38 THE ORIGINS OF FREEMASONRY FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE MIDDLE AGES
in quarried stone with a kind of magnificence in the Gothic manner:
"muro opere quadris lapidibus, manu gothica... olim nobiliter con-
structa."^2 The word Gothic continued to be used subsequently to label
what we now call Romanesque art, which was later distinguished from
the new, ogival ribbed style by names such as Old Gothic and New
Gothic. These terms indicate with extreme precision the origin of these
styles and the relationship that exists between them. In fact, it is a mis-
take to oppose the two.
Romanesque Art and Monastic AssociationsRomanesque art of the Old Gothic style was born after the year 1000
in regions south of the Loire—the former Gothic Gaul. It seems fairly
well established that the oldest Romanesque school was that of
Auvergne. Romanesque architecture is Roman architecture that has
been refined and "finished": "While a time of decadence saw a retreat
from Roman art, a more progressive era returned to it, but it was a free
Roman art that had been emancipated from the yoke of entablature.
The Romanesque style was regarded as a self-evident innovation by the
Roman as well as the Gothic."^3
Romanesque art has been labeled monastic art in opposition to the
Gothic, a secular art. It is an undeniable fact that the propagation of
Romanesque art was the work of monastic associations, particularly
the Benedictines. But there were no builders outside of these associa-
tions. Later we will consider more closely how Gothic art emerged and
spread.
The Order of Saint Benoit first contributed to the spread of the art
of building through its preeminent role in the propagation of the sci-
ences. Until the tenth century, churches were primarily built of wood.
The art or science of framework construction, although complicated, is
still less difficult than that of cutting and constructing with stone. The
progress of this latter method brought about the overall advancement
of architecture. Stonecutting in fact leads to statics, the science of bal-
ance, and mathematics is the basic element of this discipline.
Toward the end of the tenth century, a man renowned for his posi-
tion, character, and worth, the Benedictine Gerbert (a native of Aurillac