shrine of St. James in Santiago. A magnificent
Romanesque cathedral was built over the site
of the tomb in the mid-11th century. Now a
UNESCO world heritage site, the cathedral
was expanded. The Portico of Glory, a late Ro-
manesque, triple archway carved with ornate,
painted figures based on the theme of the Last
Judgment was added in the 12th century.
Medieval pilgrims brought wealth to the cit-
ies along their journey, and the cities that lay
along the routes to Santiago were able to build
or beautify their own churches and cathedrals
in the Romanesque style. Some of these be-
came showcases for local saints’ relics, whose
fame attracted ever more pilgrims.
Santiago de Compostela was built almost ex-
actly at the same time as the Basilica of Saint-
Sernin in Toulouse, France. Other Romanesque
structures on France’s various Santiago routes
include Sainte-Foy, an abbey church at Con-
ques in southern France, and the Basilica of
Saint-Martin at Tours to the southwest of Paris.
On the way to Santiago across northern Spain, a
major stopping-off point was the city of León,
whose Collegiate Church of San Isidoro contains
a wealth of late Romanesque frescoes.
A Return to Stone
The Romanesque style also proliferated in Ger-
many, with examples found at Mainz and Spey-
er. The Romanesque merged with other styles,
such as the Norman architecture found in Eng-
land following the 1066 Norman conquest. The
Norman occupation of Sicily led to a fusion of
north and south: The Norman-Romanesque
cathedral of Monreale incorporates elements of
Byzantine and Muslim architecture.
The dramatic rise in church-building that
began in the 11th century was made possible in
part by the revival of the production of stone for
construction purpose. Stonecutting had fall-
en into abeyance during the early Middle Ag-
es, when blocks from old edifices were reused.
Thanks to the industry of the stonemasons,
there are probably more existing buildings in
the Romanesque style than of any other archi-
tectural movement in Europe, a stylistic unity
that ranges across rural parish churches, abbeys,
basilicas, and cathedrals.
58 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
INÉS MONTEIRA IS ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ART HISTORY
AT UNED UNIVERSITY, SPAIN.