A new exhibition here reveals how Romanesque art and architecture revolutionised Italy's religious buildings in the 11th and 12th centuries. The show, entitled 'Il Medioevo delle Cattedrali' (Cathedrals in Medieval Times), runs at Parma's Scuderie della Pilotta until July 19.
It is part of a range of initiatives being held to mark the 900th anniversary of the consecration of the city's Romanesque cathedral by Pope Paschal II in 1106. The exhibition features over 100 works, including sculptures, paintings, mosaics and various craft objects on loan from all over northern Italy.
These serve to re-create the cultural context the magnificent cathedral was built in. Romanesque architecture is considered the first truly pan-European style to have emerged after the days of ancient Roman.
It is characterised by the use of round or slightly pointed arches and vaults, supported by piers, and the great carved portals of the church facades. These developments enabled architects to give churches stone roofs, which were considered more dignified than the timber roofs the Early Christian basilica-style churches had had up to then.
The Romanesque was made possible by the increased mobility of Western Europeans at that time, with people moving around for trade and pilgrimages. "Between 1060 and 1130 cathedrals in the West were transformed," explained organizers.
"They were extended, sculpted, painted and decorated with mosaics, woodcarvings, gold objects and new furnishings. A new story was brought into these buildings and a new function was given to the images inside. "The aim of this exhibition is to tell the story of this transformation, narrating the intellectual exchange that came about through people meeting on pilgrimages and through the continual movement of architects, sculptors, painters and craftsmen".
Among the highlights are several works by Italian 12th-century sculptors Wiligelmo and Nicholaus. The show also features a number of pre-Romanesque works, including around 20 pieces from the 9th century.
