romanesque
Architecture of the early second millennium characterized by massive symmetrical constructions with rounded arches and vaults.
The best known examples of Romanesque architecture are churches, abbeys, fortresses, and castles. Romanesque churches can be recognized by their symmetrical arrangements with massive square towers and pointed caps. The style is a predecessor to the more elaborate Gothic style, which used pointed archways and more open framing systems in contrast to the massive walls of Romanesque architecture.
This style was adapted in the 19th and 20th centuries, as a romantic or aesthetic evocation of the distant past, in Neo-Romanesque architecture.
Approximate Dates: 1000 to 1400