C

hristian Europe expe-

rienced an upsurge in

confidence in the 11th

century. In 1095 Pope

Urban II rejuvenated

the church by launch-

ing the successful First

Crusade to wrest the Holy Land from Islam.

All over Europe, Christians were traveling to

sites on pilgrimages to view holy relics and

sacred objects. These journeys were growing

in popularity, as they disseminated people,

ideas, and money from place to place.

Borne along on the tide of these changes, a

new architectural style was spreading across

Europe. Cladding the Christian lands with

“a white mantle of churches,” in the words

of the 11th-century Cluniac monk Radulfus

Glaber, similar building traits could be seen

along these pilgrimage paths. Characterized

by rounded arches, sturdy stone columns, and

ornate carvings depicting biblical stories, this

new style was dubbed “Romanesque” by later

historians.It was not Roman in the classical

or pagan sense but used the concept of a Ro-

man basilica as a foundation. These build-

ings’ structure and ornamentation reflected

an idea of Roman monumentality, but these

new sacred spaces were Christian, reflecting

the spread of this faith across Europe.

Being a Pilgrim

The popularity of pilgrimages was a key factor

in the spread, and uniformity, of the Roman-

esque style. To travel to Jerusalem was far too

difficult for most pilgrims. A European destina-

tion was much more realistic. One that gained

widespread popularity in the 11th century was

the shrine of St. James in northwestern Spain.

This region of Spain had recently been re-

claimed by Christian forces in the early phases

of the Reconquista, Christian Spain’s gradu-

al “reconquest” of the peninsula from Mus-

lim Moorish powers. Tradition holds that a

ninth-century hermit saw a light over open

countryside marking the spot of the resting

place of the Apostle James. The shrine that grew

on the site was called Sanctus Iacobus (Latin

for St. James) de Campus Stellae (“of the field

of the star”), a name which later derived into

Santiago de Compostela.

A pilgrimage route arose as Christian trav-

elers trekked from all across Europe to the

56 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

PHOTO COURTESY OF FUNDACIÓN BARRIÉ

©FUNDACIÓN BARRIÉ/FUNDACIÓN CATEDRAL DE SANTIAGO

GATEWAY OF GLORY

Showing his pierced hands, the

risen Christ crowns the late

Romanesque Portico of Glory

at the Cathedral of Santiago de

Compostela, Spain. Carved by

Master Mateo in the late 1100s,

the granite figures have recently

been restored to their former

polychrome glory.

800 S

As Christians begin to

drive Muslim forces from

northern Spain, a hermit’s

vision of St. James’s grave is

the basis of a new shrine at

Santiago de Compostela.

SPREAD OF

ROMANESQUE

SPLENDOR