5 X 4= 20.

Romanesque. Maria Laach Abbey. Atrium. Stone.

1. Romanesque or ‘Roman-like’ architecture.

A robust image comes to mind with it, which borrowed Roman styles and methods while influential to Carolingian, Islamic, and Byzantine architecture.

2. The story began between…

Between the 10th and 11th centuries, the pilgrimage routes of Spain and France felt the requirement for new churches on their way. Therefore, enormous holding capacity cathedrals came into construction with the reintroduction of the Roman precedents(with wide-high ceilings) by the architects.

3. Why are you(Romanesque) so famous? — Part I

Large naves, carved round arches, angular towers, barrel or groin vaults, and huge piers; are the reason for it.

4. Why are you(Romanesque) so famous? — Part II

Reviving and developing stone carvings, inclusive stone reliefs, and sculptural decorative on walls(interior and exterior) depicting biblical narratives answers the question.

5. Key development.

The German Romanesque developed many variations either playing with perpendicular arches or with twin towers. One of its examples is Benedictine Maria Laach Abbey, Rhineland, Germany.

6. Which is the tallest church in German Romanesque architecture?

Maria Laach Abbey.– The church is on the southwestern shore and got its name from the same place; Laacher sea (a large volcanic lake).

7. Four stages.

Stage I(1093–1100): Count Palatine of the Rhine(founder), Heinrich II, and his wife Adelheid were able to construct some parts of the structure, but due to their demises, everything halted right after that.

Stage II(1152 onwards): Construction resumed and continued at a higher speed, with the addition of a crypt, timber roofed nave, and western choir.

Stage III(1220–1230): The western porch got built by master builders from Burgundy, who not only introduced a large atrium but also replaced the flat timber roof of the Abbey’s nave with a stone vault.

Stage IV: Acquisition of Gothic elements.

8. Lava.

The massive Benedictine Abbey built by master builders of Lombardy used local lava in great quantity.

9. Towers! Towers! Towers!

- Both opposite ends have three imposing towers each.

- Helmed roof on the west, forming a diamond-shaped top, is the most beautiful and biggest of all towers.

- The triangular-shaped roof of the opposite tower helps to make the structure symmetrical.

- Both these towers are flanked by two round towers(with triangular-shaped roof sections).

10. Westwork > Aisles and Nave.

The grand westwork(entrance from the west end of the church) adapts to the style of German Romanesque by being broader than the width of the nave and aisles.

11. Atrium.

A huge space wrapped by galleries, walls, or rooms that is sometimes open to the sky but often covered with glass.

12. Beauty lies in the Roman atriums.

Once upon a time, the Roman atriums were the most furnished part of a house that incorporated a lararium(a small chapel), arca(the household safe), and sometimes a bust of the master of the house.

13. Compluvium and Impluvium.

Anciently known as atria in the center of Roman buildings(specifically houses or villas), usually had compluvium– A central opening exposed to elements but encompassed within rooms all around; and Impluvium– A shallow pool collecting water(directly under compluvium).

14. St. Peters Basilica, Rome.

The church, designed by Carlo Maderno in Renaissance style, has a wow factor in its largely covered atrium that gets enveloped by colonnaded porticos at the west entrance of it.

15. Connect with the sky.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, glass-covered atria became excessively widespread because it built a feeling of space and dynamism through the transitions in light and space.

16. The bond is shared from time to time.

Stone: The most durable building material, is still used extensively in architecture for thousands of years.

17. Stone and pyramid.

From c.2630 BCE’s stepped pyramid of Djoser (Saqqara) of limestone to Khufu’s Pyramid of Giza, constructed dominantly of limestone to the largest chamber in the center of Pharaoh of red granite, the stone reflects everywhere in old buildings.

18. Stone and temples(Greek).

The Doric temples reflected with local limestones, and Ionic temples, often powerful, were made with finer marbles.

19. Stone and Asia.

Indian and South-eastern earliest temples were stone-built, such as the Kailashnatha temples(Maharasthra, India)– one of the largest rock-cut Hindu temples carved from a single rock from 756 to 773CE.

20. Stone and the most iconic buildings of the world have something familiar, such as:-

• a. #Colosseum (Italy); built of travertine limestone slabs.
• b. #Saint Peter’s dome(Italy); was built from two stone shells.
• c. #Humayun’s tomb(India); was primarily built of red sandstone.
• d. #Borobudur(Indonesia); was built of two million stone blocks.