Prieuré St-Nicolas (Civray)

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Former priory church of St Nicolas of Civray in Poitou. The towering baroque hood of the octagonal crossing tower with two lantern attachments arranged one above the other , which can be interpreted as a national emblem, was made by carpenters and then slated on by roofers.

The former priory church Prieuré St-Nicolas de Civray is one of the most architecturally significant churches of the Poitevine building school. It is located in the small town of Civray in the Vienne department ( Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ). The church has been recognized as a monument historique since 1840 .

Building history

Written documents on the building history have not been preserved; Stylistically, however, the Romanesque church building by St-Nicolas can be assigned to the 12th century. It belonged to the property of the St-Junien Abbey of Nouaillé , located just 45 kilometers to the north, and is dedicated to St. Nicholas , the - also very popular in the West - Bishop of Myra (Asia Minor). The building has been classified as a Monument historique since 1840 . In the years 1842/43 extensive restoration and safety work was carried out, during which the entire facade was removed stone by stone, which led to the collapse of the first nave yoke. During the reconstruction, a tympanum was added to the main portal, although this actually does not correspond to the tradition of the Poitevine building school. The side turrets above the facade are also ingredients of the 19th century, but are in line with Poitevinian building traditions.

architecture

facade

Civray, St-Nicolas - facade

Together with the facade of Notre-Dame-la-Grande in Poitiers, the design of the west facade of St-Nicolas is one of the most beautiful and richest in Poitou , despite some destruction in the Huguenot Wars and the Revolution . The facade is overall wider (approx. 19 m) than high (approx. 14 m). Striking and unusual in Poitou is the lack of a pediment triangle; the resulting increased horizontality and monumentality of the building suggests a Roman city gate rather than a church. A horizontal cornice in the middle divides the facade into two storeys; vertical elements ( bundles of services or individual services ) can only be found on the sides or in the upper level, but take a back seat to the strong horizontality of the building, which is underlined by a further cornice at the top of the facade.

Lower level

Civray, St-Nicolas - Portal with 4 archivolts (12th century) and tympanum (19th century)

The middle of the lower level is occupied by the multi-stepped main portal ( step portal ), to the side there are two equally dimensioned portal-like blind arcades that are further subdivided. While the arches of the side portals are predominantly decorated with ornaments, the most important and comprehensive figurative decorations can be found in the archivolts of the central portal: the innermost one shows Christ in a mandorla in the middle , with the 4 evangelists to the side ; above Christ as bridegroom and on his right the 5 wise virgins, on his left the 5 foolish virgins (see parable of the wise and foolish virgins ; Matthew 25: 1–13 EU ). In the third arch, in the middle, Mary can be seen in a mandorla, who is lifted up into heaven by angels ( Assumption of the Virgin ); the outer arch shows the 12 signs of the zodiac and the associated monthly work (see monthly pictures ).

Upper level

The structure of the lower level is repeated on the upper floor; the three arcades are a little less graduated, but there was once a rich program of figures: in the left arcade with its arch ( archivolt ) made up of 18 musicians with various instruments, remains of an equestrian statue can still be seen; Such riders are also found in several churches in the area: St-Hilaire de Melle , St-Pierre d'Aulnay , St-Pierre in Parthenay -le-Vieux and St-Pierre in Airvault . The central arcade contains a window with the apostles Peter and Paul on one side. Knights with large shields, the tips of which are stuck in the body of serpentine monsters (cf. St-Pierre d'Aulnay); the scene is to be interpreted as a struggle of good ( miles christianus ) against evil. In the upper part of the right arcade there are four figures with books and scrolls in their hands - possibly the 4 evangelists; Below on the left St. Nicholas and in the middle the three virgins, whom he saved from prostitution with three golden balls as dowry. The arch shows ten large figures with scrolls, books and musical instruments - they are probably elders from the Apocalypse (4.1–8 EU ). It is noteworthy that the head of the upper right figure had to be cut off for reasons of space.

church

The interior of the church presents itself as a three-aisled hall church with a transept and three apses; the middle apse is somewhat elongated and therefore more dominant than the two on the side. The nave of the church has 4 bays. The capital decoration consists mainly of vegetable motifs and mythical creatures, on a capital you can see Cain killing his brother Abel with an ax. Unfortunately, because of the painting that covers all the components, hardly anything can be seen. The windows of the octagonal tower ( lantern tower ), which are raised by a drum, bring only little light into the interior of the building.

Painting

In the south transept, medieval frescoes were discovered in 1847, telling scenes from the life of Saint Gilles . Large parts of the painting from 1865 are by Amédée Brouillet , who used the church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande in Poitiers as a guide during his - certainly arduous - work .

Choir head

A look at the head of the choir makes the dominance of the octagonal crossing tower - hardly recognizable from the facade side - clear. Its lower windows illuminate the crossing area; the upper windows serve as sound openings for the bells. The tower dome with its two lanterns arranged one on top of the other dates from the baroque period, but was renewed in the 20th century; it has very likely replaced a medieval pointed helmet.

The three choir chapels, arranged side by side, show a careful stone work and are vertically structured by half-column templates. The central apse, which is extended by a yoke, is surrounded by a band with a diamond rod. The dovecote ( pigeonnier ) in the masonry on the south side of the main apse is extremely unusual for a church building.

gallery

  • St-Nicolas - upper right blind arcade, evangelists

  • St-Nicolas - Choir chapel with dovecote and side chapel

  • St-Nicolas - Fresco in the south transept, St-Gilles (13th century)

  • St-Nicolas - Apse fresco, Mary in the mandorla surrounded by praying angels (19th century)

meaning

In addition to the church facades of Notre-Dame-la-Grande de Poitiers , St-Hilaire de Melle and St-Pierre d'Aulnay , the west facade of St-Nicolas in Civray is one of the most important artistic creations of the Romanesque in Poitou.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Église Saint-Nicolas, Civray in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)

literature

  • Thorsten Droste : The Poitou. Western France between Poitiers and Angoulême - the Atlantic coast from the Loire to the Gironde. DuMont, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-7701-4456-2 , p. 153.

Web links

Commons : Prieuré St-Nicolas (Civray)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 46 ° 8 '53.2 "  N , 0 ° 17' 48.8"  E