Does Romanesque exist? The future of a style between history and restoration
The concept of Romanesque was born at the beginning of the nineteenth century between France and
England, in the atmosphere of rediscovery of medieval architecture. Anglo-Norman monuments initially
represent the emblem of this new period in the history of art, but soon the idea will be extended to the
entire heritag e built between the tenth and twelfth centuries in Christian Europe. Today this stylistic label
is questioned by many researchers and the image of the Romanesque is actually born from a progressive
homologation of the buildings, largely due to the restoration works. What sense does it make today to
speak of “Romanesque” again? The survey would like to propose some reflections on this issue, taking into
account the most recent interventions, including important works by Giovanni Carbonara.
