Byzantine Architecture vs Romanesque Architecture
Romanesque Architecture was influenced by Byzantine Architecture — absorbed Byzantine plans and decoration in Italy and the south.
Byzantine Architecture
The Christian architecture of the Eastern Roman Empire — vast domes floating on pendentives over centralized plans, interiors dissolved in gold mosaic and coloured marble.
- Large central dome carried on pendentives over a square bay
- Centralized or cross-in-square plans with half-domes
- Plain, massive brick-and-stone exteriors
- Interiors clad in gold mosaic and polychrome marble
- Light handled as a spiritual, dematerializing medium
Romanesque Architecture
Massive, round-arched medieval architecture — thick walls, barrel vaults, and small windows producing solemn, fortress-like churches across post-Roman Europe.
- Semicircular (round) arches throughout
- Massive walls and piers with small windows
- Barrel and groin vaults over the nave
- Blind arcading and decorative dwarf galleries
- Richly carved portals with relief-filled tympana
At a glance
| Byzantine Architecture | Romanesque Architecture | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 4th–15th century | c. 1000–1150 |
| Discipline | Architecture | Architecture |
| Region | Turkey, Greece, Eastern Mediterranean | Western Europe, Italy, France, Germany |
| Family | Medieval, Byzantine | Medieval, Romanesque |
| Formal traits | domed, centralized, ornamental, mosaic | round-arch, massive, monumental |
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