Why were Romanesque buildings dark?

Thick Walls, Small Windows Romanesque 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.



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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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Combining features of ancient Roman and Byzantine buildings and other local traditions, Romanesque architecture is known by its massive quality, thick walls, round arches, sturdy pillars, barrel vaults, large towers and decorative arcading.

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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.

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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.

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