110
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covered by a series of arcades rising in stories one above theother, on one or more sides, and sometimes all round thebuilding. These were either blank arcades, that is, attachedto the surface of the wall, and employed solely for ornament,or else they were detached and stood out from the wall, form-ing a sort of gallery or portico ; they were more frequent inthe facades of buildings than elsewhere, in which situationmay sometimes be observed five or more tiers one above theother, as at Pisa cathedral , and in other examples, in whichthe front is literally covered with them. There is anotherpeculiarity observable in the arrangement of these arcades,where they run under gables or raking cornices; for in suchcases the arcades follow the line of the gable, the archesrising in succession one above another; and this is effectedeither by raising the shafts which support the arches on stepsrising with the slope of the roof, or else by elongating theshafts as they approach the apex, their bases being uponthe same horizontal line. These arches are supported onshafts, either plain or ornamented, with capitals and bases,the arches likewise being with or without archivolts: some-times the arcade itself and the spandrels are elaboratelyenriched. This peculiar arrangement of arcades under thegable, forms a very decided characteristic of the style, suchdecoration being generally found in this part of the building,if nowhere else : another position in which it is commonlyseen, is round the angular or semicircular apsides whichwere frequent at the east end of churches in this style; butwe not unfrequently find the same decoration employed onthe sides of the building, covering the entire surface of wallas at Pisa cathedral . Corbel-tables at the top of the wallsimmediately under the roof, are also very common, and theseagain follow the same rule as arcades when carried under agable; they are generally formed of a series of very smallarches, sometimes interlaced, so as to present a scollopedappearance underneath. Each story of a building is generallymarked by a horizontal string-course.
The face of the wall, whether ornamented with arcades orleft plain, but more especially in the latter case, is generallydivided into panels as it were by pilasters or buttresses, if wemay so term them, being carried vertically up the face of thebuilding without interruption, and projecting slightly in frontof the general surface of the wall. Such projecting strips ofwall are generally plain, but sometimes very much ornamented,as in the front of San Michele at Pavia. They are verynarrow in comparison to their height, except at the angles ofbuildings, where they are usually wider ; they reach alsofrom the top to the bottom of the building, breaking throughhorizontal cornices, arcades, and anything which comes intheir way, all of which are for the most part stopped by them,except the corbel table into which they merge, the surfacesof both being flush. They certainly give an appearance ofstrength, especially when placed at the angles, and resemblebuttresses to some extent, but probably were not intended toserve their purpose ; they would appear to be added ratherfor ornament than for any other end, as they are too shallowto afford much real strength to the walls.
Pinnacles are by no means frequent, and when presenthave the appearance of being set on the part they rise above,from which they are divided by horizontal string-courses ;they are also very low, and look more like pedestals thanpinnacles.
Windows in this style are generally very narrow, andsometimes mere slits . They consist of one, two, or morelights divided by shafts, and having semicircular heads.Where there are more than two lights, the centre one is notunfrequently higher than the others, and the whole are oftenincluded under one larger arch. At a late period in the style
we find wheel or circular windows common in the "' e
facades ; they are composed of spokes radiating from a cen tr ®j
connected at the further extremities by small arches, a °
enclosed within a moulded circle. These windows were n r
introduced in this style, and though adopted in later stp es ’
may be said to be characteristic of Lombardic architecture-
While windows were sparingly introduced, and of s ffl9 0
dimensions, and at the same time seldom enriched, so aS
contribute but slightly towards the embellishment of f) t
building ; doorways, on the other hand, became import ® 11
features, and were much decorated. The aperture _"' 9
mostly plain and square-headed, but it was enclosed ^
recess formed by a series of arches standing one behind a0 ^
within the other, and supported upon columns. The sp a ^
drel also above the opening, was sometimes enriched ' V1
sculpture. The dressing to the doorway was occasionally
deep as to be nearly as wide at the opening. The fa9ade l * 3
frequently a central and two side doors. ^
The stone used in the construction of the walls, consi ste ^
of comparatively small blocks, but these were well tooled a ®
put together. In the latter part of the eleventh century; * f
walls were composed of alternate courses of material 3
.m
i
different colours; sometimes stone alternating with m®'and sometimes marbles of different hues being empl°y jin the same manner. The walls were often white a ‘Vblack, and sometimes red and brown. During the tw®century, brick was in general use, but still preserved *same parti-coloured appearance, by alternating with ston e ^marble. It is not improbable that this practice was borro"’from the Saracens. ,,
In the eleventh century, another feature of some i®P°^ance and character was introduced, which was a projp 0 . Jporch of imposing appearance, some such porches consi® 1 ^of two stories in height. They had a large arched a P jture, and were usually covered with a vaulted roof supP° r ^on pillars, of which the two foremost rested on the p g {of lions or other animals, a feature which is characterise 11the style. Some of these porches are of the most elal )0description.
In the interior of churches, the peculiarities of styl® ^not so readily observed, but are to be sought for rath er , e
°-n t ,ie
much the same as >“ 0 tpreceding methods of building. The plan is usually 11 t ], euniversally cruciform, the intersection of the two arm 3 °cross being covered by an octagonal or circular dome, s °^ ewhat similar to the Byzantine practice; but the shape 0 0 lcross generally differs from the Byzantine, in having °° aS e,the arms longer than the other, whereas, in the other c ithe arms are all of equal length. Hence one form is te rf ethe Greek, the other the Latin cross. Here we ol> se g (a mixture of the Byzantine and Roman styles, the do®the one and the ground plan of the other being com 11and this is not the only particular in which the comb® aof the two styles is observable; the triforia, which are c ° n ^e,in Lombardic churches, are an emanation from the Bywhile a great many minor features are essentially R s e>The east end is for the most part terminated in *® jh 3either semicircular or octagonal, as are also occasions 1 ; ^ ,aisles. Crypts are seldom omitted. The windows, t jjebefore observed, are of small dimensions, and hen
matters of detail, which are equally observableexterior. The arrangement is
in
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buildings have a somewhat gloomy appearanceinterior. . nC jpi
In matters of detail are to be found some of the P rl g jj]lcharacteristics of the style. The shape of the ar c r eremains for the most part semicircular, but other f<® gt jjtedalso found; such are the horse-shoe, the trefoiled, an “