Art and architecture of western Europe

Abstract

The emergence of Germanic, and the development of Celtic kingdoms introduced or gave greater prominence to non-Roman artistic traditions, especially in metalwork and subsequently in manuscript illumination. The most influential piece of Roman architecture to be erected in medieval period was, not a complete church, the new annular crypt created by Gregory the Great, built, like the shrines of Laurence and Agnes, to cope with the crowds of pilgrims: in this case for those visiting the chief shrine of Rome, that of St Peter. The identified remains of architectural sculpture are perhaps more extensive in England than in Spain or France. What Italy lacks in terms of architectural stone sculpture from the period, it makes up for in terms of its mosaic decoration. Running parallel to this history of mosaic is a history of fresco painting, though here the evidence comes largely from a single Roman site, S. Maria Antiqua.