The Origin of the Two-Tower FAçADE in Romanesque Architecture

1. The author is especially indebted for assistance and criticism to Professors Wilhelm Koehler and Kenneth J. Conant of Harvard University.

Abstract

One of the problems least resolved in the architectural history of the early Middle Ages is that of the origin and the source of the two-tower façade. We know that this scheme came into use some time during the eleventh century in France, Germany, and elsewhere, but beyond that we know very little indeed. A number of theories as to the origin and source of this motif have been brought forward, usually in the form of suggestions within the framework of a larger subject, but the problem itself has never been specifically dealt with in detail or at any length. A discussion of this problem must deal with two distinct questions: where in Western Europe was the motif of the two-tower façade first used during the Romanesque period, and what is the ultimate source of this motif?