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Thursday, November 21, 2019

Moissac: The French Romanesque Art Travel Game by Ruth Paget

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



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