Saint-Nicolas Abbey Church (Cellefrouin)
The former Saint-Nicolas abbey church of the Saint-Pierre abbey in Cellefrouin is perhaps the earliest church building in the Poitevine Romanesque style in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of western France . The church building was already classified as a monument historique in 1907 .
Patronage
The church was originally consecrated to the Apostle Peter , since its use as a parish church - i.e. H. probably since the 16./17. Century - it is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra .
Building history
Founded in 1025 by Bishop Arnaud de Vitabre of Périgueux , the Saint-Pierre Abbey of Cellefrouin is one of the oldest in northern Angoumois and originally probably only had a wooden church. The monks followed the Augustinian rule until 1120, when the Pope made the Benedictine rule a regulation, after which some monks left the monastery. The building history of today's church is unclear in detail: Some researchers tend towards a start of construction around the year 1050/60 and a completion of the building around 1100; others tend to date later (about 1080–1120). In the turmoil of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), the church was spared from destruction due to its remote location. During the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598), however, the abbey was attacked by the Protestants; the crossing tower of the church and the monastery buildings were largely destroyed. After that, only a handful of monks remained on site, so that the monastery could be dissolved without major resistance during the time of the French Revolution . The former abbey church officially became the parish church of the village.
architecture
West facade
The west facade is divided vertically by five (formerly six) high blind arcades. The arches of the four inner blind arcades rest on pillars, which in turn are preceded by services that continue into the gable field. The arch of the outer right blind arcade, on the other hand, rests on a half-column template with a capital. Both outer walls of the nave were subsequently stabilized by high buttresses, while the left (= northern) blind arcade on the west side was destroyed. The entire facade, including its late Gothic portal and the west window above it, is completely without decoration - this is one of the main reasons for the early dating of the building.
Church interior
The three-aisled interior of the church is accessed via steps leading downwards; this is characterized by massive pillars with semi-columns and huge blocks of capital, the upper corners of which are slightly rolled up. A barrel vault with belt arch girders closes the central nave at the top. The basement of one - in the 16./17. The lantern tower above the crossing illuminates the space below through two small round windows ( oculi ) in the dome. The two lateral transept arms have simple barrel vaults. The design of the apse with its three large windows, each framed by two columns, is, however, much finer; A console frieze runs below the apse dome . The rough shape of the interior of the church also makes an early dating likely.
Choir head
The former abbey church has a transept to which - in the extension of the aisles - a small apse is attached. The central apse is significantly larger and extended to the east by a choir bay; its outer wall is structured by wide pilaster strips with pillar or half-column templates (on the side of the central window) - above the central window a small square stone with a beautiful relief of an Agnus Dei was set into the surrounding masonry in later times . All three apses end below the eaves with an unadorned console frieze. Overall, it can be stated that the apse and west facade have several structural similarities and a certain elegance, while the nave of the church seems to come from a different builder.
The mighty square crossing tower from the 16th century shows significantly better stone processing than the surrounding components; it is two-fold and ends in a bell storey with sound openings in all four directions.
literature
- Thorsten Droste : Poitou. Western France between Poitiers and Angoulême - the Atlantic coast from the Loire to the Gironde. DuMont, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-7701-4456-2 , pp. 250-251.
- Fabienne Manguy, Sylvie Ternet: Église Saint-Pierre de Cellefrouin. In: Congrès archéologique de France 153e session - Charente - 1995. Société Française d'Archéologie, Paris 2000, pp. 125-134.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église Saint-Nicolas, Cellefrouin in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
Web links
- Cellefrouin, Saint-Nicolas - photos + info (in French)
- Cellefrouin, Saint-Nicolas - aerial view, photo + brief information (French)
Coordinates: 45 ° 53 '27.7 " N , 0 ° 23' 29.2" E