This term is used to indicate a style of architecture founded on Roman
art, which prevailed in Western Europe before the rise of that known as
Gothic.
Under this general name, if applied broadly, many closely allied local
varieties, as for example, the Lombard, Rhenish, Saxon, and Norman, can
be conveniently included. After the removal of the Roman capital to
Byzantium, and the incursion of the Northern tribes, the spectacle of
Europe was melancholy in the extreme.
Nothing but the church retained any semblance of organized existence;
and when, at length, order began to be restored from a chaos of universal
ruin, and churches began to be built in Western Europe, the people looked
to Rome as their ecclesiastic center.
Where the Romish church had influence, the architecture had the Roman
type; and, where the Eastern church prevailed, it adhered closely to the
Byzantium models. This style, with local varieties, still obtains in
most parts of Europe, and, to some extent, in American church building.
An architect of genius and taste may successfully combine different
orders; but most who attempt it fail. To succeed well, a good degree of
originality is needed.