What is Romanesque church portal?
Typanum: the prominent semicircular lunette above the doorway proper, comparable in importance to the triangular pediment of a Greco-Roman temple. Voussoirs: the wedge-shaped blocks that together form the archivolts of the arch framing the tympanum.
What is the style of the south portal and tympanum of the church of Saint Pierre Moissac?
The church of Ste. Pierre (St. Peter) in Moissac, France, dating from 1115-30, has one of the most impressive and elaborate Romanesque portals of the twelfth century. Carved images occupy the walls of the extended porch leading to the door, the door itself, and even the space over the door.
What did the tympanum at Moissac depict?
The tympanum depicts the Apocalypse of the Book of Revelation. Supporting the tympanum, a trumeau features a statue of the Prophet Isaiah, an outstanding example of Romanesque sculpture, comparable to the work at Santo Domingo de Silos. The cloisters also feature Romanesque sculpture.
What Gospel story is depicted by the following sculpture from the portal of the Abbey of St Pierre in Moissac France?
Among the many examples that exist, one of the finest is the figure of the Prophet Jeremiah from the pillar of the portal of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, France, from about 1130. One of the most significant motifs of Romanesque design, occurring in both figurative and non-figurative sculpture is the spiral.
What was a common motif of Romanesque portals?
What was the most common theme of Romanesque tympanum sculpture? A particularly popular subject for tympanum decoration was the Last Judgment. Typically, the figure of Christ appears in the centre of the composition, dominant in size and usually enclosed in a mandorla (an oval, nimbus-like form).
Why are Romanesque churches generally dark inside?
Why are Romanesque churches generally rather dark inside? Barrel vaults exert great outward thrust, requiring thick walls and making a large clerestory difficult to construct.
What was the most common theme in Romanesque tympanum carvings?
A particularly popular subject for tympanum decoration was the Last Judgment. Typically, the figure of Christ appears in the centre of the composition, dominant in size and usually enclosed in a mandorla (an oval, nimbus-like form).
What stories are commonly depicted in Romanesque portals?
In a significant innovation, the tympanums of important church portals were carved with monumental schemes, again depicting Christ in Majesty or the Last Judgement but treated with more freedom than in painted versions. These portal sculptures were meant to both intimidate and educate the viewer .
Which best describes the tympanum of Saint-Pierre at Moissac?
Which best describes the tympanum of Saint-Pierre at Moissac? The figures have elongated proportions and flat patterns. container for relics.
What did portal sculptures in Romanesque churches represent?
Some Romanesque churches feature an extensive sculptural scheme which covers the area surrounding the portal and sometimes much of the facade. The sculptural schemes were designed to convey the message that Christian believers should recognize wrongdoing, repent, and be redeemed.
What is the Romanesque sculpture?
Bernward Doors
Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Romanesque art/Artworks
When was the Church of St Pierre in Moissac built?
The church of Ste. Pierre (St. Peter) in Moissac, France, dating from 1115-30, has one of the most impressive and elaborate Romanesque portals of the twelfth century. Carved images occupy the walls of the extended porch leading to the door, the door itself, and even the space over the door.
Who was the Old Testament prophet in Moissac?
Old Testament prophet (Jeremiah or Isaiah?), right side of the trumeau of the south portal of Saint-Pierre, Moissac, c. 1115-30 (photo: Nick Thompson, CC BY-NC 2.0) In the case of Ste. Pierre, the portal is divided in half vertically by the trumeau, which is decorated on three of its four sides.
How are the portals of Saint Pierre different?
The term portal refers to a doorway or entry into a building, and Romanesque portals have distinct architectural elements which were oftentimes carved with a variety of ornament and subject matter. In the case of Ste. Pierre, the portal is divided in half vertically by the trumeau, which is decorated on three of its four sides.
What was the style of sculpture at Moissac?
A brief comparison between the style of the sculptures in this tympanum and that employed on the Early Gothic portal of Chartres Cathedral (above), which is also a Maiestas Domini, clearly illustrates the very lively, almost agitated sense of the figures at Moissac.