Best 12TH Century
The Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği is a 13th-century architectural complex located in the town of Divriği in Sivas Province, Turkey, constructed in 1228–1229 under the Mengujekid ruler Ahmed Shah and his daughter Melike Turan. The mosque is widely noted for the asymmetrical and highly intricat...
The Royal Palace of Palermo, also known as the Palazzo dei Normanni, is a historical palace in Palermo, Sicily, that served as the seat of the Kings of Sicily during the Norman rule. The structure was built upon earlier Arab fortifications and significantly expanded in the 12th century by Roger II....
The Miyajima Torii Gate is a massive vermilion structure standing in the waters of Hiroshima Bay, marking the approach to Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island. The current gate, standing approximately 16 meters tall, was constructed in 1875, though earlier versions of the torii have existed on the...
The Dhammayangyi Pagoda is a massive Buddhist temple located in the ancient city of Bagan, Myanmar. Construction began around 1163 CE under King Narathu, who intended to atone for his violent rise to power. The brick structure is the widest temple in Bagan and is distinguished by its exceptionally f...
The apse paintings from Sant Climent de Taüll are Romanesque murals associated with the church's consecration in 1123 in the Catalan Pyrenees. Their central image shows Christ in Majesty within a mandorla, surrounded by symbols of the Evangelists and other sacred figures. The original apse decoratio...
The Tabula Rogeriana is a world map created by the geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi for Roger II, the Norman king of Sicily, in 1154. It accompanied al-Idrisi's extensive geographical text and synthesized information from earlier writings, travelers, and contemporary observation. Like many medieval Isl...
Ta Prohm is a late 12th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple located in the Angkor complex in Cambodia. It was commissioned by King Jayavarman VII and originally named Rajavihara. The site is distinguished by its state of deliberate semi-ruin, featuring massive fig and silk-cotton tree roots growing ove...
The Gospels of Henry the Lion is a richly illuminated Romanesque Gospel book commissioned by Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria, and his wife Matilda. It was produced at the Benedictine abbey of Helmarshausen in the late twelfth century for the altar of the Church of St. Blaise at Brunswick....
The Sulamani Temple is a late 12th-century Buddhist temple located in Bagan, Myanmar. Commissioned by King Narapatisithu in 1183, the structure is a two-story brick building featuring a multi-terraced design influenced by Mon and Indian architectural styles. The interior contains extensive original...
Saladin, born Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, was a Kurdish military leader who founded the Ayyubid dynasty and ruled Egypt and Syria as sultan during the twelfth century. He united substantial Muslim territories and defeated a Crusader army at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, enabling his forces to reca...
The Pantheon of the Kings at the Basilica of San Isidoro in León, Spain, is a royal burial chamber decorated with Romanesque wall and vault paintings from the twelfth century. The ensemble presents biblical and liturgical subjects, including scenes connected with the Nativity, Passion, and Resurrect...
Scivias is Hildegard of Bingen's first major visionary work, composed in Latin during the 12th century and organized around twenty-six visions. It explains creation, salvation, the Church, the sacraments, and the final judgment through descriptions of symbolic images followed by theological interpre...
The Madrid Skylitzes, also called the Codex Matritensis, is a twelfth-century Greek manuscript of the Synopsis of Histories by John Skylitzes. Preserved in the National Library of Spain in Madrid, it recounts Byzantine history from the ninth through the eleventh centuries and contains nearly 600 pai...
Gawdawpalin Temple is a massive Buddhist structure located in Bagan, Myanmar, constructed during the Pagan period in the late 12th century. Built under the rule of King Narapatisithu, the temple is a two-story gu-style structure characterized by its towering height, square plan, and diminishing terr...
The Winchester Bible is a large twelfth-century Latin Vulgate manuscript made for Winchester Cathedral in England. Produced on parchment in several volumes, it is among the largest surviving Romanesque Bibles and contains extensive decorated initials and illustrations. Differences in style reveal th...
The Alcázar of Segovia is a remarkably preserved fortress palace built beginning in the 12th century. Its unusual silhouette, resembling a ship’s hull, reflects Romanesque architectural influences and its strategic location made it a significant royal residence for centuries. The structure remains a...
Muhammad al-Idrisi was a prominent 12th-century Arab cartographer renowned for his creation of the Tabula Rogeriana. This world map, commissioned by King Roger II of Sicily, represents a significant advancement in geographical knowledge during the medieval period. Al-Idrisi’s work utilized existing...
The Kalon Minaret and Mosque in Bukhara, Uzbekistan represents a significant example of Karakhanid architecture from the 12th century. This imposing structure is notable for its turquoise glazed brickwork, a unique feature within Central Asian Islamic art. It served as a central place of worship for...
Hortus Deliciarum, or Garden of Delights, was a 12th-century illuminated encyclopedia compiled under Herrad of Landsberg, abbess of Hohenbourg Abbey in Alsace. Created for the instruction of the abbey's women, it combined theological, philosophical, historical, scientific, and literary material with...
Hildegard von Bingen was a 12th-century German Benedictine abbess, writer, philosopher, and composer. She is one of the earliest known composers in Western history with a significant surviving output of monophonic sacred chants. Her music, primarily for liturgical use, is characterized by its soarin...
The Bury Bible is a mid-12th-century illuminated manuscript produced at the Benedictine abbey of Bury St Edmunds in England. Its surviving volumes contain biblical text written on parchment and large Romanesque initials and figure scenes attributed to Master Hugo, an artist documented at the abbey....
The Hassan Tower is the incomplete minaret of a massive, unfinished mosque commissioned in 1195 by the Almohad caliph Abu Yusuf Yaqub al-Mansur in Rabat, Morocco. Construction halted following the caliph's death, leaving the tower at approximately half its intended height. Adjacent to the tower are...
Angkor Thom is a significant 12th-century city constructed by King Jayavarman VII in Cambodia. It represents the last Khmer imperial capital and encompasses approximately nine square kilometers, most notably centered around the Bayon temple. The site’s scale and architectural complexity offer valuab...
The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela represent an extraordinary feat of medieval engineering and faith. Eleven monolithic churches were painstakingly carved directly from volcanic rock in Ethiopia between the 12th and 13th centuries. These structures serve as active places of worship for Ethiopian Ort...
The Friday Mosque of Herat is a significant 12th-century structure in present-day Afghanistan. Built during the Timurid dynasty, it represents an important example of early Islamic architecture in Central Asia. Its intricate tilework and layout demonstrate sophisticated engineering and artistic skil...
The Palazzo dei Normanni stands in Palermo, Sicily, representing a significant intersection of architectural styles. Constructed beginning in the 12th century, it’s notable as one of Europe's oldest royal residences and houses the Cappella Palatina, featuring remarkable Byzantine mosaics. The palace...
The Kalon Mosque is a significant 12th-century structure located in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Constructed during the Samanid dynasty, it represents an early example of Islamic architecture in Central Asia. Its intricate tilework and central minaret are notable features within the Po-i-Kalyan complex. The...
The Al-Aqmar Mosque stands in Cairo, Egypt as a significant example of 12th-century Islamic architecture. Built during the Fatimid dynasty, it’s notable for its intricately carved stone facade and unique orientation along a city street. It serves as a historical landmark and is of interest to schola...
Historia Regum Britanniae, or History of the Kings of Britain, is a Latin chronicle written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century, probably around 1136. It presents a legendary sequence of British rulers from Brutus of Troy through the Anglo-Saxon period and gave King Arthur an influential pla...
The Santa Maria de Taüll frescoes are Romanesque wall paintings created for the church of Santa Maria in the Vall de Boí, Catalonia, which was consecrated in 1123. Their surviving imagery includes the Virgin and Child in Majesty, the Magi, apostles, and biblical scenes arranged within the church's a...
