Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/355

 Medieval Life in Country and Town 259 428. The Romanesque Style. Up to the twelfth century churches were built in what is called the Romanesque, or Roman- like, style because they resembled the solid old buildings of the Romans. These Romanesque churches had stone ceilings and it was necessary to make the walls very thick and solid to support them. There was a main aisle in the center, called the nave, and ROMANESQUE CHURCH OF CHATEL-MONTAGNE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ALLIER, FRANCE This is a pure Romanesque building with no alterations in a later style, such as are common. Heavy as the walls are, they are reenforced by buttresses along the side. All the arches are round, none of them pointed a narrower aisle on each side, separated from the nave by mas- sive stone pillars, which helped to hold up the heavy ceiling. These pillars were connected by round arches of stone above them. The tops of the smallish windows were round ; so the round arches form one of the striking features of the Romanesque style which distinguish it from the Gothic style that followed it. The windows had to be small in order that the walls should not be weakened.