Weekly 8- Rough Draft

            During the fall of the Roman Empire, Rome was in complete despair and they were constantly being attacked by outside enemies. Rome needed some way to protect its city from invaders and this is when Romanesque cathedrals were built. The Romanesque period lasted from about the ninth century until about the eleventh century when cathedrals were built for protection. Then, when invaders settled down in their own areas, the Gothic period of Rome flourished with its cathedrals. This period immediately followed the Romanesque period from about the twelfth century until about the fourteenth century. Both types of architecture were very popular in Rome for their different characteristics, but the important thing is that their theology was unique in their own ways. Gothic cathedrals and Romanesque cathedrals were very different in expressing their own theologies; Romanesque cathedrals were built for protection while Gothic cathedrals were built to let the light in from God above and to express creativity. Both Gothic and Romanesque cathedrals do not express anything about theology in their own characteristics and appearances.

            One major difference of the Romanesque cathedrals and the Gothic cathedrals were the size of the windows (Figure 1 and Figure 2). It is obvious to see that The Romanesque cathedrals had very small windows that were not able to let that much light in. The Gothic cathedrals had very tall and elegant windows that could let so much light inside and they were decorative, unlike the windows on Romanesque cathedrals. The windows on the Romanesque cathedrals are very boring and simple, unlike the attractive and appealing windows on the Gothic cathedrals. The windows also expressed the cathedrals’ own unique theology, where Romanesque cathedrals did not want enemies to be able to see within, and Gothic cathedrals wanted to let God’s light in so everyone would be filled with God’s presence. It is easy to understand that the windows of both types of cathedrals were built to express their own theologies.

            Another difference between Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals was the external appearances of both types of cathedrals. Romanesque cathedrals were very different compared to Gothic cathedrals in the way they looked from the outside (Figure 3 and 4). Romanesque cathedrals were huge buildings and were much larger than the Gothic cathedrals in terms of their size. Romanesque cathedrals were also very plain and simple in their exterior design but Gothic cathedrals had a lot more appealing features and it is easy to tell that a lot more effort was put into the design of those cathedrals. Also, the Romanesque cathedrals had thick walls and since they were so big, they could withstand many attacks from foreign invaders because they were so stable. The characteristics of the Romanesque cathedrals are there mainly for strong protection from powerful attacks so people could go somewhere to be safe. Gothic cathedrals had features that could attract people to visit and for religious purposes by letting God’s light in.

            One final difference between Romanesque cathedrals and Gothic cathedrals is the interior structure, which are different because it was designed for different reasons (Figure 5 and 6). Romanesque cathedrals were, like the exterior, very simple and fortification was a main priority for these cathedrals because the walls are extremely thick. Gothic cathedrals, on the other hand, did not have to be used for protection since outside attacks were not occurring anymore and they were free to show how creative they could be. Romanesque cathedrals were very dark inside and not much design can be found in them due to the theology of judgment day in these famous cathedrals. Gothic cathedrals can be seen with many aspects of Christianity, such as crosses and crucifixes, so religion was a top priority. They were also very bright due to the fact that the windows could let in much of God’s light and it felt like God was present in these cathedrals. If Romanesque cathedrals were used for protection very often, it is easy to understand how there was not much time to improve the interior design and art.

            After looking at both Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, there are many characteristics that can easily be spotted that make them different from each other. The situation of the outside invaders really affected how the two types of cathedrals would be built and what they would be used for. Romanesque cathedrals were built during the time of invaders from foreign countries so their theology was developed based on this situation- they needed protection for the people of Rome. Since attacks were not imminent during the time period after Romanesque cathedrals, new cathedrals could be built to express creative designs and for more religious beliefs since Christianity was on the rise. The theologies for both types of cathedrals were developed during their time period and the features of each give away their theologies, which were extremely different. Even though Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals were popular in their times, they differed greatly in their design and thus their theologies had to be unique to each one. 

Appendix 

            Figure 1

 Schoengrabern Church, facade, 10th century, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schoengrabern1a.JPG, photograph taken in 2007.

Figure 2

Sainte Chapelle, interior, 13th century, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sainte_chapelle_-_Upper_level.jpg, photograph taken in 2005.

Figure 3

Tournai Cathedral, facade,12th century, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tournai_JPG001.jpg, photograph taken in 2005.

Figure 4

Notre Dame de Paris, facade, 13th century, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:060806-France-Paris-Notre_Dame.jpg, photograph taken in 2006.

Figure 5

St, Michael's Church, interior, 10th century, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hildesheim-St_Michaels_Church.interior.01.JPG, photograph taken in 2005.

Figure 6

Bad Doberan, interior, 14th century, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bad_Doberan_M%C3%BCnster_(11)_2006-09-24.JPG, photograph taken in 2006.