Romano-Gothic

In architecture, "Romano-Gothic" is a term (rarely used in writing in English) for an architectural style, part of Early Gothic architecture, which evolved in Europe in the 12th century CE from the Romanesque style, and was an early style in Gothic architecture. In England, the style is usually termed "Transitional". The style is characterized by mixing rounded and pointed arches. Flying buttresses were used, but are mainly undecorated. Romanesque buttresses were also used. Romano-Gothic began to use the decorative elements of Gothic architecture, but not the constructional principles of more fully Gothic buildings. However, walls did start to become thinner through the use of pointed arches and ribbed vaults to distribute weight more evenly. Combining ribbed vaults and the Romanesque tradition, the cathedrals of Angers (1149–1159) and Poitiers (1162) exemplify a transitional Gothic style, more austere and less well lit. Especially in Germany and the Low Countries, the term "Romano-Gothic" is used of relatively late buildings constructed in a cautious provincial version of Gothic. The late-Romanesque style of the Rhineland has often been called "Romano-Gothic".