Palatine Chapel, Aachen, Germany, (800), Pre-Romanesque

            The Palatin chapel, built around 800 at Charlemagne's palace in Aachen. One of the survived Caroligian structures.
             Biult in Early Christian and Byzantine style, which indicates:  dome
                                                                                                       double shell
                                                                                                       two storied octagon

             The outer wall biult over a sixteen-sided plan, which makes for rectangular ambulatory patterns: rectangular compartments oposite the sides of inner octagon and triangular spaces at the corners. These spaces are spanned by a series of barrel vaults tailored to the alternating rectangular and triangular plans.
What Charlemagne and his architects did in Palatine Chapel at Aachen gave a new direction to medieval architecture development.The emphasis on rational, strongly defined spatial units, on chains of modular construction and on fragmentation were to be among the most distinguishing traits of Romanesqe Architecrure.
             The main entrance to the Palatin Chapel is a large structure adjoining the west side. A square mass of stone containing narthex chambers corresponding to the level of the chapel rises betwen twin cylindrical towers and is fronted by a huge entrance niche. This towering entrance structure anounced one of the major themes of medieval architecture - the monumental facade.

(flloor plan)

(exterior)

 (elevation plan)

(interior, nave)

 (interior, elevation)

 (interior, elevation)

(interior elevation)

(interior, elevation)

(interior, aisle)

 (interior, arcade)

(interior, dome)