Romanesque

American  

[roh-muh-nesk] / ˌroʊ məˈnɛsk /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to the style of architecture prevailing in western or southern Europe from the 9th through the 12th centuries, characterized by heavy masonry construction with narrow openings, features such as the round arch, the groin vault, and the barrel vault, and the introduction or development of the vaulting rib, the vaulting shaft, and central and western towers for churches.

2. pertaining to or designating the styles of sculpture, painting, or ornamentation of the corresponding period.

3. (lowercase) of or relating to fanciful or extravagant literature, as romance or fable; fanciful.

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noun

1. the Romanesque style of art or architecture.

Romanesque British  

/ ˌrəʊməˈnɛsk /

adjective

1. denoting, relating to, or having the style of architecture used in W and S Europe from the 9th to the 12th century, characterized by the rounded arch, the groin vault, massive-masonry wall construction, and a restrained use of mouldings See also Norman

2. denoting or relating to a corresponding style in painting, sculpture, etc

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Romanesque Cultural  

1. A style of architecture and art common in Europe between the ninth and twelfth centuries. It combined elements of the architecture typical of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. The arch es on Romanesque buildings are usually semicircular rather than pointed as in Gothic architecture.

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Etymology

Origin of Romanesque

1705–15; Roman + -esque; compare French romanesque romantic

Example Sentences

Together, they relive the fateful weeks that Jean spent studying the Romanesque churches of medieval France and charming David Harwell, the Rutgers University medieval art professor co-leading the summer program.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

These children lived in the literal shadow of Florentine artistic genius: The building in which the Innocenti was housed is a particularly brilliant example of Romanesque architecture.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

Prolific architect Elmer H. Fisher had commissions to design a number of post-Great Seattle Fire buildings in the popular Romanesque style.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2023

POUNDBURY, England — On Queen Mother Square in Poundbury, a quaint town in southern England, sits a huge neo-Classical apartment block, painted bright yellow and decorated with Romanesque columns.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2022

Most of the buildings are red brick too; some have arched doorways, a Romanesque effect, from the nineteenth century.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• alien
• awkward
• new
• romantic
• unfamiliar