Romanesque

First Romanesque

One of the first streams of Romanesque architecture in Europe from the 10th century and the beginning of 11th century is called First Romanesque, or Lombard Romanesque. It took place in the region of Lombardy and spread into Catalonia and into the south of France. Its principal decoration for the exterior, bands of ornamental blind arches are called Lombard bands. It was characterized by thick walls and lack of sculpture in facades, and with interiors profusely painted with frescoes.

Pre-Romanesque art and architecture

In European art history, the pre-Romanesque period extends from either the rise of the Merovingian dynasty or the Carolingian Renaissance of the late 8th century to the onset of the Romanesque style in the 11th century. It often refers specifically to architecture and monumental sculpture, but this article covers all the arts of the period.

Romanesque

Adjective

1. Somewhat resembling the Romans; applied sometimes to the debased style of the later Roman Empire, but especially to the more developed art and architecture prevailing from the 8th century to the 12th.