page_title: List of regional characteristics of Romanesque churches
section_title: Characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: List of regional characteristics of Romanesque churches / Romanesque churches in Britain and Ireland / Characteristics
caption_attribution_description: English: Kilpeck church, tympanum
context_page_description: Romanesque is the architecture of Europe which emerged in the late 10th century and evolved into Gothic architecture during the 12th century. The Romanesque style in England is more traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.
  The style can be identified across Europe with certain significant architectural features occurring everywhere. There are other characteristic which differ greatly from region to region.
  Most of the buildings that are still standing are churches, some of which are very large abbey churches and cathedrals. The majority of these are still in use, some of them having been substantially altered over the centuries.
  This list presents a comparison of Romanesque churches, abbeys and cathedrals of different countries. The second section describes the architectural features that can be identified within pictures of major architectural elements.
context_section_description: It is characteristic of the medieval churches of the British Isles and England in particular that they were continually expanded, altered and rebuilt. Consequently, although Norman buildings are numerous, few are intact, and at some, such as Lincoln Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral and Worcester Cathedral, Norman architecture might be represented only by the portals, the columns of the nave or the crypt.
  The Norman facades of cathedrals and large abbeys follow the two basic forms found in France, that with paired towers as at Southwell Minster and that with framing turrets as at Rochester Cathedral.
  Portals are usually arched and decorated with chevrons and other geometric ornament, barbaric faces and spirals.  There are a few carved Romanesque tympanums, with a Christ in Majesty at Rochester Cathedral. The ornamentation of portals in Ireland have distinctive elements of Celtic design as at the gabled portal of Clonfert Cathedral.
  Side porches are common and are often the usually mode of entrance, the western portal only being opened for major festivals.
  Blind arcading is used as a major decorative feature, often around internal walls.
  Windows are comparatively large and may be arranged in tiers as in the transepts of Peterborough Cathedral.  Paired windows occur in towers.
  Naves of cathedrals and abbey churches are of great length, and transepts are of strong projection.
  Chancels of cathedrals and abbey churches are also very long.
  The chancels of cathedrals and abbeys were round and with an ambulatory in the French manner, as indicated at Peterborough and Norwich Cathedrals but none have survived unchanged.
  Large central towers are characteristic, as at Tewkesbury Abbey and Norwich Cathedral.
  Many round towers occur in Ireland. They are also found in Saxon (Pre-Romanesque) architecture in England as stair towers attached to larger towers of square plan.
  The nave rises in three stages, arcade, gallery and clerestory.
  The arcade has two forms: arches resting on large cylindrical masonry columns as at Gloucester and Hereford Cathedrals, and arches springing from composite piers as at Peterborough and Ely Cathedrals. Durham Cathedral has alternating piers and columns.
  Crypts are groin vaulted, as at Canterbury Cathedral.
  Nearly every large Norman church has a later, Gothic high vault, except at Peterborough and Ely Cathedrals which have retained trussed wooden ceilings. The vaults at Durham are of unique importance, that of the south aisle being the oldest ribbed vault in the world, and that of the nave being the earliest pointed ribbed vault in the world. Ribbed vaults of the Norman period exist over the aisles at Peterborough Cathedral and other large churches.
  Barrel vaults are rare, examples being St John's Chapel, Tower of London and several 12th century monastic churches in Ireland including Cormac's Chapel and St Flannan's oratory.
caption: The door of Kilpeck Church demonstrates the chevrons and "barbaric" ornament common in Britain
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