Domed buildings in the twelfth century. The monastery of "Santa Maria de Moreruela"

Abstract

The monastery of “Santa Maria de Moreruela”, whose origins according to many historians date from the twelfth century, is the first of the Cistercian enclaves built on the Iberian Peninsula. It is now in ruins and is considered one of the great examples of the cultural heritage of the province of Zamora. This paper aims to raise awareness of how the Cistercian churches were designed, the contribution of the Castilian quarries to their construction, and the development of the vaults over the time passed from their inception until the completion of the work, using this Monastery as an example. European culture came to Castile with the appearance of the Romanesque style from the hands of the French Benedictine monks; later, Cistercian monks introduced the Gothic style. Thus, the vaults have evolved from the Romanesque rounded vault to the Gothic ogive, the changes being attributed to structural elements and also to the design of thinner walls with more lights. In the case of the Monastery of Moreruela, this has a basilica church plan, which is typical of the twelfth century, with the same design as that built by the Cistercian order in the French Midi, who along the years of construction changed the design of their arches and vaults. The most significant vaults of the church of the Monastery of Moreruela, whose styles changed as they were built during several phase,, are classified and displayed in the order in their construction: Header.Transept. Central nave. Aisle