Why were the Normans such good builders?

Question

The Normans are a bunch of Vikings that settled in northern France, and within a century they were Christians speaking French. By 1066 they had become very experienced at fighting wars between themselves, a skill that came in useful, but they also produced magnificent cathedrals across Normandy and later, England.

So where did this come from? Did the rich Norman lands attract experts from across Europe? If so, why didn't they also go to rich Anglo-Saxon England?

Was it just a fashion that happened to catch on there?

Answer 1

As "Vikings," the Normans were good SHIP builders. Once they reached land, it wasn't much of a stretch for them to transfer their skills to building churches and other buildings.

The Normans adopted a style of architecture that is known as "Romanesque." It was originated by the Romans, but later imitated by many west Europeans, chief among them the Normans. This style made use of rounded arches and was milder than the "Gothic" style, with pointed arches. As to why the Normans were such good imitators,

The Normans were described by others (in modern terms) as hungry, ambitious people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normans

Hence, they showed a greater desire to learn (and imitate) than their European peers. It appears to have been part of the restless "personality" that caused them to leave Scandinavia in search of more hospitable climates. Once they found them, they became "more royalist than the king," that is more "European" than the other western Europeans.

Answer 2

The Normans, this "bunch of Vikings" as you call then, did not build cathedrals with their own hands. They hired stonemasons and other craftsmen to do it.

Answer 3

In architecture "Norman" is just the insular British term for Romanesque architecture in Britain and Normandy since Romanesque architecture was basically introduced to Britain when the Norman Dynasty ruled England. It is like the insular British and American term "Victorian" for 19th century architecture.

The reason why the Normans and "Normans" associated with them paid for the construction of such great Romanesque cathedrals in Normandy and England was the same reason that other people of other ethnic groups in Germany and France, Spain and Italy, etc. paid for the construction of such great Romanesque cathedrals in their lands at the same period.