Exam 8

Romanesque


Gothic


Romanesque


Gothic


Romanesque


Gothic

Each picture showing a Romanesque church shares similar themes.  Romanesque churches have less light coming in than Gothic churches.  People believed that the soul should be sheltered.  Also, war was occurring at this time.  This, too, influenced the construction style of these churches.  Large towers were built on Romanesque-style churches to give archers a spot off which they could shoot their arrows.  Going back to the sheltering of the soul, Romanesque churches have few windows, and any windows that were on the church were high up off of the ground.  This was to protect the church and anyone hiding in it from attacks.

Gothic churches, however, had a lot of windows.  The light was let into these churches, as people believed that the light of God should be let into your soul.  Also, war was over, so churches no longer had to serve as fortresses of anyone or anything.  Gothic churches had huge windows, which is clear on the outside of the churches.  To conclude, Romanesque churches were fortresses of the soul and people during war, while Gothic churches let the light into the soul.