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Medieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of architecture popular in the Middle Ages.

Religious architecture

The Latin cross plan, common in medieval ecclesiastical architecture, takes the Roman Basilica as its primary model with subsequent developments. It consists of a nave, transepts, and the altar stands at the east end (see Cathedral diagram). Also, cathedrals influenced or commissioned by Justinian employed the Byzantine style of domes and a Greek cross (resembling a plus sign), centering attention on the altar at the center of the church.

Architecture in the Early Middle Ages may be divided into Early Christian, Merovingian, Carolingian, and Ottonian. While these terms are problematic, they nonetheless serve adequately as entries into the era. Considerations that enter into histories of each period include Trachtenberg's "historicising" and "modernizing" elements, Italian versus northern, Spanish, and Byzantine elements, and especially the religious and political maneuverings between kings, popes, and various ecclesiastic officials.

Romanesque

Main article: Romanesque architecture

Romanesque, prevalent in medieval Europe during the 11th and 12th centuries, was the first pan-European style since Roman Imperial Architecture and examples are found in every part of the continent. The term was not contemporary with the art it describes but rather is an invention of modern scholarship based on its similarity to Roman Architecture in forms and materials. Romanesque is characterized by a use of round or slightly pointed arches, barrel vaults, cruciform piers supporting vaults, and groin vaults.

Gothic

Main article: Gothic architecture

In the 12th century Abbot Suger introduced the flying buttress, which proved a great innovation in supporting buildings. Beams came out and down from the building, resting much of the weight on the ground outside. The walls could then become thinner and have larger windows. The windows installed contained beautiful stained glass, showing stories from the Bible and from lives of saints. The pointed arch provides another trademark of the Gothic style. Such new elements of design allowed cathedrals to rise taller than ever, and it became something of an inter-regional contest to build a church as high as possible.

Secular architecture

Surviving examples of medieval secular architecture mainly served for defense. Castles and fortified walls provide the most notable remaining non-religious examples of medieval architecture. Windows gained a cross-shape for more than decorative purposes: they provided a perfect fit for a crossbowman to safely shoot at invaders from inside. Crenelated walls (battlements) provided shelters for archers on the roofs to hide behind when not shooting.

Elements of medieval architecture

• corbel
• embrasure
• merlon
• jettying, in which the faces of upper floors project beyond lower ones
• half-timbered construction

See also

• Architectural style
• Church architecture
• Anglo-Saxon architecture
• Renaissance of the 12th century
• Bastides, a specific fortified town architecture used in medieval France
• Plan of Saint Gall, 9th century; the only surviving architectural drawing between the fall of Rome and the 13th century.

 

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