By: Jenna Hall

One of the most awe-inspiring features of Romanesque churches was their knowledgeable use of design features. One such feature was the ambulatory, which was often used to skirt the main nave of the church.

An ambulatory (from the Latin ambulare, meaning “to walk around”) is a semicircular or polygonal passageway, often encircling the nave, apse, or central shrine in a church or temple. The ambulatory allowed the faithful to walk around and venerate the altar, and it often provided an opportunity to perform processional feasts and other rituals.

The Romanesque period was a period of great building activity in Europe, lasting from the mid-eleventh to the thirteenth century. During this period, many churches and cathedrals were built throughout Europe, and many of them featured an ambulatory. These structures were typically constructed with semicircular arches, allowing for a large space in the arcades around the nave.

Ambulatories of this era often featured intricate designs of pillars, arches, friezes, and ornaments that were typical of the Romanesque period. Additionally, the walls were often decorated with statues of biblical figures or other saints. Because of the open nature of the ambulatory, these decorations could be easily viewed by passers-by.

Romanesque churches were built with the intent of being awe-inspiring, and the ambulatories definitely achieved that goal. They provided an open space that allowed for processions, religious rituals, and the veneration of the altar, and their intricate designs and decorations made them beautiful works of art in their own right.