Notre-Dame (Corme-Écluse)
The former Notre-Dame priory church is located in the French commune of Corme-Écluse with 1113 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Charente-Maritime department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region . The facade decoration of Notre-Dame is one of the most important gems of Romanesque architecture in the Saintonge .
History
On November 2, 1047 the first church of the abbey was consecrated in Saintes, which was soon transferred to the order of the Benedictine Sisters by its founder Agnes of Burgundy . In 1081, Guy-Geoffroy , Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine , entrusted the organization of the construction work on the great pilgrim church of Saint-Eutrope to the Benedictines of Cluny Abbey in Burgundy , which included its usufruct.
The leading role played by the Cluniac Benedictines in the building of churches in Saintes was also carried over to the towns in the region.
In 1104, Ramnulfus Focauldi , Bishop of Saintes from 1083 to 1106, approved the construction of a priory with its Notre-Dame church in Corme-Écluse. The priory was subordinate to the Benedictine nuns of the Abbaye aux Dames in Saintes. In 1200, the construction work was completed and the church was equipped with an oak statue, which then became a popular pilgrimage destination.
The church with the floor plan of a Latin cross bears a number of Cluniac style elements that have remained unchanged to this day , such as the sharpened barrels and arches.
In the 13th century, the stump of the crossing tower , which included a trumpet dome , was vertically extended by an unusually high Gothic floor with a new bell house. As a result, the proportions of the towering four-sided tower changed significantly compared to the Romanesque models of the region.
The times of the 13th to the half of the 14th century are the largely peaceful heyday of medieval life and the churches and monasteries, including the Corme-Écluse priory.
The events of the Hundred Years War (1339–1453), the clashes between France and England over Aquitaine, the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) and the French Revolution (1789) and their subsequent period did not leave Corme-Écluse untouched either.
So nothing remained above ground of the buildings of the priory, which, like almost all monasteries, were built on the south side of the church. The still existing door in the west wall of the southern arm of the transept bears witness to the former connection between the church and the priory, the cloister of which snuggled into the corner of the southern nave wall and the aforementioned transept wall. It is possible that there was also direct access to the convent rooms of the monastery in the south wall of the south arm of the transept . Usually the chapter house , the refectory and the dormitory on the upper floor were built there.
Only the priory church was largely spared from the damage or even destruction of these times. Above all, the valuable sculptural decoration on the facade shows, apart from traces of weathering, no willfully inflicted damage. No buttresses or other structural reinforcements - neither outside nor inside - had to be added to this church , as can be found on almost all buildings of this era. Last but not least, this is a sign of an excellent static structure , especially with regard to the masonry and vaulting techniques and a reliable subsoil .
Apart from the elevation of the crossing tower in the 13th century, the church structure essentially shows its original substance from the 12th century.
The construction
Internal dimensions (approx):
- Ship (width by length): 7.0 × 14.6 m
- Transept (width times length, across the crossing): 5.4 × 22.9 m
- Choir (width times length, including the apse): 5.5 × 8.2 m
- Height ship: 11.5 m
- Height of transept arms: 9.5 m
- Height of the choir: 8.7 m
- Crossing dome height: 14.9 m
- Floor offset entrance / ship: 60 cm
External dimensions without pillars (approx.):
- Length (west facade to choir apse): 31.4 m
- Width (transept length): 24.9 m
- Longhouse length: 14.6 m
- Longhouse width: 8.2 m
- Transept width: 7.4 m
- Choir width: 7.8 m
- Choir length: 7.8 m
- Tower height: 26.0 m
Interior
Longhouse
The single nave nave is divided into two almost equally wide yokes by a belt arch with a rectangular cross section . The arch and the adjoining vaults are slightly sharpened according to the tradition of the Cluniac builders. The arches stand on tall, profiled warriors , which cover the simply designed capitals supported by bundle pillars. The vault approaches stand on cantilevered cornices that are beveled on the underside at the height of the aforementioned fighters.
The walls of the ship are divided between the bundle pillars with two blind arcades in the width of the yokes. The large arcade arches in the form of circular sections consist of almost square wedge stones with rounded visible edges, which are covered on the outside by narrow rounded cantilever profiles. The apex of the arches reach under the cantilever cornice under the vault. The arches stand at both ends on slender round pillars that are inserted into the corners of the building elements delimiting the arch niches and accompany them. Arches and pillars are separated by simple capitals and spars.
A slender, slit-like round arched window is cut out in each blind arcade, the walls of which widen strongly inwards on all sides. The only decoration on each window is a slim, semicircular cantilever profile, which overlaps the smooth wedge stones of the window arches and extends just below the blind arcade arches on the top.
The west wall has a small arched window well above the entrance portal, just below the top of the vault. On the opposite wall of the crossing it is noticeable that the opening, which is covered with a slightly pointed arch, is not arranged axially to the ship, but slightly offset to the right. On the northern side of the opening there is therefore a short piece of smooth wall of the transept.
Transept and crossing
The middle section of the transept, the crossing, has openings of almost the same size in its four side walls, the slightly pointed arches of which are slightly lower than the vaults of the transept arms and the choir. The arches consist of two layers of smooth wedge stones. The upper one is as wide as the wall standing on it and is flush with it. The lower / inner wedge layer is clearly set back and somewhat wider than the services that support it. The triumphal arch facing the ship consists of three layers of wedge stones, but with less setbacks from one another.
The bundle pillars of the crossing consist initially of the most prominent, "old" semicircular services, which support the lower / inner wedge layer of the arches. They are accompanied on both sides by "younger" ministries who carry the upper / outer wedge layer. Between the aforementioned companions, there is a slot, pointing towards the center of the crossing, in which exactly another column of the same thickness is placed. The four bundles of pillars are crowned by respective bundles of capitals and fighters on which the loads of the crossing walls shown above rest. Most of the capitals have a snarling predator's head on each corner, probably that of a lion. The rest of the capital is completed by a rather simple design with smooth surfaces. Other capitals are entirely plain. The striker plates are profiled several times.
The walls surrounding the crossing square reach about a meter higher than the apex of the crossing arches and end with a profiled cantilever cornice. In each of the corners of the crossing there is an unloaded, slim round column that extends from the associated transom to the aforementioned cantilevered cornice. The pillars change their dimensions in the upper area and are significantly slimmer. Their upper ends are crowned by slightly inwardly inclined lion heads.
Above this is the trumpet zone, in which fan-shaped arched trumpets lead from the crossing square to the lower circle of the hemispherical dome. The lower edge of the dome is marked by a carved cornice. On the east wall, a small round-arched window opens between two trumpets, with an inwardly widened wall and a bench sloping downwards. The window with a stitch cap extends far into the dome. In the apex of the trumpet dome there is a circular opening through which the bells could be transported.
The transept arms have a rectangular floor plan. In the northern arm of the transept, a small slit-shaped window with a round arched cover is cut out on the east and west walls. A somewhat larger arched window in the center of the upper zone of the north wall provides additional light for the room. In this wall there is a small round arched portal in the western corner. In the southern arm of the transept, the west wall has a slit-like window and a door, the access from the former cloister. The south wall has the largest window in the church. It is covered with a pointed arch . In the middle of the east wall there is a transept chapel with a semicircular apse , vaulted with a dome .
Choir
The almost square yoke of the choir opens behind the triumphal arch and is vaulted by a round barrel. The choir apse with a semicircular floor plan is vaulted with a dome. The apse and yoke are separated by a girdle arch with a rectangular cross-section, which is supported by half-columns. The capitals are elaborately carved with lush tendrils. The profiled fighters at the height of the arches are continued on the walls as carved cantilever cornices. The central arched window in the apse is slightly larger than the two neighboring ones. All three windows have heavily flared walls on all sides. The two windows in the choir bay are also adorned with setbacks of the edges of the drapery and their profiles.
Outer shape
Longhouse
From the outside it is also easy to see that the nave is higher than the transept and choir . Two strong rectangular pillars each divide the north and south walls into two bays. Similar to the partitioning of the walls on the inside, two large blind arcades were also attached to the outside the width of the yokes. The receding of the arched niches on both sides of the wall obviously had, in addition to the decorative, also material-saving importance. The cross-section of the square arches made of wedge stones are rounded at their visible edges and stand on slim round pillars that accompany the wall pillars. On the south side, the cross-sections of the companions are square. The companions are crowned by simply carved capitals and profiled fighters. The arches in the second yoke are circular sections, those in the first yoke are pointed and reach significantly higher than their neighbors. The window openings correspond to those of the section: interior / nave. But from the outside they look more like loopholes .
The roof covering of the gable roof , with a roof pitch of about 40 degrees, consists of Roman hollow tiles in various shades of red. Under the wide overhanging roof overhangs on the sides of the nave, wooden ankle purlins lie on simply carved corbels . The eaves with copper gutters still clearly protrude from the pillars.
The foot of the northern nave wall consists of a profiled and multi-stepped base up to 50 cm high, which also runs around the wall pillars. No plinth can be found on the south side, presumably because the cloister was once added there.
West wall of the nave: see separate section “ Facade ”.
Transept with bell tower
The roofs of the transept arms are significantly lower than that of the nave. The north arm of the transept has right-angled pillars in both directions on the corners of the building, and another roughly in the middle of the east wall. The window and door openings correspond to those of the section: Interior / Transept.
The small portal and additional side entrance (perhaps from a cemetery?) In the north wall of the north arm of the transept is decorated here as a three-tier archivolt portal . The archivolt arches as well as their “pillars” were carved out by the stonemason from square cross-sections, namely on the edges as a round rod, each of which is adjoined by a groove , which is then closed by a flat band. The outer arch is covered by a decorative ribbon carved from plants. The sculpture of the capitals has a vegetal structure, the struts and bases are profiled.
The southern arm of the transept has rectangular pillars at the outer ends only on the east and west walls. The doors and windows correspond to those of the section: Interior / Transept. The east wall of the southern arm of the transept is dominated by the bulge of the apse of the transept chapel. It is covered with a conical roof.
Both gable walls of the transept slightly protrude from the gable roofs of the transept arms. The eaves are similar to those of the nave, but do not extend that far. The roof coverings and roof slopes correspond to those of the nave.
The bell tower rises above the square crossing. The smooth-surfaced base storey, which is closed on all sides, is completed by a narrower rectangular cantilever cornice supported by simply carved corbels. The cornice runs just above the ridge of the nave. The ridges and roof surfaces of the other components are much deeper. On the side of the choir, the height is sufficient for the installation of a small, arched window that illuminates the crossing.
Above the cantilevered cornice follows a much wider plinth, which is partly sloping back in several steps. This is followed by an approximately 4.5 m high blind arcade floor, which is closed at the top with a narrow, geometrically carved cantilever cornice and supported by carved corbels. Not far below, on each side, are the wedge-shaped arches, flush with the wall surface, of five closely placed blind arcades, plus two half ones at the tower corners. The arches stand on round columns with simply designed capitals with profiled transoms and profiled bases. The wedge arches are covered by slim, geometrically sculpted cantilever profiles. In the half arcades that meet at the corners of the tower, thick round columns with simple capitals and profiled spars and bases are set to support the loads.
The entire arcade floor belonged to the crossing tower of the 12th century. About halfway up and directly above the crossing dome is the floor of today's bell chamber.
Above the arcade floor there is a further setback to the Gothic 13th-century increase of around 7.8 m. The wall surfaces are smooth and reinforced at the corners by barely bulky pilaster strips . The only decoration on each side of the tower are two slender, ogival sound hatches, the edges of which are bevelled towards the outside. The tower roof is a very gently sloping pyramid roof that is covered with red tiles.
In the corner between the nave and the northern transept there is a slim staircase with a spiral staircase that leads from the ground floor to the bell house. Up to the eaves height of the nave, the outer wall of the staircase is designed in right-angled steps. Above it begins a circular stair tower, which rises up on the north-western corner of the tower and ends with a pointed cone just above the upper end of the blind arcade storey.
Choir
The choir has the lowest height of all structural members. Its walls are reinforced by four strong, rectangular wall pillars that reach up to eaves height. The yoke is covered by a gable roof with a slope of about 25 degrees, which merges into the half-conical roof of the apse. The contours on the eastern side of the tower reveal that the choir roof was once steeper. The eaves and the roofing correspond to those of the transept. The windows correspond to those of the section: Interior / Choir. The windows of the choir bay are decorated with a round bar running around the side and top. The wedge stone arches of all choir windows are covered by carved cantilever profiles.
The facade
The facade and its sculpture from the 12th century is the real art-historical treasure of the former Notre-Dame priory church of Corme-Écluse.
Rough breakdown
The facade is horizontally divided into two floors and a gable field. The ground floor is about twice as high as the upper floor. The ground floor is bordered on the top by a barely protruding, but wide decorative band that is very delicate and deeply sculpted and runs through the side wall pillars. The upper floor is delimited at the top by a rather wide cantilever profile, the front of which has geometric structures. It is supported by a total of ten differently sculpted corbels. The cantilever profile completely covers the two pillar templates. Above this begins the unstructured gable field, which is initially closed vertically upwards on the sides, and then, slightly above the roof surface in the course of the verge, at a 40 degree incline.
Both floors are laterally bounded by strong rectangular wall pillars.
The basement is essentially occupied by the central main portal and the mock portals flanking it. The main portal is slightly wider and higher than the dummy portals. All portals are two-tier archivolt portals with fighters at the same altitude. All archivolt arches are delicately and profoundly carved with tendrils, animal and human figures. The outer arches are covered with ribbons with plant tendrils. The fighters and their extension in the blind fields are designed similarly. The outer archivolts stand between the main and blind portals on semicircular services with high capitals and fighters. The outer archivolt arches of the blind portals on the far outside stand on rectangular wall pieces with fighters. All three inner archivolt arches stand on slender pillars with carved capitals and fighters. All columns and services have profiled bases that stand on right-angled plinths. Above the portals there are smooth, unstructured wall surfaces up to the profile dividing the storeys.
The upper floor is a blind dwarf gallery made up of ten columns, with richly carved capitals and fighters and with profiled bases. They carry eight arches made of smooth wedge stones that are flush with the wall.
The gable field is decorated with a central, small, arched window and a stone Latin cross on the gable ridge .
Fine structures
Archivolt portals
Only the end of the archivolt arches are carved. Their insides have smooth surfaces.
The outer archivolt arch of the main portal presents a gallery of birds approaching the center. In the sources they are interpreted as chickens. The six animals on either side of the middle are shown in a side view in a tangential arrangement and extend from the end of the arch to the middle, increasing in size over two to a maximum of three wedge stones. The outer and smallest chicken stands on the fighter, the others seem to stride far upwards, each stretching one wing forward. On their back they carry a trapezoidal something about the meaning of which nothing is said. The chicken as a symbol of the believing soul appears in early Christian mosaics , for example in Saint Clemente in Rome. The two topmost and largest chickens feast on goblets that Christ holds out to them in a frontal view with outstretched, slightly bent arms. He himself seems to be crouching with his legs apart.
The inner archivolt arch of the main portal bears a lush and profoundly carved tendril work with beautiful lobed and fanned leaves. Six lions are woven into it, some with contorted bodies. The tendrils symbolize the believers' struggle against the temptations of evil. Hidden in it are the representatives of the angels.
The outer archivolt arch of the left mock portal shows loose tendrils with fan-shaped leaves in which nine men and women have become entangled, four of them, only the women, taking up the thick tendrils in their mouths. Either they grow out of the mouths of the fighting people, or they are consumed (?). Basically, it is again about the struggle of people against the temptations of evil. In one case a man pinches a woman's bosom. The inner archivolt arch is covered with tendrils of a tendril running through the arch, which winds in large circular, uniform spirals and spreads out beautiful fan-shaped leaves made up of five lobed leaves each.
At the opposite, right-hand blind portal, the archivolt arches show sculptures on the same theme. The outer archivolts arch hides fighting birds of prey in its tendrils , also here with twisted bodies that have bitten into the tendrils with their beaks and cling to them with their claws. The inner arch of the archivolts has wild tendrils over almost the entire extent. Only at the two ends of the arch do two people bend in the tangle and have picked up the beginning of the tendril in their mouths.
The sculptures of the capitals, fighters and ribbons immediately below and above the portal arches deal with the same or related topics. The fighting band, which runs through all three portals at the same height, bears different tendrils and foliage. Small monster heads are incorporated into various combatant corners, in whose mouths the tendril ends are picked up. The fighter of the left mock portal (inside right) carries a naked female person in tendrils, with bent lower legs, who holds her foot in her hand. The warrior of the same portal (far left) is adorned with two four-legged friends and tendrils that unite in one head on the corner. The advanced weathering suggests that they are lions.
The large capital to the left of the main portal, in wild tendrils, bears two people riding on outward-facing lions. They are affected by severe weathering damage. The sculpture of the large capital on the left side of the portal has recently been restored. There are two lions standing on the side and bowing their heads almost to the ground on the front. Two human heads with crown-like headgear appear over their backs. Tendrils grow again between the bodies, ending in leaves, but here in an orderly and symmetrical manner.
The small capital to the left of the main portal has small monster heads at the upper corners, from which beautiful leaves and tendrils grow down over the capital. To the right of the main entrance, the capital is adorned with four winged and erect monsters. The small capital on the left in the left blind portal is completely weathered and completely unrecognizable. Opposite to the right is a restored, almost new, capital. Tendrils grow from monster heads at the corners, which provide beautiful foliage. The small capital on the left in the right mock portal depicts four birds of prey, with outstretched wings, which cling to the pine cones that rise from the foliage at the lower edge of the capital. On the opposite right, on the corners of the capital, there are lions with human facial features, erect. Symmetrical, delicate foliage grows between them.
On the outside and on the top of the archivolt arches of the three portals protrudes from a wide decorative ribbon on which spirals of tendrils with leaves and fruits spread out, everything worked out in detail. At the four lower ends of the decorative ribbons, directly on the warriors, there are still small monster heads from which the tendrils of the ribbons spring out or disappear into them (?).
The upper floor
The broad, storey-dividing ribbon between the first and second floors of the façade is deeply carved with wild tendrils. The continuations of this volume on the pillars on the side are decorated with animal sculptures. On the left are two dogs or lions facing each other, accompanied by tendrils. On the opposite side, the tape is even more weathered. However, it can be assumed that four-legged animals were also lying here.
The cantilevered cornice between the upper floor and the gable field is sculpted geometrically, in the manner of a jagged band.
The corbel sculptures No. 1 to 10
The numbering takes place from the left outside to the right outside.
- No. 1 : Here a couple is depicted in deep affection. An apparently unclothed female person sits or lies on the thighs of a man with a head covering and foot-length clothing and is held by him with his left shoulder and his right hips. Their faces have come closer. Whether the woman opens a button on the man's shirt or raises something to her mouth cannot be clearly determined. According to a French source, it is "a beautiful representation of unchastity, or what the Church called the sin of the flesh".
- No. 2 : A male person in a body-length gown kneels on the floor and has submissively bent his upper body far forward and supported himself on the floor with his forearms. The robe could indicate a prayerful clergyman.
- No. 3 : Here an animal from the fantasy world of the Middle Ages is shown, viewed from above. It is a four-legged friend lying on the floor with its paws on its side. The spherical head with cat ears could belong to a lion, but it has wings on its back. So a winged lion, which is the symbol of the evangelist Mark .
- No. 4 : This corbel is badly weathered and probably no longer complete. The right half is occupied by a person who has crouched on the floor. She raises her right hand and supports herself on her knees with her left. The left part of the sculpture is obviously missing.
- No. 5 : This charming portrait of a woman is called “The Gorgon of Corme-Écluse”. The gorgons of mythology ( Medusa , Euryale and Stheno ) had a head with "aureoles made of angry snakes". The artistic hairstyle of this person is anything but a snake's nest. So she can't be a Gorgon either. A French source emphasizes the posture of the arms in the form of a circle that has neither beginning nor end and represents the symbol of infinity and the absolute. The sculpture thus sets a sign of high spiritualism. This type of lush hairstyle should have represented vulgarity and unchastity in the women in question in the Middle Ages. The sculptor saw this woman as fulfilling the positive qualifications of acrobats. The sculpture represents the spiritual search of the 11th and 12th centuries, in preparation for heaven. In any case, the idea and its representation are among the most exquisite that the stonemasonry of the time had to offer in small-scale and rather subordinate works.
- No. 6 : On this corbel, a large, erect bird, such as a goose, is drinking from a large ornate goblet with its wings stretched upwards. Here roughly the same symbolism is shown as that in the apex of the archivolt main portal.
- No. 7 : You can see a male person in a frontal view who has folded his legs tightly together in a crouching position. She holds her hands folded in prayer in front of her chest, her head bent a little forward and fully concentrated.
- No. 8 : Another crouching man, in complete calm, marked with a square anus , earthy and animalistic.
- No. 9 : This is a head portrait, presumably of a young man, well fed and slightly amused. He wears a smooth, helmet-like headgear on the outside, rounded in a spherical shape, closed behind the eyes and reaching under the chin. Above the forehead, a pointed tip of the cap is brought down a little in the middle. The whole head is framed all around with a wide collar folded like a rosette.
- No. 10 : The last corbel has the sculpture of a human couple again, presumably completely unclothed. The man is almost stretched out on an unrecognizable seat. The woman sits astride his thighs, legs bent. Her visible left arm is on her back. Their mouths in profile seem to be approaching for a kiss. The man's visible right arm is slightly angled and in the open hand he carries a flat drinking bowl that he offers to his loved one. The French source speaks of a noble wine, like a " Dom Pérignon ", which did not exist back then. The picture is somewhat reminiscent of the offering of the chalices to the birds by the hands of Christ. Like souls, the couple absorb the contents of the cup, with the blessing of the Church, united in flesh and spirit.
The capital sculpture of the blind arcades No. 11 to 19
The numbering takes place from the left outside to the right outside.
- No. 11 : The fighter plate, pulled up to the pillar template, shows a person fighting through the tendrils of the lowlands of the world, symbol for gaining the way to heaven. Here it is quoted: "... two steps forward, and one step back ..." Crouching on the capital below, bent slightly forward, is a person on a throne. His robe indicates a higher position. He stretches out his arms to the sides. The hands disappear into the mouths of the " Malin " (the evil one and king of the world). The beautiful wide-spread leaf at the ends of the tendril is a symbol of the earth.
- No. 12 : The fighter has only wild tendrils. On the capital, a woman tries to lure and tame an animal, but here is not a snake, but probably a lion in the tangle of tendrils. According to French sources, it is about the rehabilitation of women in medieval society, which until then was characterized by luxuria (unchastity) and debauchery until they discovered the fruit in defense of Adam and his descendants.
- No. 13 : The fighter shows birds with only their bodies and legs left. These represent the spiritual path to heaven. More than two branches end in a seven-lobed leaf. The leaf symbolizes the renewal and the seven lobes the daily work. The number seven is described as sacred in the rules of St. Benedict, the number four results in the symbol of the kingdom of heaven. The capital shows again a tangle of tendrils in the upper area. Below that there are two lions (angels) on both sides of the capital, their heads reaching almost to the ground, where they eat something. They stand with their legs on an astragalus (string of pearls).
- No. 14 : The fighter plate is decorated with tendrils that cross multiple times in an X-shape and end in five-lobed leaves. The X stands for rejection, the five is the number of knowledge. Refusal was also part of the teaching of the Church. On the upper corners of the capital, heads of Malin protrude, from whose mouths tendrils grow or are consumed by them (?), Which wildly cover the rest of the capital.
- No. 15 : The front of the fighter is a side view of two people who are touching the ground with one knee. In an acrobatic way, they suck the toes of their second leg synchronously. Your visible arms are on your back and your hands on its extension. The gestures indicate the control of the different parts of the body and the effort to get the way to heaven. The two animals on the capital are interpreted as birds of prey, which indicate the dual nature of man. The lack of wings and cat ears could also be attributed to lions. The X-shaped crossing of the legs indicates the rejection of church teaching, as well as the rejection of this posture. Tendrils are also involved here.
- No. 16 : On the fighter, the wild tangle of tendrils points again to the text: "... two steps forward, one step back ..." On the capital, in the tangle of tendrils, a presumably female archer is depicted, the bow raised to shoot . The French sources assume that Artemis , the untamed Greek goddess of the hunt (nature), is meant here, with her golden bow always ready to shoot. She was merciless with women who offer "love" for sale. But at the same time she was a guide on the path of chastity and, like a lioness, on the path of lust. Diana , also the goddess of the hunt, is to be equated with her in the Roman sky , she killed deer and hind, which symbolized gentleness and fertility. Diana stood for the protection of pregnant women. Councils continued to testify to the spread of their influence on people well into the eighth century. If you take a closer look at the depiction of the “shooter”, you can see that her upper body is fused with the body of a horse. This human-horse combination exists in Greek mythology as a centaur or centaur, predominantly male, but also in female form. Artemis and Diana were certainly not Centaurs.
- No. 17 : In the middle of the fighter, the portrait of Malin (the evil one) dominates, who in mythology wears a crown as the ruler of the world. The tendrils (= temptations) that people have to overcome in order to reach the kingdom of heaven grow continuously from its mouth. On the corners of the capital there are also small grimaces of the Malin, from whose mouths tendrils grow. The greater part of the capital, however, is taken up by two birds with flared wings. They peck at the tendrils emerging from their mouths. These "heavenly birds" help people overcome temptations. The sides of the capital and the fighter show only a tangle of tendrils.
- No. 18 : The fighter shows a particularly well-ordered tendril work that comes close to regular wickerwork. The same loop is repeated four times. This also applies to the downward lobed leaves. Two people sit in the less dense tendril-work of the capital and hold their hands on the stems of the tendrils, which end in five-lobed leaves, a symbol of knowledge and understanding.
- No. 19 : The fighter plate of the last capital of these blind arcades shows an animal fighting and biting through the tangle of tendrils, a four-legged friend, perhaps a horse that helps people. The scene is interpreted as a call to vigilance. The capital presents a pilgrim trying to walk in the thicket of tendrils. He can be recognized by his shouldered pilgrim staff. The helping bird, a pigeon, clears the way for him. She thus becomes the spiritual guide of human steps.
Gallery capitals 15-19
Capital first floor, No. 15
Capital first floor, No. 16
Capital first floor, No. 18
Capital first floor, No. 19
See also
literature
- Thorsten Droste : Poitou, western France between Poitiers and Angoulême - the Atlantic coast from the Loire to the Gironde. DuMont Buchverlag, Cologne 1999, p. 220, ISBN 3-7701-4456-2 .
Web links
Coordinates: 45 ° 37 ′ 51.5 ″ N , 0 ° 51 ′ 18.1 ″ W.