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The Romanesque style in France developed first in the south of France, particularly in the provinces bordering on Catalonia. Among the best surviving examples are the church and cloister of the Abbey of Saint-Michel de Cuxa, built between 956 and 974.
The Corinthian order (Greek: Κορινθιακὸς ῥυθμός, Korinthiakós rythmós; Latin: Ordo Corinthius) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, followed by the Ionic order.
What's the Difference? Gothic and Romanesque are two distinct architectural styles that emerged in medieval Europe. Romanesque architecture is characterized by thick walls, rounded arches, and small windows, while Gothic architecture features pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.
Set at road's end in a bucolic wooded valley beside a tranquil stream, this restored masterpiece of medieval monastic architecture includes an unadorned Romanesque church, a barrel-vaulted monks’ dormitory, and Europe's earliest metallurgical forge, complete with a working reconstruction of the hydraulic hammer used by 13th-century monks.
Cistercian churches built in the 12th century were exceedingly plain, unadorned with either figural or decorative sculpture, and usually severely elegant. Their wide geographical spread was the principal means for the dissemination of the pointed arch , in anticipation of full-fledged Gothic construction.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Notable for its pleasingly unadorned Romanesque sanctuary dominated by a multidomed ceiling, this is where you can hear the monks chant vespers six times a day. The church was granted the coveted status of basilica by papal decree in 2000.
The early Romanesque appeared in Catalonia, with evident influences from the Lombard Romanesque. It is an austere and relatively unadorned architecture, with discreet ashlar masonry on the walls, and tall towers. Clear examples are the monasteries of Santa María de Ripoll and San Pedro de Roda.
