A Quick Guide to European Architectural Styles

Today's tour follows Paris's churches as a "small pilgrimage of your own." To make the commentary easier to follow, here are the terms that come up repeatedly or that you'll need when looking at Europe's best-known buildings, with photos and a comparison chart. The technical stuff is left out.

**Romanesque** Thick walls, small windows and round arches. Famous examples include Santiago de Compostela Cathedral and Pisa Cathedral. On this tour, Saint-Germain-des-Prés is the Romanesque stop.

**Gothic** Defined by soaring spires, pointed arches and huge stained-glass windows. The goal was "higher and brighter," which is why exterior walls have flying buttresses, arched supports. Notre-Dame and Seville Cathedral are classic examples. - **Late Gothic**: The fullest development of Gothic, with more ornate spires and ceilings and more complex structures. See Rouen Cathedral and Milan Cathedral. On this tour, you'll meet it at Saint-Séverin. - **Neo-Gothic**: A Gothic revival that recreated the Middle Ages using iron structures and modern technology. The Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament) in London is a prime example. Not included on this tour, but Sainte-Clotilde, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage area, is also worth a visit if you have time after the tour.

**Renaissance** The key ideas are a "return to ancient Greece and Rome" and a "human-centered" outlook. It prizes classical models, symmetry and proportion, domes and frescoes. Florence's Duomo is the classic example.

**Baroque** Overwhelmingly grand and ornate. Look for monumental staircases, domes and curved walls, with dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. The Palace of Versailles is the classic example, and on this tour you'll see it at Saint-Sulpice. - **Late Baroque**: Grandeur with added refinement and elegance. The library of Strahov Monastery in Prague is a prime example; on this tour, it's Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin. - **Rococo**: Late Baroque evolved into something lighter and more graceful, bright and delicate. It developed more in interior decoration than in exteriors, and is often seen in aristocratic spaces such as the Carnavalet. Fragonard's paintings also come to mind.

**Classicism** A return, once again, to ancient Greece and Rome. The keywords are balance, harmony, restraint and order, with round arches and triangular roofs. The Louvre Palace is the classic example, and on this tour you'll see three examples: the chapel of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, the Cathedral of Saint Volodymyr and Saint-Sulpice. French classicism is closely tied to Louis XIV's absolute monarchy and symbolically displays royal and national authority, so it's extremely ornate. Versailles and Les Invalides are the classic examples.

**Neoclassicism** A movement shaped by the French Revolution and the Enlightenment, arising against the extravagance of Rococo. It's simpler and stricter. Think of the Panthéon, which resembles Les Invalides but is cleaner and without ornament. On this tour, you'll see it at the Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul.

**Historicism** A modern reinterpretation of past styles, reviving Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque with new technology and materials. From this time, architecture began to express national history and identity. The Vienna State Opera and the Hungarian Parliament Building are typical examples. Early Historicism recreates a single style rather than mixing; the Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, also mentioned under Neoclassicism, is an example.

**Eclecticism** A step beyond Historicism, in that it uses every appealing style at once. The Palais Garnier and Paris City Hall are the classic examples, and on this tour you'll see it at the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

**19th-century monastic architecture** A style that sought to revive medieval Christian tradition. Mont-Saint-Michel is the classic example.

You don't need to know every style or technique to enjoy what you see. "That's unusual" or "that's pretty" is enough, since no one's writing a thesis or earning a degree. As you travel, just think, "That looks like Notre-Dame in Paris" or "That reminds me of the Pantheon in Rome," and move on.