Géographie historique de l’architecture romane en Italie septentrionale. État des questions

Abstract

Architecture in northern Italy is traditionally defined as “Lombard”, but the meaning of the term is ambiguous. To understand its historical and linguistic origins, the article follows the development of 19th and 20th century studies by attempting to define the characteristics of an extremely complex and varied monumental landscape. Between the 10th and 12th century, the Lombard region was one of the most urbanized in Europe and architecture developed there mainly in the urban centers, and in different ways with no single leading center. The birth of the communes around 1100 led to the creation of large worksites, attesting to the vitality and cohesion of the cities around the cult of their patron saint. In the second part of the article, the most original tendencies in Lombard architecture are outlined along two thematic lines : the affirmation of the role of architects who, all over northern Italy, were publicly recognized and honored, and the relation between architecture and liturgy, an area of research that has greatly evolved in recent years.