European architecture

In the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC.), Buildings from large stone blocks, which are referred to as the so-called megalithic architecture, were erected in Europe. Menhirs - vertically set stones - designated the place of public ceremonies. Dolmens , usually consisting of two or four vertical stones, covered with stone, served as burial sites. Cromlech consisted of plates or pillars arranged in a circle. An example is Stonehenge in England.

One of the oldest structures of European architecture are the ruins of buildings of the island of Crete , the creation of which is more than 1000 years BC. er

They are the first representatives of ancient architecture , then used by ancient Greece and Rome. The rounded forms of the columns and arches bore the imprint of ideas of ideal forms and embodied grace and beauty. Statues could be part of the building as part of the wall or replacement of columns. This architecture influenced not only temples and palaces, but also public institutions, streets, walls and houses themselves. Roman architecture was more complex than the Greek, and archs began to play an increasing role in it. The Romans first used concrete , at least in Europe. The most remarkable buildings: the Colosseum and aqueducts .

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, architectural art in Europe fell into decay and the main role was played by Byzantine architecture. It developed on the basis of ancient traditions under the influence of the philosophy of Christianity. Palaces, aqueducts, baths continued to be built, but churches became the main type of buildings. Formed type cross-domed temple. As a building material was used baked brick - plinf.

In the X century. in Western Europe, construction of cities begins, the half-timbered construction of housing and buildings is spreading. In the XI — XII centuries. in France, in the west of Germany and in the north of Italy, the Romanesque style arises, based on the ancient Roman and Byzantine heritage. The defining buildings of the Romanesque style are basilica cathedrals with two towers on both sides of the entrance, with hipped pyramidal or conical roofs, which have the shape of a Latin cross in plan. Another architectural type was the castle of the feudal lords with walls, built as fortifications.

From the middle of the XII century. the Gothic style replaces the Romanesque style (then it was called “French” because of its origin). Capacity and height of cathedrals increase, sections of structures and thickness of supports decrease. The walls are lightened by large windows, round windows appear - “roses”. For the Gothic style is characterized by lancet arches. The vaults were built on a system of arches, transferred in several directions. A high level of stone processing equipment has reached. A great achievement of the Gothic were stained glass windows with pictures of pieces of colored glass in lead frame ^[1] . . The most famous temples of this type of architecture are in Paris - Notre Dame , in Rotterdam, in Toulouse. Italian humanists gave the style a modern name, in connection with the opposite of ancient architecture.

In the 15th century in Italy, ideas for the restoration of antique elements in construction and their improvement spread among architects. Architects such as Montorio Bramante and Michelangelo Buanarotti greatly influenced the architecture of Florence, Venice, Naples and Rome. The modern Vatican is known for St. Peter’s Cathedral , and Florence for the Medici Palace . In addition to palaces and temples, the Renaissance architecture also has a social meaning. These are numerous fountains, bridges, galleries of which can be seen in numerous in Italian cities. The architecture of the Renaissance spread widely throughout Europe and reached Russia. In the 17th — 18th centuries, a new baroque style appeared in European secular houses (Italian. - quaint, strange). This style is different from the architecture of the Renaissance pomp and was common among the nobility.