The pre-Romanesque period in European art spans the years from the emergence of the Merovingian kingdom around 500 AD (or from the Carolingian Renaissance in the late-8th century) to the beginning of the Romanesque period in the 11th century. While the term is typically used in English to refer primarily to architecture and monumental sculpture, this article will briefly cover all the arts of the period. The primary theme during this period is the introduction and absorption of classical Mediterranean and Early Christian forms with Germanic ones, which fostered innovative new results. This in turn led to the rise of Romanesque art in the 11th century. In the outline of Medieval art pre-Romanesque was preceded by what is commonly called the Migration Period art of the "barbarian" peoples: Hiberno-Saxon in the British Isles and predominantly Merovingian on the Continent. In most of western Europe, the Roman architectural tradition survived the collapse of the Roman empire. The Franks of the Merovingian polity continued to build large stone buildings like monastery churches and palaces. The unification of the Frankish kingdom under Clovis I (r. 481–511) and his successors corresponded with a period of building churches, and especially monastery churches, as these were now the power-houses of the Merovingian church. Two-hundred monasteries existed south of the Loire when St Columbanus, an Irish missionary, arrived in Europe in 585. Only 100 years later, by the end of the 7th century, over 400 monasteries flourished in the Merovingian kingdom alone. The building plans often continued the Roman basilica tradition. Many Merovingian plans have been reconstructed from archaeology. The description in Bishop Gregory of Tours' History of the Franks of the basilica of Saint-Martin, built at Tours by Saint Perpetuus (bishop 460–490) at the beginning of the period and at the time on the edge of Frankish territory, gives cause to regret the disappearance of this building, one of the most beautiful Merovingian churches, which Bishop Gregory states had 120 marble columns, towers at the east end, and several mosaics: "Saint-Martin displayed the vertical emphasis, and the combination of block-units forming a complex internal space and the correspondingly rich external silhouette, which were to be the hallmarks of the Romanesque". The Merovingian dynasty gave way to the Carolingian dynasty in 752 AD, which led to Carolingian architecture from 780 to 900, and to Ottonian architecture in East Francia (the Holy Roman Empire) from the mid-10th century until the mid-11th century. These successive Frankish dynasties were large contributors to Romanesque architecture.
Examples of Frankish buildings Merovingian, Carolingian and Ottonian
Baptistère de Riez built in the 4th, 5th and 7th centuries Fréjus Cathedral circa 450 AD Crypt of Saint-Laurent Grenoble circa 500 Aix Cathedral circa 500, baptistery built by the Merovingians Baptistère Saint-Jean 507 Baptistère de Venasque circa 500 Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés circa 540 Radegonde de Poitiers Tomb of St. Radegunda 587 Jouarre Abbey 630, Merovingian crypt Kloster Reichenau 724 Benedictine Convent of Saint John, Müstair 780 Granusturm 788, 20-meter-tall tower in Aarchen Lorsch Abbey, gateway, (c. 800) Palatine Chapel in Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) (792–805) Imperial Palace, Ingelheim 800 Oratory of Bishop Theodulf of Orleans in Germigny-des-Prés 806 St. Ursmar's Collegiate church, in Lobbes, Belgium (819–823) St. Michael, Fulda, rotunda and crypt (822) Einhard's Basilica, Steinbach (827) Saint Justinus' church, Frankfurt-Höchst (830) Hildesheim Cathedral, original build (872) Schloss Broich 883–884, Carolingian fortress Broich Castle, Muelheim on the Ruhr (884) Abbey of Corvey (885) St. George, Oberzell in Reichenau Island (888) St. Georg (Reichenau-Oberzell) 900 St. Johannis (Mainz) 910 Church of St Philibert, Tournus 950 St. Cyriakus, Gernrode 969 Ottonian and Holy Roman Empire
Mainz Cathedral begun 991 and 994 and retains some structure of this period. St. Michael's Church Hildesheim, 1031
Imperial styles
Carolingian art
Carolingian art is the roughly 120-year period from about 780 to 900, during Charlemagne's and his immediate heirs' rule, popularly known as the Carolingian Renaissance. Although brief, it was very influential; northern European kings promoted classical Mediterranean Roman art forms for the first time, while also creating innovative new forms such as naturalistic figure line drawings that would have lasting influence. Carolingian churches generally are basilican, like the Early Christian churches of Rome, and commonly incorporated westworks, which is arguably the precedent for the western facades of later medieval cathedrals. An original westwork survives today at the Abbey of Corvey, built in 885. After a rather chaotic interval following the Carolingian period, the new Ottonian dynasty revived Imperial art from about 950, building on and further developing Carolingian style in Ottonian art.
Ottonian art
Germanic pre-Romanesque art during the 120-year period from 936 to 1056 is commonly called Ottonian art after the three Saxon emperors named Otto (Otto I, Otto II, and Otto III) who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 936 to 1001. After the decline of the Carolingian Empire, the Holy Roman Empire was re-established under the Saxon (Ottonian) dynasty. From this emerged a renewed faith in the idea of Empire and a reformed Church, creating a period of heightened cultural and artistic fervour. It was in this atmosphere that masterpieces were created that fused the traditions from which Ottonian artists derived their inspiration: models of Late Antique, Carolingian, and Byzantine origin. Much Ottonian art reflected the dynasty's desire to establish visually a link to the Christian rulers of Late Antiquity, such as Constantine, Theoderich, and Justinian as well as to their Carolingian predecessors, particularly Charlemagne. Ottonian monasteries produced some of the most magnificent medieval illuminated manuscripts. They were a major art form of the time, and monasteries received direct sponsorship from emperors and bishops, having the best in equipment and talent available.
Regional styles
British Isles
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