This essay is a very brief tracing of the architectural development of temples and churches that were constructed in wood and stone, with emphasis on Romanesque and Gothic examples. Men were involved in spiritual Oriental myths. They were seeking the irrational and wanted their architecture to represent them. The Romans surpassed the Greeks by covering their buildings with vaults, domes and cross vaults instead of flat roofs. The desire to protect the building from fire lead to the innovation of the roofing system. The most important thing that happened later in the Romanesque period is the organization of the ground plan. In Gothic churches, innovations included the addition of a triforium, shafts and tracery, as well as fan vaults and flying buttresses. |
