Charlemagne, also called Charlemagne, was the king of the Franks. He was strongly influenced by Constantine and his Christian empire. Charlemagne supported Christian art and commissioned the construction of a palace and chapel in Germany, which became the center of his power. His time was known as the Carolingian Renaissance, where he revived many imperial Roman traditions such as the early Christian tradition of depicting Christ as a statuary youth. In his time wonderful illuminated manuscripts. After the reign of Charlemagne, as Carolingian art began to decline, the new ruler Otto III entered. Otto III was influenced by both Constantine and Charlemagne. Ottonian art focused on geometry, ivory plaques, and small works of art, as well as elegantly illuminated manuscripts, sumptuous metalwork, intricate carvings, and Romanesque churches and cathedrals. Both Ottonian and Carolingian architecture focused primarily on geometric shapes when building their churches and cathedrals. Unlike Charlemagne, Ottonian created many works in metal mainly in the form of manuscripts such as book covers. The influence of early Christianity was reflected on both rulers through his art which portrayed stories of their Christian beliefs. During the early Middle Ages, the Roman Empire began to decline. The rude people known as the Germanic barbarians began to migrate to Europe. As a result, three different cultures merged together marking the beginning of the Dark Ages. With the fusion of Christianity, Greco-Roman heritage and barbarian cultures, the visual arts of the Early Middle Ages changed for a long time. A major German-influenced change occurred in architecture. Barbarians brought the use of stone to Europeans causing European...... middle of paper ......past generations of late antiquity. During the Romanesque era, pilgrims were the most visible feature of public religious devotion, proclaiming their belief in the power of the saints (Gardner 335). Pilgrims traveled throughout Europe to reach the main shrines located in Jerusalem. The large amount of pilgrims who wished to visit the saints influenced the Romanesque churches architecturally (Gardner 335). We are making changes to the design and structure to accommodate the growing crowds of pilgrims. Modifications such as longer and wider side aisles, transepts and ambulatory with additional chapels and even second floor galleries (Gardner 335). The increase in pilgrimage routes which allowed more pilgrims to travel to visit their saints established many changes in architectural styles as well as the spread of faith in saints.