Romanesque Vaults

Vaulting was a fundamental feature of the Romanesque architectural style. Early churches and buildings used simple wooden beam structures to create their ceilings. The first distinct Romanesque vault, known as the "concha," was a semicircular vault used to enclose the apse. Later, semicircular and barrel vaults, likely influenced by Byzantine architecture, were introduced, mainly spanning narrow spaces. The most advanced form of Romanesque vaulting is the cross or groin vault. These vaults, because of their limited span, required architects to create more semicircular spaces and distribute the increased structural pressure across multiple columns. The Romanesque style flourished in the construction and fine arts of Western, Southern, and Central Europe from the 11th to the 13th century. In architecture, it represented a more or less unified tradition of construction and use of materials that evolved steadily throughout Europe during this period. The term "Romanesque" signifies the style's relationship with ancient Roman architecture, from which it drew inspiration and incorporated several key building elements. ## Keywords romanesque architecture history cross vault ribs