Maria Laach Abbey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Maria Laach Abbey - Essay Example A basilican axis is pressed between the towers of the structure, bordered by the traditional aisles and brightened by clerestory windows. A patio facing the west entryways provides a greater connection to the churches of the late Antiquity (Stalley, 1999). Such conventional aspects create a center to which have been inserted various additional components, most apparently the towers, insertions which it is simple to ignore or assume. Similar to numerous structures of the early medieval period, Maria Laach is a complex building, a combination of distinct elements, and a particular mission of the historian is to shed light on how the different elements became unified. In fact, a valuable way of examining medieval churches is to start by analyzing those components which have been inserted to the basilican nave. In the case of Maria Laach such would comprise the western set of towers, the crossing tower, the eastern stair steeples, the catacomb, the western cove, the long chancel, and the transepts (Torgerson, 2007). In order to make sense of the history and significance of these components, one should revisit the world three centuries ago, to the purported Carolingian Renaissance, a time of extraordinary development in the field of European architecture (Stalley, 1999). Maria Laach is a previous Benedictine abbey in Germany. It was known to be built in 1093, under the command of Palsgrave Henry II. It was handed over to the Cluniac Benedictines. It stayed in Benedictine possession for several centuries, becoming a hub for the monastic activities and in specific periods for education and literary arts (Torgerson, 2007). The Maria Laach Abbey is situated on the forested coastlines of a crater lake. The structure is regarded an essential model of German Romanesque architecture; due to its squatness and horde of towers, the church looks like an enchanted castle, highlighted by its panoramic, lakeside scenery. At the east end of the