Editing Romanesque architecture (section)

====Capitals====
The foliate [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] style provided the inspiration for many Romanesque capitals, and the accuracy with which they were carved depended very much on the availability of original models, those in Italian churches such as [[Pisa Cathedral]] or church of [[Sant'Alessandro, Lucca|Sant'Alessandro in Lucca]] and southern France being much closer to the Classical than those in England.<ref name=BF/><ref name=Toman/>

The Corinthian capital is essentially round at the bottom where it sits on a circular column and square at the top, where it supports the wall or arch. This form of capital was maintained in the general proportions and outline of the Romanesque capital. This was achieved most simply by cutting a rectangular block and taking the four lower corners off at an angle so that the block was square at the top, but octagonal at the bottom, as can be seen at St. Michael's Hildesheim.<ref name=Toman/>
This shape lent itself to a wide variety of superficial treatments, sometimes foliate in imitation of the source, but often figurative. In Northern Europe the foliate capitals generally bear far more resemblance to the intricacies of [[manuscript illumination]] than to Classical sources. In parts of France and Italy, there are strong links to the pierced capitals of [[Byzantine architecture]]. It is in the figurative capitals that the greatest originality is shown. While some are dependent on manuscripts illustrations of Biblical scenes and depictions of beasts and monsters, others are lively scenes of the legends of local saints.<ref name=OME/>

The capitals, while retaining the form of a square top and a round bottom, were often compressed into little more than a bulging cushion-shape. This is particularly the case on large masonry columns, or on large columns that alternate with piers as at Durham.<small>(See illustrated above)</small>

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File:PM 33323 P Lourosa.jpg|Simple capital of a Doric form supporting a Mozarabic arch, São Pedro de Lourosa Church, Portugal
File:Capitel en la Torre de Pisa.JPG|Capital of Corinthian form with anthropomorphised details, [[Leaning Tower of Pisa|Pisa Campanile]], Italy
File:Fromista - Iglesia San Martin 20.jpg|Capital of Corinthian form with Byzantine decoration and carved dosseret, [[San Martín de Tours]], [[Frómista]], Palencia, Spain
File:San Martín de Castañeda capital1116.JPG|alt=Capital of simplified concave Corinthian form with billeted abacus, simple dosseret and pronounced annulet. Church of Santa Maria, San Martín de Castañeda, Spain|Capital of simplified concave Corinthian form with billeted abacus, simple dosseret and pronounced annulet. Church of Santa Maria, San Martín de Castañeda, Spain.
File:Herina capital crop.jpg|Capital of convex cubic form with its abacus, concave dosseret and cable decoration defined by polychrome. [[Herina]]. Capitals of this shape are often decorated with "Barbaric" carvings of foliage, and mythical creatures.
File:Abbaye de la Sauve Majeure - Interlaced Asps.JPG|Capital retaining Corinthian form decorated with intertwined beasts derived from [[Insular art|Irish manuscripts]]. [[Grande-Sauve Abbey]], France
File:Capitel románico.jpg|alt=Capital of amorphous form surmounting a cluster of shafts. The figurative carving shows a winged devil directing Herod to slaughter the Innocents. Monastery of San Juan de Duero, Soria, Spain|Capital of amorphous form surmounting a cluster of shafts. The figurative carving shows a winged devil directing Herod to slaughter the Innocents. [[Monastery of San Juan de Duero]], Soria, Spain.
</gallery>