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02 · Medieval

Norman

c. 1050–1200

Massive square towers, very thick walls, and round arches carved with zigzag patterns.

Look for

Round arch Deep-set window Geometric ornament
Durham Cathedral, Durham, England: an example of Norman architecture
Durham Cathedral, Durham, England. Photo: mattbuck (category), CC BY-SA 4.0
White Tower, Tower of London, London, England
White Tower, Tower of London London, England · [Duncan] from Nottingham, UK, CC BY 2.0
Ely Cathedral, Ely, England
Ely Cathedral Ely, England · Verbcatcher, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cefalù Cathedral, Cefalù, Italy
Cefalù Cathedral Cefalù, Italy · User:Matthias Süßen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rochester Castle, Rochester, England
Rochester Castle Rochester, England · Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0

what it is

Norman architecture is the Romanesque style as built in Normandy, in England after 1066, and in Norman-ruled southern Italy and Sicily. Churches have massive cylindrical or clustered piers, round arches, thick walls and a large tower over the crossing. The most common ornament is the chevron, a zigzag carved into the moldings of arches and doorways. Castle keeps are square stone towers with thick walls, flat buttresses and an entrance on the upper floor.

Durham Cathedral, begun in 1093, alternates clustered piers with drum columns carved in zigzag, spiral and fluted patterns, and its rib vaults are among the earliest in Europe. The White Tower of the Tower of London, begun by William the Conqueror about 1078, rises about 27 m. Saint-Étienne in Caen, founded by William in 1063, has a twin-towered west front. In Sicily, Monreale Cathedral (begun 1172) combines a Norman plan with about 6,500 square meters of Byzantine-style gold mosaics and Islamic decorative details.

how to spot one

Round arch An arch shaped as a half circle, often built from wedge-shaped blocks called voussoirs. It is used over doors, windows and between columns in Roman, Romanesque, Renaissance and Richardsonian Romanesque buildings. Deep-set window A window set far back into a thick wall of stone, brick or adobe, leaving a deep reveal, the side of the opening. It is common on Romanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque and Pueblo Revival buildings. Geometric ornament Decoration made of zigzags, chevrons (V shapes), stepped forms and other repeated geometric shapes instead of plants or figures. It is the main ornament on Art Deco buildings.

Also look for

ButtressArcadeCarved stone relief

history

The dukes of Normandy built large abbey churches in the mid-11th century, including the two abbeys at Caen founded by William and his wife Matilda in the 1060s. In England, Edward the Confessor had rebuilt Westminster Abbey in the Norman manner from about 1042, before the Conquest. After William's victory at Hastings in 1066, the Normans rebuilt English cathedrals, starting with Canterbury after a fire in 1067, and built hundreds of parish churches and many castles, including the White Tower in London.

Durham Cathedral was largely complete by 1133. Its rib vaults and pointed transverse arches later became standard in Gothic building, and around 1120 the abbeys at Caen used rib vaults for the first time in France. In Sicily, the Norman kings built churches and palaces that mixed Norman, Byzantine and Arab work, with Monreale Cathedral begun in 1172 under William II. In England the style gave way to Gothic after 1174, when William of Sens rebuilt the choir of Canterbury Cathedral in the French Gothic manner. The Norman style was largely replaced by the early 13th century.

where to find it

Durham Cathedral and the Tower of London in England, the abbeys of Caen in Normandy, and Monreale in Sicily.

easy to confuse with

Speyer Cathedral, an example of Romanesque Romanesque Fortress-thick walls, small deep-set windows, and round arches over doors and arcades. Notre-Dame de Paris, an example of Gothic Gothic Pointed arches, ribbed ceilings, and flying buttresses that let stone walls turn into glass and light.