Editing Romanesque architecture (section)

===Church towers===
Towers were an important feature of Romanesque churches and a great number of them are still standing. They take a variety of forms: square, circular and octagonal, and are positioned differently in relation to the church building in different countries. In northern France, two large towers, such as those at Caen, were to become an integral part of the façade of any large abbey or cathedral. In central and southern France this is more variable and large churches may have one tower or a central tower. Large churches of [[Romanesque architecture in Spain|Spain]] and [[Portuguese Romanesque architecture|Portugal]] usually have two towers.

Many abbeys of France, such as that at Cluny, had many towers of varied forms. This is also common in Germany, where the apses were sometimes framed with circular towers and the crossing surmounted by an octagonal tower as at [[Worms Cathedral]]. Large paired towers of square plan could also occur on the transept ends, such as those at [[Tournai Cathedral]] in Belgium. In Germany, where four towers frequently occur, they often have spires that may be four or eight sided, or the distinctive ''Rhenish helm'' shape seen on the cathedrals of [[Limburger Dom|Limburg]]<ref name=Toman/> or [[Speyer Cathedral|Speyer]].

In England, for large abbeys and cathedral buildings, three towers were favoured, with the central tower being the tallest. This was often not achieved, through the slow process of the building stages, and in many cases the upper parts of the tower were not completed until centuries later as at Durham and Lincoln. Large Norman towers exist at the cathedrals of Durham, [[Exeter Cathedral|Exeter]], [[Southwell Minster|Southwell]], [[Norwich Cathedral|Norwich]] and [[Tewkesbury Abbey]].<ref name=ACT/><ref name=FHC/> Such towers were often topped during the late medieval period with a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] spire of wooden construction covered with lead, copper or [[roof shingle|shingles]]. In the case of Norwich Cathedral, the huge, ornate, 12th-century crossing-tower received a 15th-century masonry spire rising to a height of 320 feet and remaining to this day.

In Italy towers are almost always free standing and the position is often dictated by the landform of the site, rather than aesthetics. This is the case in nearly all Italian churches both large and small, except in Sicily where a number of churches were founded by the Norman rulers and are more French in appearance.<ref name=BF/>

As a general rule, large Romanesque towers are square with corner buttresses of low profile, rising without diminishing through the various stages. Towers are usually marked into clearly defined stages by horizontal courses. As the towers rise, the number and size of openings increases as can be seen on the right tower of the transept of [[Tournai Cathedral]] where two narrow slits in the fourth level from the top becomes a single window, then two windows, then three windows at the uppermost level. This sort of arrangement is particularly noticeable on the towers of Italian churches, which are usually built of brick and may have no other ornament. Two fine examples occur at [[Lucca]], at the church of [[Basilica di San Frediano|San Frediano]] and at the ''[[Lucca Cathedral|Duomo]]''. It is also seen in [[Romanesque architecture in Spain|Spain]].<ref name=BF/>

In Italy there are a number of large free-standing towers that are circular, the most famous of these being the [[Leaning Tower of Pisa]]. In other countries where circular towers occur, such as Germany, they are usually paired and often flank an apse. Circular towers are uncommon in England, but occur throughout the early medieval period in Ireland.

Polygonal towers were often used on crossings and occur in France, Germany, Italy and Spain such as that of the [[Old Cathedral, Salamanca]], which is covered by a dome supported on a ribbed vault.<ref name=Toman/>

Smaller churches sometimes had [[bell-gable]]s instead of towers, a feature which, according to some authors, is characteristic of the simplicity of much architecture in the Romanesque style.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elripolles.com/que-vols-fer/turisme-cultural/romanic/romanic-de-la-vall-de-camprodon/7.html |title=Romànic de la Vall de Camprodon |publisher=Elripolles.com |date=9 March 2010 |access-date=2011-06-11}}</ref>
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Towers" heights="240px">
File:San Frediano, Lucca, Italy - tower.JPG|The tower of the [[Basilica of San Frediano]], [[Lucca]], has openings that graduate in number, typical of Italian and Spanish Romanesque campanile. <small>(See pic. San Esteban, Segovia, below)</small>
File:Les tours de l'église abbatiale à Plankstetten en automne.JPG|Paired towers such as those of [[Plankstetten Abbey]], are a typical feature of [[Bavaria]]n and Central European church architecture. <small>(See image of Abbey Church of St James, Lébény, above)</small>
File:Abbaye de Cluny, 2010 crop.jpg|The [[octagon]]al crossing tower of the [[Cluny Abbey|Abbey church at Cluny]] influenced the building of other polygonal crossing towers in France, Spain and Germany. <small>(See pic. Maria Laach Abbey, above)</small>
File:Sunlit tower, Tewkesbury Abbey - geograph.org.uk - 1037432.jpg|The most massive Romanesque crossing tower is that at [[Tewkesbury Abbey]], in England, where large crossing towers are characteristic. <small>(See pic. St Alban's Cathedral, above)</small>
File:Pisa - Campo Santo - Campanile 1 - 2005-08-08 10-15 4638.JPG|The [[Leaning Tower of Pisa]] with its encircling arcades is the best known (and most richly decorated) of the many circular towers found in Italy.
</gallery>