Monumental, west-facing entrance section of a Carolingian, Ottonian, or Romanesque church
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Westwork of Corvey Abbey
A westwork (German: Westwerk), forepart, avant-corps or avancorpo is the monumental, west-facing entrance section ("west front"[1]) of a Carolingian, Ottonian, or Romanesque church. The exterior consists of multiple stories between two towers. The interior includes an entrance vestibule, a chapel, and a series of galleries overlooking the nave.[2] A westwork is usually broader than the width of the nave and aisles. It is sometimes used synonymously with narthex. The structural purpose of the massive westwork is to resolve the horizontal thrust of the east-to-west arcades of the nave.[3]
Charlemagne dreamt of reviving the Roman Empire in the West.[4] His dream along with his artistic skillset allowed him to implement artwork into buildings with westwork during this time period[4] and can be found in the Corvey Abbey and scattered throughout other westwork buildings today.
The Corvey Abbey (built in 885) located in Germany is the oldest example of westwork to date. The Corvey Abbey provides an example of westwork preserved from the time being built.[5] The frescos (originally of the 9th century) inside the westwork show scenes from the Odyssey. The King, later the Emperor, and his entourage lodged in the westwork when visiting the abbey during their travels around the country. This is known as the Kaiserloge on the upper, or second story. The centered room located on the main floor surrounded on all three sides by galleries as well as an arch found in the entrance hall of the Corvey Abbey shows an example of ancient styles used during this time.[5] Westwork from the Corvey Abbey provided a basis in the following years for more architectural advancements in the Romanesque and Gothic periods.[5]
The primary source of Trajan's Aqueduct, the Aqua Traiana, a nymphaeum known as the Madonna della Fiora near Rome, is documented in the Historical Diocesan Archive of Nepi and Sutri as having been converted into a church in medieval times by constructing a westwork. "It was adapted to a church by building a two-floor masonary forepart: the lower floor as the facade of the church; the upper floor as residence of the parish priest divided into 5 rooms."
The feature was introduced into Norman architecture in the 11th century by Robert of Jumièges at the church of Jumièges Abbey, consecrated in 1067. The pattern was continued in German Gothic architecture.
^westwork, Oxford Reference
^Stokstad, Marilyn; Cothren, Michael W. (2011). Art History. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. p. 225. ISBN 978-0205744220.
^Heyman 2015, p. 9.
^ ab"Carolingian art | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
^ abcCentre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
A westwork (German: Westwerk), forepart, avant-corps or avancorpo is the monumental, west-facing entrance section ("west front") of a Carolingian, Ottonian...
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of this, was the tiered entrance to the rest of the now defunct palace, Westwork. Light is brought in by a three tiered system of circular arched windows...
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Carolingian westwork a feature that may proceed western ecclesiastical Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The only surviving Carolingian westwork is at the...
that was added onto gradually in different eras. The imposing Romanesque westwork, with four towers and an additional apse, has been copied repeatedly. The...
commonly incorporated westworks, which is arguably the precedent for the western facades of later medieval cathedrals. An original westwork survives today at...
added to the westwork in 1840, were not restored. The westwork was reconstructed closer to its earlier state based on the model of the westwork of Minden...
the westwork, Heinrich Hübsch, an architect of early Historicism, created a Neo Romanesque design which drew on features of the original westwork and...
hall church, built after 1275 in light-coloured sandstone. The octagonal westwork and the crypt are survivors of the Ottonian pre-Romanesque building that...
The rose window has plate tracery and the spires are Rhenish helms. The westwork of the Maria Laach Abbey, Germany, 12th century, (porch 1225) is typical...
charity Western Front Society, an artist-run centre in Vancouver, Canada Westwork or "west front", the west-facing entrance section of a Carolingian, Ottonian...
constructed after a former church had burnt down in 1275. However, the important westwork and crypt have survived from Ottonian times. The cathedral is located in...
(architecture) Cathedral diagram Liturgical east and west Lobby Scarsella Westwork By convention, ecclesiastical floor plans are shown map-fashion, with north...
from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2023. "Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original...
an imposing westwork and important 12th and 13th-century sculptures; most notably the westwork interior figurative capitals, the westwork reredo, and...
is Nivelles, which has the Collegiate Church of Saint Gertrude and its westwork. In Rixensart, the company Recherche et Industrie Thérapeutiques (changed...
forming a westwork. It housed the archbishop's throne, with the altar of St Mary just to the east. At about the same time that the westwork was built...
of Bernward's time, but on the westwork of Minden Cathedral and the alleged appearance of Hildesheim cathedral's westwork under Bishop Hezilo (1054–61)...
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