Lombard architecture

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Basilica of San Salvatore, Spoleto

Lombard architecture refers to the architecture of the Kingdom of the Lombards, which lasted from 568 to 774 (with residual permanence in southern Italy until the 10th–11th centuries) and which was commissioned by Lombard kings and dukes.

The architectural works of the Lombards in northern Italy (

Tempietto longobardo at Cividale del Friuli or the Church of Santa Maria foris portas at Castelseprio. More examples have instead survived in southern Italy (Langobardia Minor), especially in what was the Duchy of Benevento: they include the city's walls, the church of Santa Sofia and the Rocca dei Rettori, one of the few surviving Lombard military structures, as well as other minor sites near Benevento and in the former duchy of Spoleto
.

The main surviving examples of Lombard architecture have been included in the

UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.[1]

Characteristics

Baptistery of San Giovanni ad Fontes
with the basilica behind.

The most ancient edifices built by the Lombards in Italy, and in particular in their capital

Baptistery of San Giovanni ad Fontes in Lomello, also departed from the typical Palaeo-Christian compactness in the use of a tall central octagon.[2] As it had been in Roman times, the commission of lay and religious buildings was used by the Lombard elite to express their prestige and to legitimate their authority.[3]

San Salvatore, Brescia

In the 7th and 8th centuries, the Lombard architecture evolved in an original direction, with increasing references to Classical architecture. This trend, characterized by the co-presence of different influences and the adoption of new techniques, culminated in the reign of king

Monastery of San Salvatore at Brescia show echoes of the contemporary architecture in Ravenna.[4] In this period, the construction of monasteries received a particular impulse, not only as places of adoration or as shows of faith of the commissioners, but also as shelters for the latter's assets and persons and as sites of political control. King Desiderius (756–774), and with him numerous dukes, gave a particular boost to this trend, which had no direct comparison in the rest of Europe at the time.[3]

Santa Sofia, Benevento

The development of Lombard architecture in northern Italy was halted by the conquest of

Santa Sofia at Benevento: built in the 8th century, it follows the same pattern of Santa Maria in Pertica with an elevated central body, although mitigated by Byzantine elements such as the articulations of the volumes and the basic structure itself, perhaps inspired by Hagia Sophia at Constantinople.[4]

When they arrived in Italy in the late 6th century, the Lombards had no architectural tradition of their own. They thus relied on local workforce, taking advantage of the presence of organizations and guilds capable of high level works, which had been kept alive thanks to the relative survival of the urban civilization in Italy after the fall of the Western Roman Empire (differently from most of contemporary Christian western Europe).[3][4]

List of structures

Interior of the Abbey of Saint John in Argentella
The Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo
Tempietto longobardo
Church of Santa Maria foris portas at Castelseprio

6th century

7th century

8th century

Monastery of San Felice in Pavia

9th century

Later

After the Frankish conquest, Lombardy again began to develop styles that became trendsetters of European architecture:

  • Lombard Romanesque, also called First Romanesque, started in the early 11th century.

References

  1. ^ Longobards in Italy – UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  2. ^ De Vecchi, Pierluigi; Elda Cerchiari. I Longobardi in Italia. pp. 309–314.
  3. ^ a b c Rovagnati, Sergio. I Longobardi. pp. 102–103.
  4. ^ a b c Adorno, Piero (1992). "L'Alto Medioevo". L'arte italiana, Vol. 1, part II. Florence: D'Anna. p. 564.

Sources

  • Adorno, Piero (1992). "L'Alto Medioevo". L'arte italiana, Vol. 1, part II. Florence: D'Anna. pp. 558–579.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lombard_architecture&oldid=1210710214"