The first vaults of the churches of the peninsula were made in the Catalan counties.[5] Some characteristics of the important Catalan Romanesque art are:.
• - Use of the semicircular arch.
• - Stone squared, but not polished.
• - Semi-drum headers decorated with arches and rhythmically arranged bands (Lombard arches or bands).
• - The temples are covered with stone vaults, barrel and oven.[4][35].
• - The naves are wider and higher, at least in comparison with old pre-Romanesque buildings.
• - The pillars are used as support.
• - There is no sculptural figuration.
The golden age of the style due to its quality and beauty (full Romanesque), extends in the last half of the century and the first half of the 12th, coming from France and transmitted mainly through the Camino de Santiago.[6][1] It flourished in the kingdom of Castile, above all.
• - Sculpture on facades.
• - Monumental doors.
• - Half-round windows with flaring.
• - Corbels supporting the eaves, often decorated.
During the second half of the century and century, as architectural solutions[5] strengthened and improved, the late Romanesque emerged. One of its expressions is the so-called Cistercian art, which expands with the abbeys of the Cistercian order, expressing the aesthetic and spiritual conceptions of Bernard of Clairvaux (absence of ornamentation and reduction to structural elements).[4].
The Romanesque flourished in Christian territories, under the protection of the Jacobean pilgrimage route. The Spanish Romanesque is one of the richest and most varied in Europe.[11] The Islamic, French, Lombard and Visigoth influences are particular and amalgamated to create their own style. There are many and very important monuments that are preserved, with two main focuses standing out, centered on Castile and Aragon. Without a doubt, the fundamental work of the Hispanic Romanesque is the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, a model of a pilgrimage church, with sculptural groups (Pórtico de la Gloria) among the most unique in the West.
Along the Camino de Santiago some of the Romanesque landmarks emerged on Spanish soil, such as the cathedral of Jaca, San Martín de Frómista or San Isidoro de León. From there the style would radiate to more remote areas, expanding throughout the entire north of the peninsula.[5].
Currently, several of the best Romanesque groups in Spain are concentrated in Castilla y León:.
• - The Romanesque of Palencia (candidate to be declared a World Heritage Site),[2] highlighting the region of Aguilar de Campoo,[36][6][1] with a multitude of small rural churches and unitary characteristics, among which we can mention the hermitage of Santa Eulalia de Barrio de Santa María "Barrio de Santa María (Aguilar de Campoo)"), the church of Santa Cecilia de Vallespinoso de Aguilar), the churches of Revilla de Santullán, Matalbaniega, Valberzoso, San Cebrián de Mudá, Cillamayor "Church of Santa María la Real (Cillamayor)") and the Monastery of Santa María la Real "Monasterio de Santa María la Real (Aguilar de Campoo)") and the hermitage of Santa Cecilia in Aguilar de Campoo itself.[2][37] Further north, in the region In La Pernía you will find one of the jewels of the Palencia Romanesque, the church of San Salvador de Cantamuda. In the La Ojeda region, the church of San Juan de Moarves de Ojeda, the Monastery of Santa Eufemia de Cozuelos, the two churches of Perazancas de Ojeda and the Monastery of San Andrés de Arroyo, especially its cloister, stand out. To the south of the province, on the Camino de Santiago, are the church of San Martín de Frómista "Iglesia de San Martín de Tours (Frómista)"), one of the most complete monuments of European Romanesque, the church of Santiago de Carrión de los Condes, with an outstanding Romanesque frieze, and the church of Santa María del Camino or de las Victorias, also in Carrión.[2] The province of Palencia has the largest number of churches. Romanesque paintings from Spain and Europe.[1][6].
• - The Royal Basilica of San Isidoro de León "León (Spain)") is considered one of the best Romanesque complexes in Spain. It contains the so-called Sistine Chapel of this style: the Pantheon of the Kings, decorated with a very important pictorial cycle.
• - The city of Zamora, with around twenty Romanesque monuments, from the 13th century to the 13th century, including the Cathedral, with its original dome.
• - The city of Ávila "Ávila (Spain)"), with dozens of Romanesque monuments, highlighting the Basilica of Saint Vincent "Basilica de San Vicente (Ávila)"); UNESCO declared the city's Romanesque monuments a World Heritage Site.
• - The so-called Cimborrios del Duero group; It is made up of the Cathedral of Zamora, the Old Cathedral of Salamanca, the Collegiate Church of Toro, and the old cathedral of Plasencia.[38].
• - The city of Segovia has a remarkable group of churches, highlighting the characteristic towers and porticoes that distinguish the Segovian Romanesque.[39].
• - The Romanesque of the Sierra de la Demanda") includes a series of religious monuments found in the area of the Sierra de la Demanda in the provinces of Burgos and La Rioja "La Rioja (Spain)"); among them the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos stands out with a magnificent cloister.
• - The city of Soria preserves some interesting complexes: the cloister of the co-cathedral of San Pedro, the church of Santo Domingo "Iglesia de Santo Domingo (Soria)"), the church of San Juan de Rabanera and, above all, the ruins of the monastery of San Juan de Duero.[40].
In the Catalan counties, the Romanesque will have its own characteristics. Of Lombard influence, they created barrel vaults in the naves with pointed arches in the smaller spaces and in the domes.[35] The first period is marked by austerity that will give way to majesty.
• - Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, one of the oldest Romanesque monuments in Spain.
• - Monastery of Sant Llorenç del Munt.
• - Monastery of Sant Cugat de San Cugat del Vallés.
• - Church of San Vicente de Cardona.
• - The cathedral of Gerona, remodeled in the Gothic period.
• - The Romanesque Churches of the Bohí Valley located in the region of Alta Ribagorza, (Province of Lérida) and declared a World Heritage Site, highlighting their fresco paintings that are preserved in the National Museum of Art of Catalonia.