Final answer:
Romanesque architecture is marked by features like thick walls, large vaults, corbel tables, decorative arches, compound piers, clerestory windows, and tall towers. The introduction of the flying buttress allowed for the development of a more elaborate and open Gothic style.
Step-by-step explanation:
Features of Romanesque Architecture
Romanesque architecture, which prospered between the 8th and 11th centuries, showcases a range of defining features including sturdy structures with thick walls, limited openings, and large-scale masonry vaults. Its elements hint at a transition from Roman to Gothic styles. Common features seen across various Romanesque buildings are:
- Corbel tables: A row of stones jutting out beneath the roofline for decorative and structural purposes.
- Decorative use of arches: Often paired in two arched windows or arcades separated by a column or pillar.
- Experimentation with large-scale vaulting: Including barrel vaults and the more advanced groin vault, would lead to the development of Gothic ribbed vaults.
- Compound piers and articulating vertical supports: Combined with alternating systems of columns and piers for structural stability.
- Clerestory windows: Placed high in walls to allow light into the nave, which was possible even with thick walls.
- Tall towers: Often squared-off, providing height and grandeur to the edifices.
The use of flying buttresses was an architectural innovation that enabled buildings to support their own weight while displaying more complex structures and larger windows in later Gothic architecture.
Note that while Romanesque architecture employed thick walls with fewer openings, Gothic architecture allowed for a significant increase in window size, largely due to higher, more slender walls and the use of flying buttresses to distribute structural weight.