A Short History of the Middle Ages Fourth Edition

Plate 5.5: Cathedral Complex, Pisa (11th–12th cent.). The tower is part of a large complex that was meant
to celebrate Pisa’s emergence as a great political, economic, and military power. In this photograph, taken
from the upper porch of the hospital (13th cent.), the cathedral (begun in 1064) is just behind and to the left
of the tower (which started to lean in 1174, during construction). Behind that, and further to the left, is the
baptistery (begun in 1152).

The church of Saint-Lazare of Autun (1120–1146) may serve as an example of a

“typical” Romanesque church, though in fact the most typical aspect of that style is

its extreme variety. Striking is the “barrel” or “tunnel” vault whose ribs, springing

from the top of the piers, mark the long church into sections called bays. There are

three levels. The first is created by the arches that open onto the side aisles of the

church. The second is the gallery (or triforium), which consists of a decorative band

of columns and arches. The third is the clerestory, where small windows puncture the

walls. (See Plate 5.6 on p. 185.)