Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/98

68 BoMANESQUE AeCHITECTURE. dedicated in the basilica itself, in a crypt or vaulted sanc- tuary constructed to receive it beneath the choir. To make room for the whole congregation, the nave and side-aisles were lengthened, and the atrium or court-yard in front of the principal entrance was converted into a simple porch (Fig. 34). The principal western entrance was generally flanked by two towers, which subsequently became an almost invariable feature of northern buildings. The flat roof was replaced by the vault — generally the groined vault, more rarely, as in France, by the tunnel- Fig. 34.— Ground-plan of a Romanesque Basilica. St. Godehard at Hildesheim. vault or a series of cupolas. The plainness of the walls, above the pillars of the nave, was relieved by the intro- duction of a cornice, above which were rows of windows usually of a smaller size than those of the early Christian basilicas. Windows of a similar description, but even smaller, were introduced in the walls running round the side-aisles and in the apses. The semicircular arch, usually without mouldings, was always employed. Circular or wheel windows were widely adopted, being introduced