Because the walls must be so massive, or thick, to support the load from above they cannot be pierced with large or numerous windows. This renders the interior of most Romanesque churches fairly dark.
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Thick Walls, Small WindowsRomanesque churches were dark. This was in large part because of the use of stone barrel-vault construction. This system provided excellent acoustics and reduced fire danger. However, a barrel vault exerts continuous lateral (outward pressure) all along the walls that support the vault.
Romanesque churches and castles were dark, with few openings. Wars and invasions were commonplace, so windows and doors were kept to a minimum. With stone and masonry buildings, buildings were safe from fire and invaders, but required large supports for the weight of walls and vaults.
Indeed, some of the early large windows were later blocked up. In northern Europe, as the windows grew larger, the colour of the glass, particularly the blues, grew darker. The aim was not to make the cathedrals dark-although that was often the result-but to give the light a mystical quality.
Romanesque used light to maximize the religious rite directing it through the constructive system to emphasise the ceremony and represent divinity – backlighting the altar at dawn, while focussing light towards it at dusk.
Most notably, the original medieval Gothic architecture was not supposed to be dark or spooky, but some later audiences perceived it as such, either directly or through association with other features of the medieval world. Let's talk about medieval Gothic architecture, of which you can find many examples.
Romanesque buildings were very solid structures with thick walls. There's a good reason for that. Romanesque churches were mainly built of stone, which is heavy, particularly in a big vaulted roof. You need thick walls and broad columns to hold up that great stone roof.
It was principally the development of the pointed arch which brought about the change that separates Gothic from Romanesque. This technological change broke the tradition of massive masonry and solid walls penetrated by small openings, replacing it with a style where light appears to triumph over substance.
Why are Romanesque churches generally rather dark inside? Barrel vaults exert great outward thrust, requiring thick walls and making a large clerestory difficult to construct.