Middle Ages and Renaissance Architecture
In this expedition we will discover architectural masterpieces in three cities that flourished during the Middle Ages and explore one of the cities—Florence, Italy—which also flourished during the Renaissance.
This story was created for the Google Expeditions project by ePublishing Partners, now available on Google Arts & Culture
Between about 1,000 and 500 years ago, European architecture gradually changed its focus from the defensive and religious to the civic.
As trade routes expanded and towns grew, structures such as town halls, markets, courts, schools, and public squares became symbols of civic pride, and private urban mansions displayed wealth and social status.
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Bruges Burg Square, Belgium
Because of its location in northwest Belgium near the North Sea, Bruges became a busy center of trade and commerce during medieval times. Canals, cobblestone streets, historic churches and other centuries-old structures still characterize the city.
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Over the years, silt built up and choked off the canal that led from city to sea, and Bruges lost its economic importance. Today the historic center of Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Stadhuis (City Hall)
The Stadhuis, or City Hall, is one of the oldest buildings in the Low Countries of northwest Europe. Its Gothic style is evident in its pointed arch windows, highly decorated façade, and vertical lines and spires.
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The Burg Square
The Burg Square is right in the center of Bruges. It once was the site of a fortified citadel which protected the medieval town. Now it contains restaurants and shops as well as government buildings.
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Basilica of the Holy Blood
This church was originally built in the 1100s by the Count of Flanders. The lower chapel of Saint Basil is in the original Romanesque style. The upper Chapel of the Holy Blood was built in the 1500s in Gothic style.
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York Castle, England
William I, victor at the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066 and Norman conqueror of Britain, ordered this castle to be built to defend York against Viking armies. It has been rebuilt, repaired, reinforced, and refortified throughout the centuries.
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The castle was never a royal residence. Aside from military defense, it eventually took on largely government administrative functions. The castle complex has housed prisons, courts, and a treasury.
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Clifford’s Tower
In the mid 1200s, King Henry III ordered up a stone tower to replace the existing wooden tower. Built on a manmade grassy mound, it has four rounded corners and was the castle keep, the castle’s last line of defence.
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York Castle Museum
York Castle Museum is on the site of the former castle, but its buildings date to the 18th century and were once a debtor’s prison and women’s prison. It showcases aspects of everyday life and a fully reconstructed Victorian-era street.
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York Crown Court
Medieval prisoners awaiting trial were held in the dungeons of York Castle. When most of the castle was demolished in the 18th century a new prison was built. This courthouse built in 1777 is now York Crown Court.
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San Miniato al Monte, Florence, Italy
San Miniato al Monte (St. Minias on the Mountain) geometric designs are typical of the Romanesque style. According to Catholic legend, after being beheaded for his faith, the hermit Minias picked up his head and walked away.
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The church, built in 1013, stands where he came to rest, and holds his bones. The colorful mosaic near the top of the façade shows Jesus enthroned between St. Minias and the Virgin Mary.
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Monastery
To the right of the basilica is an adjoining monastery. Originally the Bishop’s Palace, today it houses Olivetan monks, who make honey, teas, and liqueurs to sell in a shop next to the church.
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Overlook of Florence
San Miniato al Monte sits atop one of the highest points in Florence and offers a panoramic view of the city. You can see Florence Cathedral (Il Duomo) rising above the city rooftops.
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Cemetery
Within the walls surrounding San Miniato al Monte is the cemetery Porte Sante (“Holy Gate”). Carlo Collodi, the author of Pinocchio, is among the many creative artists buried here.
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Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy
As the site of Florence’s city hall, the Piazza della Signoria has been at the center of the city’s civic life for centuries. The Signoria was the governing body of the city in the 15th and 16th centuries.
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During that fractious period, the government of Florence alternated between republic and rule by grand dukes, but whoever was in charge ruled through the Signoria from this spot. The piazza is not actually a square at all but forms an L shape.
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Palazzo Vecchio
The massive ”Old Palace” is the city hall of Florence. Built in heavy Romanesque style, it appears as much a fortress as a palace or government hall. Its famous clock tower is crenelated, with open spaces for guns and cannons.
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Michelangelo’s David
In front of the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio stands the sculptural Renaissance masterpiece, Michelangelo’s David. The city leaders placed this commissioned statue here as a symbol of the virtues of the Florentine republic.
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Loggia dei Lanzi
Within the archways of the Loggia dei Lanzi is an open-air gallery where you can see sculptures from Roman times to the Renaissance and beyond, including Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa and Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Women.
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Cosimo I de' Medici's statue [on horseback]
The Medici were a powerful banking family who dominated the political and cultural life of Florence from the 1400s onwards. This statue in the piazza honors Cosimo I, the first in a long line of powerful Medici.
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