Question 8

Romanesque Cathedrals

One major difference of the Romanesque cathedrals and the Gothic cathedrals were the size of the windows. 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.


One final difference between Romanesque cathedrals and Gothic cathedrals is the interior structure, which are different because it was designed for different reasons. 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.