. All three are often included under the term Romanesque.

Byzantine art was essentially Christian in its spirit and motives. It used
religious symbols extensively, but incorporated in its ornament a few pagan
elements, such as the acanthus and the scroll. Natural forms were always
conventionally treated. Its coloring was rich and gorgeous. The principal
features of its architecture were the dome and round arch. The plan of the
churches was often in the form of a Greek or Latin cross, with the dome
placed over the intersection of the two arms. The church of St. Sophia, in
Constantinople, is the most magnificent example of Byzantine architecture
and ornament. Although now a Mohammedan mosque, it is, probably, in the
motive and spirit that actuated its construction, the most Christian
building in the world.

2. _Saracenic Art._--Developed from the Byzantine by the Moors and the
Saracens. It differs from it, however, in one important respect. While the
Byzantine makes use of numerous conventionalized plant and animal forms,
the Saracens and Moors were forbidden by their religion, the Mohammedan, to
copy in any manner the form of any living thing, animal or vegetable. They
were thus limited entirely to geometric forms, which, however, often fall
insensibly into flower and leaf forms. Interlacing bands and curves of
intricate pattern, and exhibiting the peculiar Moorish curve, are very
characteristic of Saracenic ornament. Inscriptions were frequently
interwoven in this tracery.

The coloring was gorgeous, consisting principally of blue, red, and gold.

The principal arches used were the pointed and the horseshoe arch. The
Alhambra Palace in Spain is the most famous example of Saracenic ornament
and architecture.

3. _Gothic Art._--Gothic art grew out of the Byzantine, all the symbolic
elements being retained. It is divided into many different varieties.

In the earliest the round arch was used, but the later and more perfect
styles having employed the pointed arch almost exclusively, the latter
became characteristic of Gothic art generally. It is a style of
architecture and ornament usually applied to churches, and well adapted to
moist and cold climates on account of the sloping roof. Clustered columns,
the spire or belfry, the arched roof, and the division of the interior into
nave, transept, and choir, are leading features. Natural as well as
conventional treatment of plants is another important characteristic.

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