Mosan Renaissance also known, at least in French, as the Mosan style, is a regional

architectural style An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

dating from the 16th to 18th centuries. The style is related to

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

, but with very limited classical influence; it has been described as "voluntarily anachronistic". The term should not be confused with

Mosan art Mosan art is a regional style of art from the valley of the Meuse in present-day Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Although in a broader sense the term applies to art from this region from all periods, it generally refers to Romanesque ar ...

, which applies to

Romanesque art Romanesque art is the art of Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic Art, Gothic style in the 12th century, or later depending on region. The preceding period is known as the Pre-Romanesque period. The term was invented by 1 ...

and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

in the region of the

Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...

river valley. The Mosan style developed in the

Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial Estate, so the bishop of Liège, as ...

in the 16th century during the reign of

Prince-bishop A prince-bishop is a bishop who is also the civil ruler of some secular principality and sovereignty, as opposed to '' Prince of the Church'' itself, a title associated with cardinals. Since 1951, the sole extant prince-bishop has been the ...

Érard de La Marck (r. 1506-1538). The style is an adaptation of earlier vernacular methods of

timber framing Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...

, but using stone instead of wood. Stone-framed rectangular windows, round-arched doorways and sometimes decorated

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

s, all on walls of brick, are characteristic of the style. Stone window frames,

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

s and courses, contrasting in colour with the red brick background, create strong patterns on the exteriors. Plain stone squares may be added to fill out the pattern; in some buildings like the merchant's mansion that is now the Curtius Museum these carry

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

s of a single animal or head. Where there are columns, mostly in arcades, the capitals are usually very simple. In grander buildings, the interiors may included vaulted halls, and the exteriors "square pavilions topped with ornate roof spires, cross windows and cornices".Ottenheym, 191 In general the decoration on exterior walls projects very little, but on roofs there may be projecting ornament in various forms. The style was mostly used in the

, a principality whose area is in present-day

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, mainly in the city of

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, the

Land of Herve The (''Land of Herve'') is a 420 km2 natural region of Wallonia, between the rivers Vesdre and Meuse and the borders separating Belgium from the Netherlands and Germany. The region is named after the ancient town of Herve, which is at its ...

, and the provinces of Belgian Limburg and Dutch South Limburg. Most materials used were local, especially a bluish

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

(also known as

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

stone), brick and

mergel Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part ...

(a type of

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

). The style is used for townhouses,

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

s, farms,

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

s, and sometimes in

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

. The style had a historicist revival in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known in French as ''architecture néo-mosane''.

Gallery

File:Borgloon, stadhuis03 (cropped).jpg, Side of the town hall of

Borgloon Borgloon (; , ; ) is a former Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg. On January 1, 2006, Borgloon had a total population of 10,697. The tota ...

File:Amay AB1a.jpg, Abbaye de la Paix-Dieu,

Amay Amay (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Amay had a total population of approximately 14,231. The total area is 27.61 km2 which gives a population density of approximately 476 i ...

File:De_Bonte_Os.jpg, ''De Bonte Os'',

Maaseik Maaseik (; ) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. Both in size (close to 77 km2) and in population (approx. 25,000 inhabitants, of whom some 3,000 non-Belgian), it is the 8th largest municipality in Limburg. The to ...

File:Het Koetshuis 21-02-2007 11-32-55.jpg, ''Groene Schildt'', Maaseik File:Poort van Beusdael.jpeg, ''Poort van Beusdael'',

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

File:Hof 1, Aachen (59.JPG, Domkeller,

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

File:Maastricht - rijksmonument 27520 - Ridderstraat 2 20100612.jpg, House Ridderstraat, Maastricht File:Maastricht - rijksmonument 26649 - Achter de Comedie 14 20100514.jpg, Jesuit college, Maastricht File:Eijsden-015.jpg, Eijsden Castle File:Visé - Casa de la Vila.jpg, Town hall,

Visé Visé (; , ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, located on the river Meuse in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Argenteau, Cheratte, Lanaye, Lixhe, Richelle, and Visé. In the ...

File:Palais Curtius vu du pont Saint-Léonard, Liège - crop.jpg, Curtius Museum,

, c. 1597 to 1610 File:0 Jehay - Château (5).JPG, Castle of Jehay-Bodegnée File:OudRekemkesjtieldAspremont.jpg, Aspremont-Lynden Castle File:Namur Zitadelle & Parlament Walloniens 3.jpg,

Parliament of Wallonia The Parliament of Wallonia (, ), or the Walloon Parliament (, ) in the decrees, is the legislative body of Wallonia, one of the three self-governing regions of Belgium (the other two being Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region). The parliamen ...

Notes

References

*Ottenheym, Konrad Adriaan (ed), ''Romanesque Renaissance: Carolingian, Byzantine and Romanesque Buildings (800–1200) as a Source for New All’Antica Architecture in Early Modern Europe (1400–1700)'', 2021, BRILL,
google books
{{commonscat, Mosan Renaissance Renaissance architecture Buildings and structures in Liège Province History of Liège Province History of Belgian Limburg Culture of Limburg (Netherlands) History of Limburg (Netherlands) Culture of Limburg Wallonia's Major Heritage Architecture in Belgium Architecture in the Netherlands Renaissance in the Low Countries