian architects was the westwork, a multi-storey entrance façade flanked by bell towers, attached to Christian basilicas. Westworks were prototypes of the great Romanesque and Gothic cathedral façades.

Important buildings were also constructed by the monastic orders. Monasticism, a religious and social manifestation characteristic of the period, required vast building complexes comprising chapels, cloisters, libraries, workshops, kitchens, refectories, and dormitories for the monks. New building skills were developed, particularly by the monks of the Benedictine and Cistercian orders. Elaborate pre-Romanesque monastic establishments were built at St Gall, Switzerland, on the island of Reichenau on the German side of Lake Constance (Bodensee), and at Monte Cassino, Italy, by Benedictine monks.

An outstanding achievement of Romanesque architecture was the development of stone-vaulted buildings. A major reason for the development of stone vaulting was the need to find an alternative to the highly flammable wooden roofs of pre-Romanesque structures. Attempts to solve new structural problems resulting from the use of vaults, especially barrel vaults, were endlessly varied. The dome, round and pointed vaults, and plain and ribbed groined vaulting were used. However, a masonry structure in which the thrusts, or pressures, of the vaults are perfectly contained by isolated piers and buttresses was not achieved until the Gothic period.

Stone vaulting, being much heavier than wooden roofing, needed to be supported by heavy walls and sturdy columns. In the mature Romanesque style, especially that which developed in France, the use of massive walls and piers as supports for the heavy stone vaults resulted in a typical building plan in which the entire structure was treated as a complex composed of smaller interlinked units. These units, called bays, are the square or rectangular spaces enclosed by groin vaults; in late Romanesque architecture, these bays tended to be treated as basic building units, and separate rectangular bays became a characteristic and distinguishing feature of the Romanesque style.

The massiveness of stone structures is another major characteristic of Romanesque architecture. The nave in Romanesque churches was usually made higher and narrower than in earlier structures in order to accommodate windows, called clerestory windows, in the sidewalls below the vault. Doors and windows were usually framed by round arches, or, sometimes, by slightly pointed arches. These openings were generally small and were decorated with mouldings, carvings, and sculptures that became increasingly rich and varied as the Romanesque period drew to a close.

The Picturesque: Romanesque Revival/Stick and/or Shingle Style/Queen Anne. The late nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival is a vigorous style more common in Chicago than in New York and is based on the bold arch-and-vault construction of the early medieval Romanesque. Architect H.H.Richardson was its greatest American exponent, but Brooklyn's Frank Freeman was not far behind. The wooden architecture that exploited the balloon frame's formal possibilities, and/or celebrated exposed timber as a structural-decorative exterior armature (The Stick and/or Shingle Styles), was often designed at the same time by the same architects in the 1870s through 1890s. Both are picturesque.

Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-86)

Studied at Harvard and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris (1859-62) .While in Europe he worked under henri Labrouste and Jakob Ignaz Hittorf. Trinity Church, Boston defined his unique style which became known as "Richardsonian Romanesque" because of the parallels with Romanesque principles. He was very influential in his short life; followers include Charles Follen McKim, Stanford White, Louis Sullivan, and John Wellborn Root. (WJC)

Richardsonian Romanesque (1870-1895)

Style named for Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886). It is a revival style based on French and Spanish Romanesque precedents of the 11th century. (Romanesque preceded Gothic in European architecture.) Richardson's style is characterized by massive stone walls and dramatic semicircular arches, and a new dynamism of interior space. Continuity and unity are keynotes of Richardson's style. The Richardsonian Romanesque eclipsed both the IInd Empire Baroque and the High Victorian Gothic styles; the style had a powerful effect on such Chicago architects as Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, and influenced architects as far away as Scandinavia.

Style Definition

The late 19th and early 20th century style of Romanesque is a revival of an early medieval style, which was in turn a revival of Roman architecture. This was one of the most popular forms of architecture in the United States during the 1880s, and along with the Chicago School it was the first style applied to tall buildings. Many courthouses and public buildings were built in Romanesque, even in small rural towns.

Distinguishing features include turrets, rounded arches, hipped or pointed roofs, and very heavy rusticated stonework. Proportions in this style tend to run large, both in the overall building form and in the size of the details.

The founder of this style was Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and to this day it is frequently called "Richardsonian Romanesque". His successor firm Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge contributed to its development, while many smaller firms throughout the United States like Long & Kees adopted the style.

Historical Background

Romanesque Architecture of western Europe from about AD 1000 to about the late 1100s. After Rome fell in 476, Roman culture was spread by the Christian church. By the end of the pre-Romanesque period, Roman stylistic elements had fused with elements from Byzantium and the Middle East, and from the Germans, the Celts, and other northern tribes in western Europe. These various combinations created a number of local styles, called Romanesque, meaning "in the manner of the Roman." 

An outstanding achievement of Romanesque architects was the development of stone vaulted buildings. This masonry vaulting replaced the highly flammable wooden roofs of pre-Romanesque structures. Vaults posed new structural problems for architects, who created a variety of solutions, including the dome, round and pointed vaults, and plain and ribbed groined vaulting . 

To support the heavy stone vaults, architects used massive walls and piers, creating a typical building plan that treated the entire structure as a complex composed of smaller units, called bays. A distinguishing feature of Romanesque style, bays are square or rectangular spaces enclosed by groin vaults and used by architects as the basic building unit. 
The nave in Romanesque churches was usually made higher and narrower than in earlier structures to make room for windows, called clerestory windows, in the sidewalls below the vault. Doors and windows were usually capped by round arches, and sometimes by slightly pointed arches. These openings were generally small and decorated with moldings, carvings, and sculptures. 

Italian provinces developed a great diversity of Romanesque architectural styles. In Lombardy, somberly impressive buildings had groined vaulting of heavy proportions. Architects in central Italy created few structural innovations and continued to use classical decorative elements. Tuscan and Roman churches featured classical Corinthian capitals and acanthus borders, as well as colored marble in geometric patterns; open arcades, colonnades, and galleries; and facades with sculptures in relief. In southern Italy, a rich style combining Byzantine, Roman, Arabic, Lombard, and Norman elements was created, with lavish use of mosaic decorations and interlaced pointed-arch arcades. 

French Romanesque architecture is characterized by various vaulted styles. Provençal churches have pointed domes and facades decorated with tiers of wall arcades filled with sculpture. In the Auvergne region in central France, architects built churches containing a long choir with side aisles and, around the semicircular sanctuary, an arcaded ambulatory (semicircular aisle) with radiating chapels. In Burgundy the barrel-vaulted, three-aisled basilica was highly developed. Norman architects, influenced by Lombardian methods, created an original style with groined vaults supported by flying buttresses, and facades with two high, flanking towers. 

German Romanesque churches were often planned on a large scale. Many of them are very high and have an apse or sanctuary at each end. Numerous round or octagonal towers create a picturesque silhouette. 

Before the 10th century, most English buildings were wood; stone buildings were small and roughly constructed. The Norman Romanesque style replaced the Saxon style in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066, and from about 1120 to 1200, builders erected monumental Norman structures, including numerous churches and cathedrals. The long, narrow buildings were constructed with heavy walls and piers, rectangular apses, double transepts, and deeply recessed portals. Naves were covered with flat roofs, later replaced by vaults, and side aisles were usually covered with groined vaults.