Romanesque Holiday

As much as I admire the perfection and idealization of classical forms, I have a soft spot for the sculptors of the 11^th and 12^th centuries. Their creations are naive, exuberant, and expressive. What they lack in technical finesse, the make up for in humor and emotion. There are not many well-known examples of this style of architecture in the places I have lived in France. Romanesque cathedrals in and around Paris were mostly destroyed and replaced by Gothic ones. And in Nice, the predominant style remains the Baroque. There are superb examples of Romanesque cathedrals in the Southwestern quadrant of France (Poitiers, Toulouse, Moissac, etc.) and many others scattered around France in places that were less touched by the march of progress. 

A well-preserved example is in the town of Vézelay, southeast of Paris. In 1146, Bernard de Clairvaux, at the urging of King Louis VII, preached on behalf of the first Crusade from the Ste Marie Madeleine Basilica in Vézelay. The interior is characterized by the simple rhythm of graceful rounded arches (thus the name "Romanesque"), but the eye is also drawn to the proliferating capital sculptures at the tops of the pillars.

When I observe the outside of a Romanesque church, I always check out the "modillons," which are playful little demon, human or animal faces that decorate the underside of the roof line. And I always visit the cloister, if possible, as the capitals there often display delightful relief sculpture as well. It is in the cloister where I find it easiest to imagine what the solitude and serenity of monastic life might be like.

                   

Another favorite is Saint Lazare Cathedral in Autun, which dates from the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and was formerly the chapel of the Dukes of Burgundy. The sculptural program of the tympanum centers around Christ in glory, also showing the weighing of the souls. Notice the reactions of the cartoonish figures as their souls are either condemned to hell or elevated to heaven.

Spain (Catalonia in particular) is also a rich hunting ground for Romanesque churches. Barcelona has a museum of Romanesque Art, containing many fresco fragments removed from country churches, where they had been in a deteriorating state. Some good examples of Romanesque sculpture produced in France can be visited in New York City, at the Cloisters. An outlying part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Romanesque cloisters are presented in a way that recreates, to the extent possible, their original setting. If one is in the mood to see art and architecture that can be at once primitive, grotesque, whimsical, emotional, and spiritual, a Romanesque church is a good option.

Comments

[Jack]

I especially like the occasional pornographic carvings that these artisans sneaked in, usually in some out of the way corner, probably just to entertain themselves.

[jean]

Jack:
Yes there are occasionally a few naughty ones. Do you have any examples in mind? Fodder for a future post . . .

[Sammy]

I guess one of the benefits of the 11th century village I live in having stayed small and unnoticed is that these things are preserved here. The cathedral and château are in walking distance of my house, and cause me wonder each time I visit them.

[Jack]

Sammy--that must be a really cool aspect of living where you live. I kinda jealous.

In a rustic country church in a tiny village in the Pyrenees I saw a carved capital near the altar showing a man and a woman going at it, doggy style. The image is burned into my memory, but not the name of the village.

[jean]

Jack,
I have been trying to identify your little church in the Pyrenees. Didn't figure it out, but there are more obscene church sculptures in France than I had ever imagined. And I also found out more about WHY this is the case. Stay tuned . . .

[Elisabeth]

Not that I do not check your blog everyday, Jean, but now I do have a really juicy purpose to do so!

[MLL]

La basilique de Vezelay est superbe. Do you know what happens there on equinoxes ?

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