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One of the first streams ofRomanesque architecture in Europe from the 10th century and the beginning of 11th century is calledFirst Romanesque, orLombard Romanesque. It took place in the region ofLombardy (at that time the term encompassing the whole ofNorthern Italy) and spread intoCatalonia and into the south ofFrance. Its principal decoration for the exterior, bands of ornamental blind arches are calledLombard bands. It was characterized by thick walls and lack of sculpture in facades, and with interiors profusely painted with frescoes.
During the first quarter of the 11th century, much architectural activity by groups composed ofLombard teachers and stonemasons (Comacine Guild), who worked throughout much ofEurope and Catalan territories and erected fairly uniform temples, some of which still exist today.[1] For a considerable area this process of craft diffusion started in Lombardy andLombardus became the word for mason at an early period.[2] One might call the First Romanesque style the style of this Italian architectural reconquest.[2] The large promoter and sponsor of this art in Catalonia wasOliva, monk and abbot of themonastery of Ripoll who, in 1032, ordered the extension of the body of this building with a façade with two towers, plus atransept which included sevenapses, all decorated on the outside with the Lombardic ornamentation ofblind arches and vertical strips.
The geographical proximity of this Iberian region to the rest ofEurope, resulted in depictions of the emergingRomanesque art being brought to Catalonia. While the art failed to take root in the rest of theIberian Peninsula until the second third of the 11th century, there are numerous examples of its presence inCatalan counties before this time. Though this style may not be considered fully Romanesque, the area contained many of the defining characteristics of this artistic style.
Catalan architectJosep Puig i Cadafalch suggested that what was formerly considered the late form ofpre-Romanesque architecture inCatalonia bore features of Romanesque and thus classified it as First Romanesque (primer romànic). The First Romanesque churches of theVall de Boí were declared aWorld Heritage Site byUNESCO in November 2000.
To avoid the term Pre-Romanesque, which is often used with a much broader meaning than is generally suited to refer to early Medieval andearly Christian art, and in Spain may also refer to theVisigothic,Asturias,Mozarabic andRepoblación art forms, Puig i Cadafalch preferred to use the term "First Romanesque" or "first Romanesque art" to designate those Catalan anticipations of the Romanesque itself.
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