French Romanesque Architecture

Romanesque architecture appeared in France at the end of the 10th century, with the development of feudal society and the rise and spread of monastic orders, particularly the Dominicans, which built many important abbeys and monasteries in the style. It continued to dominate religious architecture until the appearance of French Gothic architecture in the Ile-de-France between about 1140-1150.
Distinctive features of French romansque architecture include thick walls with small windows, rounded arches; a long nave covered with barrel vaults; and the use of the groin vault at the intersection of two barrel vaults, all supported by massive columns; a level of tribunes above the galleries on the ground floor, and small windows above the tribunes; and rows of exterior buttresses supporting the walls. Churches commonly had a cupola over the transept, supported by four adjoining arches; one or more large square towers, and a semi-circular apse with radiating small chapels. Decoration usually included very ornate sculpted capitals on columns and an elaborate semi-circular sculpted tympanum, usually illustrating the Last Judgement, over the main portal. Interior decoration often included murals covering the walls, colored tiles, and early stained glass windows. Late in the 12th century, the rib vault began to appear, particularly in churches in Normandy and Paris, introducing the transition to the Gothic style.
There are also present the some epic examples of churches of french romanesque architechture.
1. The Church of St. Trophime in Arles
2. The Abbey of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard
3. The Basilica of St. Sernin
4. The Abbey Church of Sainte Foy
5. Le Puy Cathedral

1. RAR- 407 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY: LEENA CHAUDHARY CHANDAN GUPTA French Romanesque architecture

2. INTRODUCTION Romanesque architecture appeared in France at the end of the 10th century, with the development of feudal society and the rise and spread of monastic orders. Distinctive features of French Romanesque architecture include thick walls with small windows, rounded arches; a long nave covered with barrel vaults. Churches commonly had a cupola over the transept, supported by four adjoining arches; one or more large square towers, and a semi-circular apse with radiating small chapels. Decoration usually included very ornate sculpted capitals on columns and an elaborate semi-circular sculpted tympanum, usually illustrating the Last Judgement, over the main portal. Interior decoration often included murals covering the walls, colored tiles, and early stained glass windows.

3. ROMANESQUE CHURCHES IN FRANCE The Church of St. Trophime in Arles The Abbey of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard The Basilica of St. Sernin The Abbey Church of Sainte Foy Le Puy Cathedral

4. Church of St. Trophime The  Church of St. Trophime  is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located in the city of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department of southern France. It was built between the 12th century and the 15th century, and is in the Romanesque architectural tradition. The sculptures over the church's portal, particularly the Last Judgement, and the columns in the adjacent cloister, are considered some of the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture. The church was built upon the site of the 5th-century basilica of Arles, named for St. Stephen. In the 15th century a Gothic choir was added to the Romanesque nave.

5. Though mainly notable for its outstanding Romanesque architecture and sculpture, the church contains rich groups of art from other periods. These include several important carved Late Roman sarcophagi, reliquaries from various periods, and Baroque paintings, with three by Louis Finson . Trophime Bigot is also represented, and there are several Baroque tapestries, including a set of ten on the  Life of the Virgin . The church has been used to hold items originally from other churches or religious houses in the region that were dispersed in the French Revolution or at other times. THE CHURCH

6. The west portal is one of the treasures of Romanesque sculpture, presenting the story of the Apocalypse according to St. John, and the Gospel of St. Matthew. Christ is seated in majesty in the timpanum , with the symbols of the Evangelist around him. To the left of the portal, a procession of chosen Christians is going to heaven, while to the right sinners are being cast into hell. The decoration of the portal also includes a multitude of Biblical scenes; the Annunciation; the Baptism of Christ; the Adoration of the Magi, the Magi before Herod; the Massacre of the Innocents; shepherds with their flocks. THE WEST PORTAL

7. The Abbey of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard The  Abbey of Saint-Gilles is a monastery in Saint-Gilles, southern France. It is founded by Saint Giles, and it is included in the UNESCO Heritage List, as part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

8. According to the legend, it was founded in the 7th century by Saint Gilles, over lands which had been given him by the Visigoth King Wamba . The monastery was initially dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul: however, in the 9th century, the dedication was changed to St. Giles himself, who had become one of the most venerated figures in the area. In the 11th century, the monastery was attached to that of Cluny.

9. The Basilica of St. Sernin The Basilica of Saint-Sernin is a church in Toulouse, France, the former abbey church of the Abbey of Saint-Sernin or St Saturnin . Apart from the church, none of the abbey buildings remain. The current church is located on the site of a previous basilica of the 4th century which contained the body of Saint Saturnin  or Sernin, the first bishop of Toulouse in c. 250.

10. Saint-Sernin is the largest remaining Romanesque building in Europe, if not the world. The church is particularly noted for the quality and quantity of its Romanesque sculpture. In 1998 the basilica was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the description: World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

11. The Abbey Church of Sainte Foy The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy in  Conques , France, was a popular stop for pilgrims traveling the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. The relics of Sainte-Foy arrived in Conques through theft in 866. After unsuccessful attempts to acquire the relics of Saint Vincent of Saragossa and then the relics of St. Vincent Pompejac in  Agen , the abbey authorities set their sights on the relics of Sainte-Foy at the ancient St. Faith's Church, Sélestat . The Conques abbey opened a priory next to the shrine in  Sélestat . A monk from Conques posed as a loyal monk in Agen for nearly a decade in order to get close enough to the relics to steal them.

12. The original monastery building at Conques was an eighth-century oratory built by monks fleeing the Saracens in Spain. The original chapel was destroyed in the eleventh century in order to facilitate the creation of a much larger church as the arrival of the relics of Sainte-Foy caused the pilgrimage route to shift from  Agen  to Conques . The second phase of construction, which was completed by the end of the 11th century, included the building of the five radiating chapels, the ambulatory with a lower roof, the choir without the gallery and the nave without the galleries. The third phase of construction, which was completed early in the twelfth-century, was inspired by the churches of Toulouse and Santiago de Compostela.

13. Like most pilgrimage churches Conques is a basilica plan that has been modified into a cruciform plan.  Galleries were added over the aisle and the roof was raised over the transept and choir to allow people to circulate at the gallery level. The western aisle was also added to allow for increased pilgrim traffic.  The exterior length of the church is 59 meters. The interior length is 56 meters. the width of each transept is 4 meters. The height of the crossing tower is 26.40 meters tall.

14. Le Puy Cathedral Le Puy Cathedral, sometimes referred to as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Annunciation, is a Roman Catholic church located in Le Puy- en - Velay , Auvergne, France. The cathedral is a national monument. It has been a centre of pilgrimage in its own right since before the time of Charlemagne, as well as forming part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. Since 1998 it has been part of a multi-location  UNESCO  World Heritage Site along France's Santiago pilgrimage routes.

15. The cathedral forms the highest point of the city, rising from the foot of the  Rocher Corneille . Constructed over centuries, it contains architecture of every period from the 5th century to the 15th, which gives it an individual appearance. Formerly, the visitor passed through a porch standing well out from the building and, after descending beneath the pavement, emerged by a stairway in front of the high altar. The principal stairway is now covered by a bold vaulting that serves as base for one half of the church.

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