Brisgaret cemetery
The Brisgaret cemetery ( French Cimetière de Brisgaret ) was created in the second half of the 15th century by the parish of Saint-Sauver of Montivilliers in what is now the Seine-Maritime department in Normandy . The Cimetière de Brisgaret and its medieval chapel were classified as a monument historique on July 12, 1886 .
history
The cemetery adjacent to the church of Montivilliers Abbey was no longer sufficient to accommodate the corpses due to the rampant plague and other epidemics ; Plans to enlarge the church threatened to make the limited area of the cemetery even more scarce. The parish of Saint-Sauver de Montivilliers therefore decided in the middle of the 15th century to create a second cemetery outside the city walls . The parcel Brisgaret ( "Brise jarret" , which translates as "calf crusher" ) was selected as the location .
In medieval Christian France, cemeteries were always meeting places where sermons were held several times a week . So that the grieving and praying cemetery visitors could shelter, walkways, galleries and cloisters with praying chapels were built.
The Deschamps family is responsible for building the walkway and the adjoining chapel. A family member of the Deschamps was therefore buried in a privileged manner right next to the cemetery chapel, where his gravestone bears the inscription: "Here rests Jacques Deschamps, Knappe , Herr von Enitot" . The construction work began in 1542, followed by renovation in 1582.
description
In the cemetery of Brisgaret leads by a south-facing arch that with cornices of the Renaissance is decorated. The portal is followed by a walkway 36 meters long; Crossbows extend this. Originally a complete cloister based on the model of the Rouen "Aître Saint-Maclou" was planned, but according to tradition, this was no longer realized due to the fierce resistance of the Montivilliers Abbey, which is said to have feared competition to its own sermons. Seventeen wooden pillars, erected on a stone base, support the ring beams of the gallery. The ossuary was housed under this passage .
Artistic arrangement
The walkway, its inner back wall and the late Gothic chapel are partially decorated with carvings or paintings:
Walkway
Fifteen of the seventeen wooden pillars and the inner wall of the walkway are still decorated with mystical or Christian symbols and motifs that are supposed to visualize "life, death and Christian religion" :
- Heraldic shield , with the insignia of the crucifixion : hammer, pliers, sponge:
- Skeleton with a large scythe over his shoulder;
- Figure wrapped in a handkerchief, feet in a grave (presumably resurrection)
- Coat of arms with three nails
- Cross and crown of thorns
- Two long bones
- Hopping velcro
- Woman with small animals by her side
- Coat of arms with hourglass
- Coat of arms with a scythe and probably a shovel
- Man wrapped in a large cloak, terrified of something at his feet
- Coat of arms with cross
- Coat of arms without a motif
- Coat of arms with nails and bones overhanging a bone and skull
- Coat of arms with ladder
- Coat of arms with inscription
- Two hard-to-see figures
- A figure clad in a wide-sleeved cloak with a cap over his head and holding a long sword in his hand; an animal at his feet
- Torture tools
- A coat of arms with the letters JM (Jesus and Maria)
Chapel walls
- A bearded man with a loose coat and a tight shirt underneath
- A knight who on his back a long sword bears
- Two figures (the more weathered one is supposed to represent death)
State of the current chapel
In the course of restoration and renovation work in 1878, the medieval wall paintings in the interior of the chapel were lost; on the outside, the original black flint decorations have been removed. The former historic bell tower of the chapel was also lost.
Late Gothic cross
In the eastern part of the Brisgaret cemetery there is a late Gothic cross from the 16th century that is 6.5 meters high and one meter wide. It was damaged twice in its history; first in 1562 and subsequently during the French Revolution . It was restored in the 19th century. The niches of the cross were originally decorated with statues of the Virgin Mary , St. Anna , St. Joseph and John the Baptist decorated; the statues are no longer complete today.
literature
- Information brochure from the Tourist Office of Montivilliers: Brisgaret Cemetery , legal notice: FERRIC, Bolbec (accessed on May 11, 2011)
Web links
- Monuments Historiques et Immeubles protégés sur Montivilliers - Ancien charnier in annuaire-mairie.fr. (French)
- Aître de Brisgaret à Montivilliers in petit-patrimoine.com (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ancien charnier in patrimoine-de-france.com (French)
- ↑ cf. u. a .: Montivilliers - L'aître de Brisgaret in photos.piganl.net (French)
Coordinates: 49 ° 32 ′ 57 " N , 0 ° 11 ′ 48" E