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32-427: The outside of the structure is an example of Italian medieval architecture with Gothic influences. The lower story is stone while the upper crenellated stories are made of brick. At a time when brick as a finished face was rare, Siena preferred it to stone because it was cheaper; this allowed architects to use more expensive detailing elsewhere. The facade of the palace is curved slightly inwards (concave) to reflect

64-412: A recognizable view of Siena and its countryside. In the allegorical representation of Good Government, the prosperous townspeople are trading and dancing in the streets. Beyond the city walls is a lush countryside in which crops are harvested. In the allegory of Bad Government , crime is rampant and diseased citizens roam a crumbling city; the countryside suffers from drought. Many of the frescoes in

96-625: A throne; the Judge reflects the tradition in the Christian Last Judgment to have God or Christ judging the saved on the left and the damned on the right. While classified as medieval or proto (pre)-renaissance art, these paintings show a transition from earlier religious art. Flanking the Allegory are two other paintings on perpendicular walls: Effects of Good Government and Effects of Bad Government . Both these frescoes depict

128-481: Is characterized by a use of round or slightly pointed arches, barrel vaults, and cruciform piers supporting vaults. Romanesque buildings are widely known throughout Europe. The Romanesque style is sometimes called Anglo-Norman, though it continues under the Angevin and Plantagenet rulers. Motifs of Roman origin were common to Norman and Anglo-Saxon architectural styles. Though usually classed broadly as "Romanesque",

160-671: Is common to see in many floor plans of medieval religious structures a nave -the central part of the church building, transepts -isle crossing the nave, and an altar located on the east side forming the shape of the Latin cross . The buildings with this floor plan are considered cruciform churches, which is seen in a large amount of cathedrals and churches in the Romanesque and Gothic styles across Europe. Many religious buildings also had sacred elements such as relics and reliquaries for there patrons and far-off travelers to see that tells

192-534: Is damaged by Lorenzetti's circular map of the world. Siena was decimated by the Black Death in 1348; approximately half of its population died in the plague. The republic's economy was destroyed and the state quickly declined from its position of prominence in Italy. The Franciscan religious order rose to power in the city. The stagnation over the following centuries meant that while Siena did not develop during

224-424: Is titled in its place, so there is no doubt about what each figure represents. The meaning of this fresco is clear: good government will make the people prosper. The allegory carries a strong social message of the value of the stable republican government of Siena. It combines elements of secular life with references to the importance of religion: Justice resembles Mary, Queen of Heaven, the patron saint of Siena, on

256-529: Is traditionally attributed to Simone Martini , although there is debate on the subject. The wall has circular markings left by the circular wall-mounted (now lost) map of the world by Ambrogio Lorenzetti . Hidden underneath this fresco is the New Fresco, plastered over and partly painted over. This fresco depicts two men standing alongside a town on a hill. The fresco is in poor condition from being painted over and its origin and intent remain unknown. It, also,

288-454: Is very unique due to these details. The cathedrals are also identifiable due to their height, stone structure, and wooden roofs. Some examples of these religious structures are St. Peter's Basilica , and Cologne Cathedral . Religious structures during the medieval period had a large amount of meaning behind the elements they contained. Many columns or portals for religious buildings tell a story or have some kind of religious symbolism. Some of

320-677: The Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower in the Edgbaston campus of the University of Birmingham , which was completed in 1908. The upper-story windows of the Palazzo are heavily ornamented trefoil arches, typical of Sienese architecture. The pointed arches of all of the windows are a clear example of Gothic influence. Nearly every major room in the palace contains frescoes. These were unusual for

352-522: The Renaissance as did other Italian cities, it was also preserved both from bombardment during World War II and from modern development. 43°19′06″N 11°19′53″E  /  43.31833°N 11.33139°E  / 43.31833; 11.33139 Medieval architecture Medieval architecture was the art of designing and constructing buildings in the Middle Ages . Major styles of

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384-404: The archers or missile throwers, allowing them to see their targets better. Windows gained a cross-shape for more than decorative purposes, they provided a perfect fit for a crossbowman to shoot invaders from inside safely. Moats were used as a defensive mechanism for keeping attackers further away from the fort, while most were kept dry, moats were much more effective when wet. While much of

416-461: The ogive shape, ribbed stone vaults, clustered columns, pinnacles and sharply pointed spires. Windows contain stained glass , showing stories from the Bible and from lives of saints . Such advances in design allowed cathedrals to rise taller than ever. The architecture of religious buildings depended on the religion it served, the region it was located in, and the style during the time. Although it

448-531: The Île de France area, but were first combined to form what we would now recognise as a distinctively Gothic style at the 12th century abbey church of Saint-Denis in Saint-Denis , near Paris . Verticality is emphasized in Gothic architecture, which features almost skeletal stone structures with great expanses of glass, pared-down wall surfaces supported by external flying buttresses , pointed arches using

480-510: The Middle Ages to display the power of the lords of the land and reassure common folk in their protection of property and livelihood. In the early Middle Ages, fortifications were made from wood and earth, these were called Motte and bailey castles . These consist of a stockade or palisade surrounding an enclosed courtyard and man-made mound. This fortification acted as a passive obstacle that potential enemies would have to face to attack

512-546: The Palace, including these, are badly damaged potentially due to salt once stored in the basement of the building. It is theoretically possible that the salts wicked moisture down from the walls, causing the plaster to dry excessively and the frescoes to flake off. Other frescoes include that of Guidoriccio da Fogliano at the siege of Montemassi , located in the Great Council Hall ( Sala del Mappamondo ). The fresco

544-661: The beginning of the Middle Ages (around 500AD) to the emergence of the Romanesque style in the 10th century. Much of the notable architecture from the period comes from France and Germany, under the Merovingians and the Carolingians and the Ottonians . Nonetheless, other regions have strong architectural heritage from this period, including Iberia (especially in Asturias ), Croatia , and Great Britain . In Lombardy,

576-415: The civilization. However, this method of fortification had its downside including being vulnerable to fires so more methods of fortification were created. Military architecture began to start being created with stone in the 11th century , it was also used to indicate wealth and power of the are protected with it. Stone was much more durable and provided better defense for the people. They also began to adopt

608-455: The commonly displayed biblical narratives are the creation story of Adam and Eve, and judgement day invoking visuals of sin and fear for the viewer. A few examples of these elements are west tympanum of Saint-Lazare , and Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise . Surviving examples of medieval secular architecture mainly served for defense, these include forts , castles , tower houses , and fortified walls . Fortifications were built during

640-505: The frescoes. The most famous of the secular frescoes are three panels in the series on government in the Hall of the Nine (also known as Sala della Pace) by Ambrogio Lorenzetti . These frescoes are collectively known as The Allegory of Good and Bad Government . The Allegory of Good Government depicts the personification of Justice as a woman. She gestures to the scales of balance, held by

672-441: The largest figure in the image, a judge located in the center right. The judge is surrounded by additional personifications including Peace, who is represented as a fashionable, white-clad contemporary female figure with elaborate blonde hair . Concordia joins the cords of peace and welfare that she receives from Justice and gives it to the citizens, who pull this rope together to bind the wrist of Sovereignty. Each personified virtue

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704-515: The outwards curve (convex) of the Piazza del Campo , Siena's central square , of which the Palace is the focal point. At the top of this facade is a huge round flat bronze plate [Christogram], the symbol used by Saint Bernardino. It was placed there by the government in 1425 in gratitude to the great preacher, a native Sienese, for his sermons aimed at quelling social and political factionalism and unrest. The campanile or bell tower, Torre del Mangia ,

736-493: The period include pre-Romanesque , Romanesque , and Gothic . The Renaissance marked the end of the medieval period, when architects began to favour classical forms. While most surviving medieval constructions are churches and military fortifications, examples of civic and domestic architecture can be found throughout Europe, including in manor houses , town halls , almshouses , bridges , and residential houses. The pre-Romanesque period of medieval architecture lasted from

768-571: The period of architecture can now be divided into two stages. The first stage from 1070 A.D. to 1100 A.D. saw the style emerge during the rebuilding of many great churches, Full boxes, and monasteries (surviving examples include the Durham Cathedral , Norwich Cathedral and the Peterborough Cathedral ). The second stage lasted from 1100 A.D. to 1170 A.D. when many smaller churches were built and renovated. During this time,

800-402: The personification of Wisdom floating over her throne. On the viewer's left, a convicted criminal is beheaded; on the right, figures receive the rewards of justice. At Justice's feet, the personification of Virtue, also, unusually for the time, portrayed as a female figure, passes virtue among 24 faithfully rendered and recognizable images of prominent male citizens of Siena. The men face towards

832-566: The pre-Romanesque style included many Romanesque features and is therefore known as the First Romanesque . Romanesque, prevalent in medieval Europe during the 11th and 12th centuries, was the first pan-European style since Roman Imperial architecture and examples are found in every part of the continent. The term was not contemporary with the art it describes, but rather, is an invention of modern scholarship based on its similarity to Roman Architecture in forms and materials. Romanesque

864-488: The story of saints and other biblical narratives. The different styles during the middle ages caused churches to have different design elements throughout the time period. In the Romanesque period a common religious building was the basilica . This structures were tall with a rather simple design of a nave, an alter, transepts, and clerestory windows. Gothic cathedrals had features such as stain glass, ribbed vaults, tall piers, buttresses , and pinnacles their structure

896-527: The style became more detailed and ornamental. Identifying these latter churches is made difficult due to something called the Saxo-Norman overlap, where many Anglo-Saxon aspects are present in the masonry . The Church at Kilpeck is identified as 12th century based on its shallow and flat buttresses , emphatic corbel table and apse. The various elements of Gothic architecture emerged in a number of 11th and 12th century building projects, particularly in

928-499: The surviving medieval architecture is either religious or military, examples of civic and even domestic architecture can be found throughout Europe. Examples include manor houses , town halls , almshouses and bridges, but also residential houses. Guidoriccio da Fogliano at the siege of Montemassi Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

960-497: The time in that they were commissioned by the governing body of the city, rather than by the Church or by a religious fraternity. They are also unusual in that many of them depict secular subjects instead of the religious subjects which are overwhelmingly typical of Italian art of this era. Although these frescoes are secular in origin and overall theme, the ideas are expressed within a religious framework: scriptural verses are quoted on

992-515: The use of cylindrical ground plans. There were many benefits to a cylindrical shape, it reduced blindspots, they were more resistant, and was especially fireproof. Some examples of cylindrical fortifications are the gate towers at Harlech Castle and the Tour des Pénitents. Medieval Fortifications also displayed many different defensive elements including, hoardings , loopholes or crosslets, and moats . Hoarding and loopholes were both beneficial for

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1024-541: Was built between 1325 and 1344; its crown was designed by the painter Lippo Memmi . The tower was designed to be taller than the tower in neighboring rival Florence ; at the time it was the tallest structure in Italy. It was fitted with a mechanical clock during the mid-14th century. Its design has been used as the basis for several other campaniles, including the Dock Tower in Grimsby , England, constructed in 1852 and

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