Editing Romanesque architecture (section)

===Plan===
Many parish churches, abbey churches and cathedrals are in the Romanesque style, or were originally built in the Romanesque style and have subsequently undergone changes.
The simplest Romanesque churches are aisleless halls with a projecting apse at the chancel end, or sometimes, particularly in England, a projecting rectangular chancel with a chancel arch that might be decorated with mouldings. More ambitious churches have aisles separated from the nave by arcades.

Abbey and cathedral churches generally follow the [[Latin Cross]] plan. In England, the extension eastward may be long, while in Italy it is often short or non-existent, the church being of T plan, sometimes with apses on the transept ends as well as to the east. In France the church of St Front, Périgueux, appears to have been modelled on [[St. Mark's Basilica, Venice]], or the Byzantine [[Church of the Holy Apostles]] and is of a [[Greek cross]] plan with five domes.<ref>Kimball, F., & Edgell, G. H. (1918). A History of Architecture. New York. Harper & Brothers. 621 pages (p. 252).</ref> In the same region, [[Angoulême Cathedral]] is an aisleless church of the Latin cross plan, more usual in France, but is also roofed with domes.<ref name=BF/><ref name=Toman/>
In Germany, Romanesque churches are often of distinctive form, having apses at both east and west ends, the main entrance being central to one side. It is probable that this form came about to accommodate a baptistery at the west end.<ref name=RH/>

NOTE: The plans below do not show the buildings in their current states.<ref>With the exception of the [[Plan of St. Gall]], which is from an ancient manuscript (and probably does not reflect an actual construction), they are all hypothetical reconstructions of groundplans as they existed in the 12th or 13th centuries. The Abbey Church of St. Gall has been replaced by a Baroque Church. Speyer has had its west front rebuilt twice, Ely Cathedral has lost the eastern arm, being replaced in the Gothic style, the central tower being replaced with the unique octagon and the northwest tower, never rebuilt. It has also gained a west porch. Santiago has had some substantial changes including a Baroque west front.</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="250px" widths="170px">
File:Dehio I 42 St Gallen.jpg|The [[Plan of St. Gall|plan of the Abbey of St Gall]], Switzerland
File:Dehio 48 Speyer.jpg|Germany, [[Speyer Cathedral]]
File:Plan.cathedrale.Autun.png|France, [[Autun Cathedral]]
File:Plan.cathedrale.Angouleme.png|France, [[Angoulême Cathedral]]
</gallery>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="250px" widths="170px">
File:ElyPlanDehio vertical.jpg|England, [[Ely Cathedral]]
File:Santiago de Compostela plan vertical.jpg|Spain, [[Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela]]
File:Plan-st-Sernin-Toulouse.png|France, [[Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse]]
File:San Isidoro Plan Vertical.JPG|Spain, [[San Isidoro de León]]
File:Modena cathedral vertical.JPG|Italy, [[Modena Cathedral]]
</gallery>

The [[Abbey of St. Gall|Abbey Church of St. Gall]], Switzerland, shows the plan that was to become common throughout Germanic Europe. It is a [[Latin Cross]] with a comparatively long nave and short transepts and eastern end, which is apsidal. The nave is aisled, but the chancel and transepts are not. It has an apsidal west end, which was to become a feature of Churches of Germany, such as [[Worms Cathedral]]. [[Speyer Cathedral]], Germany, also has aisleless transept and chancel. It has a markedly modular look. A typical Germanic characteristic is the presence of towers framing the chancel and the west end. There is marked emphasis on the western entrance, called ''Westwerk'', which is seen in several other churches. Each vault compartment covers two narrow bays of the nave.

At [[Autun Cathedral]], France, the pattern of the nave bays and aisles extends beyond the crossing and into the chancel, each aisle terminating in an apse. Each nave bay is separated at the vault by a transverse rib. Each transept projects to the width of two nave bays. The entrance has a narthex which screens the main portal. This type of entrance was to be elaborated in the Gothic period on the transepts at Chartres. [[Angoulême Cathedral]], France, is one of several instances in which the Byzantine churches of Constantinople seem to have been influential in the design in which the main spaces are roofed by domes. This structure has necessitated the use of very thick walls, and massive piers from which the domes spring. There are radiating chapels around the apse, which is a typically French feature and was to evolve into the [[chevet]].

As was typically the case in England, [[Ely Cathedral]] was a Benedictine monastery, serving both monastic and secular function. To facilitate this, the chancel or "presbytery" is longer than usually found in Europe, as are the aisled transepts which contained chapels. In England, emphasis was placed on the orientation of the chapels to the east. The very large piers at the crossing signify that there was once a tower. The western end having two round towers flanking a tall central tower was unique in Britain. Ely Cathedral was never vaulted and retains a wooden ceiling over the nave.

[[Santiago de Compostela Cathedral|The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela]] shares many features with Ely, but is typically Spanish in its expansive appearance. Santiago held the body of St. James and was the most significant pilgrimage site in Europe. The narthex, the aisles, the large aisled transepts and numerous projecting chapels reflect this. The chancel is short, compared to that of Ely, and the altar set so as to provide clear view to a vast congregation simultaneously.

[[Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse|The basilica Saint-Sernin of Toulouse]] is a typical example of a pilgrimage church. It is very large and its interior plan made it possible to direct traffic. With double side aisles and with an aisled transept and an ambulatory surrounding the apse, pilgrims could make the circuit around the church and were able to stop for meditation and prayer at the apsidal chapels of the transept and the radiating chapels of the choir.

[[Modena Cathedral]] shows a typically Italian Romanesque plan, often architecturally termed a "[[basilica]]", because of its similarity in plan to a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] basilicas.