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Introduction
Architectural designs have advanced gradually in various regions over a long period. It has incorporated art to transform it into widely available designs in cities and towns. In the world today, buildings are curved with exemplary styles that are unique. Most of these buildings have unique designs developed hundreds of years ago. The traditional Romanesque and local cathedral styles are the best architectural designs with unique and incredible artistic elements that complement each other. Their uniqueness and exemplary designs can be identified by their stylistic finishing as well as their art. Romanesque architecture is named as such as a result of its integration of carving into a stylish building which the Romans did. The Romanesque architectural designs and the local cathedral styles have clear ideological similarities and differences that have developed them into the current modern structures.
Romanesque Architectural Designs: Overview of the Architectural Design
Romanesque architecture is split into two periods: the first and the later styles. The difference between the first and the later one is characterized by various things such as a lack of sculpture, thick walls, and ornamental arches, also referred to as Lombard bands (Rudolph, 2019). The other thing that shows a difference between the first and late Romanesque styles is the level of expertise with which the buildings were constructed. For instance, the first Romanesque style used smaller windows, rubble walls, and unvaulted roofs whereas the later employed a better style that used dressed stones and vaults (Rudolph, 2019). The use of stones in establishing these structures was considered as standard as it mainly included perfectly aligned buildings with an elegant entrance. These buildings had huge vaults and rounded arches that distinguished them from other designs available in the region.
Characteristics of the Architectural Design
During the construction of these architectural designs, there was limited use of wall openings which were created in order to minimize the amount of light entering the building. All of the designs were constructed with an aim of solving the issue of the abutment. While constructing these designs, piers were used to support the walls whereas the king post, truss, and tie were used to reinforce the roofing (Rudolph, 2019). The towers in the Romanesque churches were considered the most important features. The facades in the churches had a very huge wooden doorway that had a designed window on top of the door. On the other hand, the doorways were the main entrances which were the most decorated characteristics in the Romanesque designs.
Nevertheless, such designs were used in the construction of churches whereby the large barrel vaults are used to keep the heavy-loaded walls from falling off or collapsing. The vault is considered the most important architectural figure in Romanesque designs. This figure was introduced so that it would replace the flammable wooden roofs. It became one of the most essential structures as the idea spread across all areas of Europe. Sant’Ambrogoio church is one of the buildings that exhibit a Romanesque design (Rudolph, 2019). It was developed with unique characteristics that fit a typical Romanesque building. Moreover, the vaults and the facade can be visibly seen as they face the west. In addition, some carvings were located in the central portals even if no stones were used while constructing the building.
St Patrick’s Cathedral Designs: Overview of the Architectural Design
St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York is a monumental landmark in The United States that is commonly referred to as “America’s Parish Church.” Every year, the historic church is home to millions of visitors, mostly Catholics. What makes it stand out is its remarkable architectural design. The church was built in the mid-1850s through a collaboration of catholic believers in New York (McGowan, 2018). Since opening its doors back in 1879, the church has been home to many catholic faithful from all walks of life. Today, the church is the headquarters of New York’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese. Apart from being a place of worship, it is also a popular location for weddings. Moreover, it plays host to tribute ceremonies for New York’s top celebrities such as State Senator Robert Kennedy and legendary football coach Lombardi Vince.
Characteristics of the Architectural Design
What stands out more about this church other than being a place of worship is its magnificent and incredible architecture. The building was designed by architects James Renwick and William Rodrigue based on Gothic Revival architecture (McGowan, 2018). The architecture of this building is inspired by a mixture of German and French Gothic styles. To summarize the architectural marvel, St. Patrick’s cathedral features two spires in the west wing, a statue in the middle of the Rockefeller Courtyard, towers with galleries, and outer side chapels of different capacities. The building is host to remarkable and outstanding features which make its architecture stand out. The main material used in building the church is tuckahoe marble. The Cathedral’s Nave is built using stone, specifically white marble. The stone marble was mined from quarries in Massachusetts and New York. The windows of the building were artistically designed and made by top artists. It also features spires that rise more than 100 meters above the ground (McGowan, 2018). The inclusion of titanic bronze doors, stained glasses, and high altars is particular to this church’s architecture.
The interior is well-lit with magnificent natural lighting as a result of the use of stained glass and large windows. The church is heavy on meticulously placed decorations bringing out a feeling of greatness. There are 21 altars which were all uniquely designed and 19 bells that are named after different saints (McGowan, 2018). The main altar features a bronze baldachino, a remarkable art piece. Close to the main altar is a pietà which features Virgin Mary’s sculpture holding a man. The church is home to other iconic sculptures such as a bust of Pope John Paul II. The bust was made to commemorate the pope’s visit to the church. There are elaborate pipes and stops that make up the church’s pipe organs.
Similarities Between Architectural Designs and Styles
Romanesque and St Patrick’s Cathedral, neo-gothic designs, and architecture rose during the medieval period. The Romanesque style was the first to be developed which later spread to Western Europe in a very short period (Rudolph, 2019). This later paved the way for the local cathedral designs hence the rise of a lot of similarities. One of them is the decorated doorways built to act as a gateway to salvation. Once the saints entered the churches, they were lined up on either side of the church, whereas the designs with the stained glasses also eliminated the churches with a burst of bright sunshine that endowed the church with a serene and peaceful environment (McGowan, 2018). The views from the outside are eye-catching as a person tends to fixate on the elegant towers. The towers that are placed on the churches feel as if they were very much alive and protecting the churches.
There are evident similarities between Patrick’s local Cathedral in New York and the Romanesque architectural designs. The similarities are evident in various forms such as the styles used in both designs. Nevertheless, many similar and unique features were used in the local cathedral that evolved from the Romanesque architectural designs. Some of these include the use of arches and vaults while constructing the structures. Arches show a significant similarity between the local cathedral as well as the Romanesque styles. Furthermore, towers were also used while building both designs. Towers were used as a pillar of support in both designs. The use of vaulting and multistoried facades was also incorporated in the two architectural designs. The strength, as well as the size of the buildings, were also used in designing the buildings. The architects that constructed both designs emphasized on strength and size to prevent the building from collapsing. The enormity of both the designs is overwhelming and they can accommodate all people from all walks of life.
Differences Between Romanesque and Local Cathedral Designs and Styles
St Patrick’s cathedral in New York ultimately features lots of differences from Romanesque architecture. America’s Parish Church is mostly influenced by neo-gothic architecture which is fairly modern when compared to other medieval architecture. This means that the cathedral design of St Patrick’s church is fairly modern as compared to Romanesque cathedral designs which were popular between the 9th and 12th centuries (Rudolph, 2019). The other outstanding architectural difference is that most Romanesque buildings feature round arches with blunt towers while the American Parish church has pointed towers (McGowan, 2018). Moreover, Romanesque architecture is popular with buildings that have massive and framed structures. On the other hand, St Patrick has a slender skeletal structure
St Patrick’s cathedral features an interior with large windows made of stained glass while Romanesque buildings are popular for their small windows and less use of stained glass. This means that the former architectural designs yield better interior lighting as compared to the latter. While both architectures feature an existence of a vault, St Patrick features a beautiful ribbed vault which is different from barrel vaults synonymous with Romanesque cathedrals (Rudolph, 2019). The interior of most Romanesque-style cathedrals has large pillars to support the structure of the building. On the other hand, St Patrick’s cathedral features fewer support structures. From the exterior view, the beauty of the neo-gothic style elements makes the local cathedral stand out. The details in the exterior including gargoyles of different animals and also sculptures increase the aesthetic of the building (McGowan, 2018). This is rare in Romanesque architecture with minimal exterior design elements.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a review of St Patrick’s Church New York architecture and Romanesque styles can be summed up as a highlight of advancements in the design of cathedrals over time. The local cathedral and the Romanesque architectural designs had the main goal of coming up with remarkable building designs. These resulted in the introduction of new and improved features as the buildings were being constructed. One of the features that were improved in both architectural designs was the vaults. The local cathedral churches used masonry walls while developing and supporting the vaults which was a major advance as compared to the Romanesque styling designs. The arches were also developed early in the Romanesque architectural design which was later developed in the local cathedral designs. There are clear similarities as well as differences between the Romanesque and the local cathedral designs. The Romanesque design shows the use of small windows, thick walls, and rounded arches whereas the local cathedral had pointed arches, vertical lines, and slender skeleton on the walls. Therefore, it can be concluded that local cathedral designs are an improvisation of the Romanesque architectural designs.
References
McGowan, M. K. (2018). Propelling St. Patrick’s Cathedral Forward. ASHRAE Journal, 60(8), 54-60.
Rudolph, C. (2019). Introduction: A Sense of Loss: An Overview of the Historiography of Romanesque and Gothic Art. A Companion to Medieval Art: Romanesque and Gothic in Northern Europe, 1-43. Web.
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