The Romanesque Period of Architecture - Essay Example

The roofs of churches were vaulted and supported by thick stone walls, rounded arches and massive pillars. The creation of large churches during the Romanesque period was propagated by the strong devotion to Christianity and the church. There was a common belief among Christians that the world was going to end a thousand years after Christ’s birth. This made people have more commitment and devotion to the church and so the churches had to be increased in size so that they could accommodate the large masses. The increase in size was also caused by political and cultural reasons.

Flying buttresses is a masonry structure that typically consists of an inclined bar on an arch that extends from the top part of the wall to the pier which is some distance from the wall. Its main function is to carry the thrust of the vault. The pier is often crowned by a pinnacle which adds weight and enhances stability. The buttresses evolved during the gothic era as they allowed the building of high ceilinged churches (Kleiner 267). This changed the Notre-dame in Paris church architecture in general; it made the churches have high vaults as they were strongly supported by the buttresses and pinnacles. They made churches to be bigger with high roofs.