9 The Church Militant: The twelfth century Flashcards
Symbol of St Mark?
Mark the Evangelist, the author of the second gospel account is symbolized by a winged lion – a figure of courage and monarchy. Mark has John the Baptist preaching “like a lion roaring” at the beginning of his Gospel and this symbol implies that Christians must be courageous.
Symbol for St Matthew? Why?
Matthew the Evangelist, the author of the first gospel account is symbolized by a winged man, or angel. This represents Jesus’ Incarnation, and so Christ’s human nature and implies that we should use our power to reason to achieve salvation.
Symbol for St Luke? Why?
Luke the Evangelist, the author of the third gospel account (and the Acts of the Apostles) is symbolized by a winged ox or bull – a sacrificial animal, because his Gospel stresses the sacrificial nature of Christ’s ministry and opens with Zechariah performing his priestly duties
Symbol for St John? Why?
John the Evangelist, the author of the fourth gospel account is symbolized by an eagle – because of his visions and the heavenly opening of his Gospel.
Where do the animal symbols for the evangelists originally come from?
Vision of Ezekiel in the Old Testament, in which the throne of the Lord is carried by four creatures with the heads of a lion, a man, an ox and an eagle.
Laocoon pronunciation
lay-OCK-oh-on
Gesture that symbolises act of speaking in medieval art?
Right arm extended, often with two fingers
What freedoms did the shift away from naturalistic representation offer medieval artists?
Figures and forms could be arranged on purely ornamental lines.
Any colours could be used.
Chief architectural innovation of the Romanesque period?
Vaulting
Medieval painters were unaware of the rules of correct ____________, but that this very shortcoming enabled them to distribute their figures over the picture in any way they liked in order to create the perfect __________.
Medieval painters were unaware of the rules of correct draughtsmanship, but that this very shortcoming enabled them to distribute their figures over the picture in any way they liked in order to create the perfect pattern.
What is the Norman style known as on the continent?
Romanesque
Identify, date, describe
Benedictine church of Murbach, Alsace, 1160
Romanesque style
What is the idea of the Church Militant?
That the task of the Church is to fight the powers of darkness until the hour of triumph on Doomsday.
When and why did the transept become a regular feature of church architecture?
Romanesque period (6th to 12th centuries). Increasing popularity of pilgrimages –needed more space to circulate around important relics often housed in radiating chapels off the transept.
What is the communion of saints?
Commūniō sānctōrum – the spiritual union of the members of the Christian Church, living and the dead, but excluding the damned.
All are part of a single “mystical body”, with Christ as the head, in which each member contributes to the good of all and shares in the welfare of all.
What are the three states of the church?
Church Militant (Ecclesia militans) consisting of those alive on earth
Church Penitent (Ecclesia poenitens) consisting of those undergoing purification in purgatory in preparation for heaven
Church Triumphant (Ecclesia triumphans) consisting of those already in heaven.
What are the 8 hallmarks of Romanesque architecture?
- Rounded Arches
- Sturdy Walls and Pillars (like fortress)
- Barrel or Groin Vaults
- Square Towers
- Small Windows (due to the thickness of the walls)
- Decorative Arcading (series of arches supported by columns)
- Symmetry
- Geometric, often Chevron, patterns
Identify, date, describe
Tournai Cathedral, Belgium, 1213
Romanesque style
- rounded arches
- square towers
- symmetry
- small windows
- decorative arcading
Identify, date, describe
Durham cathedral, 1128
Romanesque, but with early Gothic features.
Possibly first use of ribbed vaulting.
Drum columns.
Chevron patterns.
What is the main limitation of the rounded arch?
Its height must be proportionate to its width.
What is this part of the church called?
Triforium (from the Latin tres, tria ‘three’ and foris ‘door,)
What is this called?
A blind arcade
What was the rationale for the rib vault?
Needed roof to span the nave.
Timber roofs caught fire and lacked dignity.
Straight barrel (tunnel) vault required huge pillars on either side, requiring masses of stone.
Solution was to have transverse arches or ‘ribs’ spanning the distance and fill in triangular intervals with lighter material.
What was the problem with the timber roofs that were used for basilica?
They often caught fire.
Lacked the dignity of the stone parts of building.
When and where did churches first start to be decorated with sculptures?
France in late Romanesque period.
Identify, date, describe
Church of St Trophime, Arles, 1180
Romanesque style.
One of earliest uses of sculpture to decorate church facade.
Semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window, which is bounded by a lintel and an arch. What is it called?
Tympanum
What is this called?
A knop (pronounced nop)
Identify, date, describe
Gloucester candlestick, 1113, gilt bronze
Made for Gloucester cathedral.
Intertwined monsters and dragons reminiscent of dark age art.
Men assailed by monsters, but struggle towards light at top of candle.
Tetramorph on knop guides them on their way.
Identify, date, describe
Baptismal font, Reiner van Huy, 1118
Brass, Church of St Barthelemy, Liège, Belgium.
Demonstrates role theologians had in advising artists.
Depicts baptism of Christ (appropriately for font). Latin inscriptions describe scene.
Oxen mirror those commissioned by King Solomon for temple in Jerusalem.
What was an upshot of the Crusades for art?
More contact with art of Byzantium, and artists try to emulate images of Eastern Church.
Identify, date, describe
The Annunciation, c1150, from Swabian gospel manuscript
Two fingers of angel signifies act of speaking.
Romanesque style –post-Crusades, period of maximal closeness with Byzantine art.
Swabia?
Schwaben in German. A historic region in the southwest of Germany. Historically, duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, covering much of what is now the state of Baden-Württemberg (including its capital, Stuttgart) and parts of Bavaria.
What is hieratic scale?
Composition approach whereby size of figures is determined by their importance.
Identify, date, describe
Saints Gereon, Willimarus, Gall and the martyrdom of St Ursula with her 11,000 maidens, 1147
From a calendar manuscript. Describes principle feasts of saints of October, in illustrations.
St Gereon and companions beheaded and heads thrown into well.
St Ursula massacred by heathens with 11,000 maidens.
Artist able to dispense with illusion of space or action and arrange figures and forms on purely ornamental lines.
Religious art in middle ages is in many ways a form of ________ in ________.
Religious art in middle ages is in many ways a form of writing in pictures.
What did dispensing with realism allow medieval artists to do?
Focus on pleasing composition, choose colours and forms on purely ornamental lines.
Identify, date, describe
The Annunciation, mid 12th century
Chartres Cathedral.
Artists felt no obligation to imitate real colours, and could choose whatever worked ornamentally.
Here vivid blue colour known as ‘Chartres Blue’.
