Visigothic (style)

Refers to the style and period associated with the Visigoths, a division of the Germanic Goths who were agriculturalists in Dacia in modern Romania, were separated from the Ostrogoths and driven across the Danube by Hun invasions, and settled in the Balkan region of Moesia in the fourth century CE. The term refers particularly to the Visigoths' rule in Gaul and the Iberian peninsula, primarily from the fifth to the seventh centuries CE. The style in architecture is characterized by modest size, high quality of workmanship, use of the horseshoe arch, and an abundance of sculptural decoration. The style in sculpture is similar to that of the Lombards, and probably indicates a common source. It is characterized by flat, decorative human figures, animals, foliage, and abstract designs, which were originally brightly colored.