Moissac: The French Romanesque Art Travel Game by Ruth
Paget
The
Gothic period of art in France best known for its Nôtre Dame Cathedral in Paris
was preceded by a lesser known yet prolific art style known as the Romanesque.
I
associate the Romanesque style (1000 CE – 12th Century) with the
town church at Moissac (1115 – 1130) the most.
Moissac’s famous column statue of Saint Isaac swirls around a pillar in
a frenzy that is characteristic of Romanesque sculpture.
Romanesque
architectural interiors as at Autun Cathedral (1120 – 1146) can be very tall,
but do not achieve the soaring heights of Gothic Amiens Cathedral (1220 – 1270)
due to the architectural elements used in its construction.
The
style is called Romanesque, because the builders drew upon ancient Roman
architecture, notably the basilica form with parallel aisles. Romanesque churches tend to be rectangular
for this reason.
Game
1: Romanesque Art Vocabulary
The
first part of this game is based on vocabulary used to describe Romanesque art.
You can look up these terms online and
download images so you can associate terms with images.
You
can also look up definitions for the following terms in Romanesque Churches of France: A
Traveler’s Guide by Peter Strafford.
The
following are the words you need to know to appreciate Romanesque art and
better appreciate what you see when traveling:
-abacus
-ambulatory
-apse
-arcade
-blind
arch
-relieving
arch
-transverse
arch
-archivolt
-bay
-capital
-chevet
-choir
-clerestory
-cornice
-crypt
-cupola
-engaged
column
-flying
screen
-gallery
-Lombard
bands
-mandorla
-narthex
-oculus
-pendentive
-pilaster
-squinch
-transept
-transept
crossing
-tribune
-triforium
-trumeau
-tympanum
-barrel
vault
-groin
vault
-rib
vault
Game
2: Pronounce Romanesque Words Correctly
Use
Google dictionary’s microphone function to practice pronunciation and recognize
words when spoken.
Game
3: Spell the Words Correctly
Work
with a partner to spell words.
Game
4: Define Words
Use
a list of words as a guide to write out their definitions. If you draw, draw a picture of the word.
Game
5: Identify Romanesque Vocabulary Images
Use
the images you downloaded and quiz yourself by showing an image and naming it.
Game
6: Make an Architectural Terms Video
When
you visit Romanesque churches in France, make a video of church façades
(fronts) and various architectural elements.
You
can use your mobile phone camera or video to do this.
Comparing
how different Romanesque churches handled architectural needs is interesting to
study. Older teens might even help film
from a checklist of images to make a scavenger hunt.
Game
7: Make a Romanesque Art Travel
Itinerary for France
The
book Romanesque Churches of France: A
Traveler’s Guide by Peter Strafford discusses many churches you could visit
by region. I have chosen places to visit
from his list that I think are representative of the Romanesque style.
I
have visited most of these places with my husband Laurent. My daughter Florence was a toddler when we
visited, so I have also posted blogs on individual Romanesque churches on my
Savvy Mom Ruth Paget blog on blogger.com .
A
selection of Romanesque churches follows:
*Burgundy
Region
-Autun
-Cluny
-Fontenay
-Vézalay
*Paris
Region
-Chartres
(The Cathedral is half Romanesque and half Gothic. It took awhile to build.)
*Normandy
-Bayeux
-Caen
-Mont-St-Michel
*Loire
Valley
-Fontevraud
*Massif
Central
-Conques
*Western
France
-Aulnay-de-Saintoge
-Périgueux
-Poitiers
-Saintes
*Southwest
France
-Cahors
-Moissac
-Souillac
-Toulouse
– St. Sernin
*Provence
-Arles
-Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer
*Rousillon
and Languedoc
-St.-Martin-du-Canigou
-St.-Michel-de-Cuxa
*Central
Pyrénées
-Oloron-Ste-Marie
You
can look these churches up online and decide which ones would be interesting to
visit for your trip to France when setting up an itinerary.
Have
fun learning, planning, and visiting France’s Romanesque Churches.
By
Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
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