St-Etienne (Chambon-sur-Lac)

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Chambon-sur-Lac village church, from the west

The church of St-Étienne in Chambon-sur-Lac is located in the middle of the town and is of Romanesque origin from the 12th century.

The village is located in the valley floor of the Couze Chambon , west of the Lac-du-Chambon reservoir in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the Puy-de-Dôme department and about 35 km southwest of the city of Clermont-Ferrand on the eastern edge of the Monts Dore . One of the sights of Chambon is the Romanesque cemetery chapel , a central building with origins in the 10th century, which is valued by connoisseurs of the Auvergnat Romanesque . It is located in the higher cemetery on the northeastern outskirts, on the slope beyond the thoroughfare, about 200 meters from the church.

history

According to their humble sources, their origin is dated between the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century. Their original architectural style is indicated there as "Auvergnatischer Romanesque" (French Roman Auvergnat ). However, this statement must be questioned, at least with regard to the much more sophisticated sculpture of the Auvergnatian Romanesque of the main churches of Basse Auvergne or Limagne , such as the collegiate church of Notre-Dame du Port and the priory church of Saint-Nectaire (Puy-de-Dôme) as well as the one at the neighboring cemetery chapel.

The first patron to whom the church was consecrated is Saint Stephen (French: Saint Étienne ). It is the relief sculpture of a former tympanum - monolith dedicated later in the tympanum of the Gothic narthex has been used '.

The Romanesque construction section has the classic floor plan in the form of a Latin cross , consisting of a single nave , a transept with a separated crossing and two transept arms, a choir bay with a semicircular apse .

The interior of the two side chapel extensions of the third nave yoke are undoubtedly assigned to the Gothic style epoch (around the 14th century). The northern chapel has the only Gothic pointed arch window in the church.

The pointed spire was either in the Gothic style built, perhaps due to a low-pitched Romanesque spire. But it could also be of modern origin.

The dating of the two side extensions in the corners between the choir bay and the transept arms is uncertain. It is a sacristy and another adjoining room. They could also be of modern origin.

In the above sources it is reported that the ground level around the church has increased by 1.80 meters over the years. This was found on the basis of excavations in 1882, during which three slab floors were found, between which gravel rubble had piled up. The cause is attributed to the flooding of the village by the frequently swelling Couze mountain stream . This is probably also the main reason for the relocation of the cemetery from the church to the slope opposite.

Building

Chambon-sur-Lac village church, floor plan, hand sketch
Longhouse from SW

Outward appearance

With a few exceptions, all surfaces of the walls are coated with plaster in light gray to light beige tones. All components of the crossing tower are made of gray, occasionally to almost white, smooth stone , the masonry of medium-sized stones, walled up in regular layers of equal height. Also stone-see, but in clearly changing shades, from almost white to dark gray and in medium-sized formats, all buttresses, component corners, such as opening edges, parts of the walls of the narthex, choir yoke and choir apse are bricked. All decorations made by stonemasons , such as cornices, corbels, gable crosses and other sculptures, are stone- sighted and light gray .

Longhouse

The single-nave nave is covered under a gable roof with a roof pitch of around 45 degrees, which is covered with large-format gray slates with symmetrically rounded lower edges. The roof ridge is covered by an angular stone profile.

Longhouse and narthex
Crossing tower from SW

The subdivision of the ship into three bays is also recognizable from the outside by strong buttresses that reach under the eaves . Their front sides rise vertically up to a height of about two meters up to a slight recess, which is covered by a beveled transom profile. Above this, the depths of the pillars taper slightly to the steeply sloping tops of the pillars.

The eaves consist of horizontal cornice panels, the vertical visible sides of which are ornamented with a chessboard frieze . They lie on sturdy chipboard bricks , as they are known in the Basse Auvergne or the Limage , over which they are butted in the middle. The lower row of slate cladding is trimmed in a straight line and protrudes slightly over the cornice. From there the rainwater can drip off freely.

In the side walls of the nave bays one and two, a round arched window is cut out in the middle, the arches of which are covered by wedge stones. The wedge-shaped arches are followed on the outside by a cantilever profile with a roller frieze that swings horizontally at the level of the arch transitions and hits the buttresses.

The verges of the western gable wall extend a short distance beyond the roof surfaces and are covered by flat stone slabs that are covered like scales. On the side edges of this gable wall there are somewhat indented buttresses just like on the longitudinal walls, and reach up just below the verge covers. In the center of the gable wall, a circular window, a so-called “ ox eye ”, is cut out at about eaves height , which is framed all around by wedge stones. On the verge ridge stands the sculpture of the crowned Mother of God on a square plinth , with her arms outstretched pointing downwards. She wears a lush flowing robe.

In the third yoke, a Gothic chapel is built on each side of the nave, the slightly flatter pitched monopitch roofs directly connected to the eaves of the main roof. The pent roofs are covered with small-format, thinner slate shingles. Only in the wall of the northern chapel is there a Gothic pointed arched window with tracery . At the verge of the southern chapel there is a stone staircase that branches off at the top with a horizontal footbridge across to the tower, and then another staircase leads up to the bell-room of the tower.

In front of the gable wall of the nave there is a narthex, open at the front, in Gothic style, with a width that fits well between the buttresses. It is covered by a gable roof, with the same inclination and covering as that of the main roof. Here, too, the verges slightly protrude beyond the roof surfaces and are also covered with flat stone slabs. In the gable wall of the narthex, a slightly tapered round-arched opening is cut out over the entire inner width, which are marked at the arches of the spur profiles, which are led to the corners of the narthex. The course of the arch is profiled several times. The vestibule is covered by a four-part ribbed vault. The main portal into the church is framed by multi-tiered archivolts with semicircular profiles.

In the gable triangle of the narthex above the large opening there is the above-mentioned relief on a monolith reused here, with a roof-shaped bevel on the top, which depicts martyrdom , the stoning of St. Stephen *, the first patron of the church. The relief is dated to the 12th century and probably originally covered the portal of the church.

Saint Stephen (* approx. 1 AD; † approx. 36/40 AD) is a deacon of the early Jerusalem community in the New Testament . He is considered the first Christian martyr .

The knitted Contaminated with Nimbus recognizable as holy, kneeling hunched over on the left edge of the scene. Several of the stones thrown at him have piled up under and next to him. In the right half of the scene are five of the thieves, their faces facing the viewer, they are busy throwing the stones. An angel stands half to the left, recognizable by its spread wings and a nimbus. He keeps his arms spread sideways and also grabs stones in his hands that he has obviously defended against. With his right hand he touches the clasped hands of Stephen. The angel explains himself from Psalm 91: 11–12 EU . The presence of God the Father is shown in the middle as a blessing hand. In Bible texts it is narrated: Stephen commanded his spirit Jesus, sank on his knees and cried: "Lord, do not count this sin on them!"

Relief, Martyrdom of St. Stephen

On the ridge of the narthex gable is a stone cross that resembles a paw cross , but whose splayed arms are pointed at the ends. The cross arms are each decorated with a relief in the form of a lobed leaf.

The nave roof abuts directly against the base of the crossing tower, the chapel roofs against the western walls of the transept arms.

Transept with crossing tower

The roofs of the transept arms remain a considerable distance below those of the nave. They were built on rectangular ground plans, the width (in the longitudinal direction of the ship) is slightly larger than their depth. They are covered by gable roofs, with inclination, roofing, ridge covering and eaves formation as with the main roof. The eaves height is a little lower, the ridge height is only about half as high as that of the nave roof. The north and south side gable walls are designed similarly to the gable of the nave, but smaller. The verges of the gable are covered with smooth stone slabs, the outer overhangs of which are lined with simple roller friezes. At the lower end they come up against horizontal striker plates, which cover the buttresses facing east and west and whose overhang is supported by the well-known roller frieze. The buttresses on the gable walls are an extension of the eastern and western transept arm walls, reach about three quarters of the height of the eaves and are steeply sloping on the top. In the center of the gable walls of each of the transept arms there is a slender, round-arched window, the apex of which extends just above the height of the buttress top edge. The wedge stones of the arch are surrounded by a cantilever profile with the roller frieze, which bends horizontally at the ends of the arch and is led to the buttresses. On the roofs of the gable walls there is a paw cross with wide-spread arms on a rectangular base.

Choir head with transept from SO

The base of the crossing tower, which is rectangular in plan, has a clear recess on the north and south sides approximately at ridge height of the nave, which is steeply sloping on the top. A good distance above are the parapets of the slender, arched openings in the sound arcades of the bell chamber. There is one opening each on the south and north side, and two openings each on the east and west sides. They are formed by archivolts made of wedge stone arches with right-angled edges, which stand on two smooth quarter-round columns and are equipped with capitals carved from plants, profiled bases and square plinths . The archivolts are surrounded by the smooth-surfaced masonry of the tower made of mostly gray stone, which still extends a good bit over the top of the arch. The double windows are separated by a narrow wall pillar that is flush with the surface. The wedge stone arches are framed on the outside by cantilever profiles with roller friezes, which pivot horizontally at the arch ends and then meet at the tower corners. A parapet is open on the west side to allow access to the bell room. The sound arcades are equipped with slanted sound slats.

A good piece over the sound arcades protrudes all around a thick cornice board with a bevelled visible edge, which rests on strong planed chipboard bricks. The corbel spaces are decorated with incrustations . Immediately below it is a horizontal cantilever profile with a roller frieze. On the outer edge of the cornice is a flat stone parapet, which is broken through by narrow, narrow openings with a round arched cover. The top of the parapet is covered with a slightly protruding plate.

Slightly set back from the tower walls, smooth walls made of masonry rise all around, about twice as high as the parapet. There is a passage in the middle of each side. The upper edge of these walls is decorated with a tape of incrustations.

Choir head of O

Immediately on these walls rises the slender and pointed spire, a bold wooden construction that is covered with small-format, light blue slate. Its shape is in two parts. It consists of a rectangular pyramid with four sides inclined by about 45 degrees, the eaves of which protrude slightly all around. A second pyramid is placed over this pyramid, with eight very steeply sloping sides. The top is crowned by a simple metal cross and a weathercock .

Choir head

From the choir bay, with the outline of an elongated rectangle, you can only see the parts that protrude over the choir apse and the side extensions. These are very similar to those of the transept arms. There is again a gable roof and the slightly higher gable wall. The eaves made of cornice panels and chipboard bricks are arranged a little lower than those of the transept arms. A plain cantilever profile also runs under the chipboard bricks. Their roofs are about the same height. The verges with their cover plates, roller friezes that end on horizontal transom plates and the ridge crosses are almost identical. In the top of the gable wall a circular "ox eye" is cut out, with Gothic tracery in the form of a four-leaf clover . Round-arched windows will have been left open in the side walls of the choir bay from the creation of the side extensions.

Choir head from SO

The choir apse stands on a semicircular floor plan, the walls of which are somewhat indented to the gable wall of the choir bay and are closed on the top by the well-known eaves cornice made of cornice panels and chipboard bricks, under which a simple cantilever profile runs. The choir apse is covered by half a conical roof with the same covering as the nave. The apse walls were originally divided into three equally wide sections, separated by two buttresses, the steeply sloping tops of which end just below the corbels of the eaves cornice. In the middle of each of these sections there is a round arched window, the wedge stones of which are enclosed on the outside by cantilever profiles with roller friezes, which pivot horizontally at the arches and come up against the buttresses and the gable wall of the choir bay.

The two much younger additions in the corners between the choir bay and the arms of the transept stand on an almost square floor plan and are covered with much flatter roofs in the form of half-pyramid roofs covered with gray-blue slate. The lower row of slates protrudes slightly over a simple eaves cornice. Arched window openings are recessed on both walls.

Interior

Ship, crossing and choir

With very few exceptions, the surfaces of all components are plastered, coated and painted with light to brightly colored tones (see section on colored versions). The column shafts, capitals and spider plates in the nave are made of dark and light stone, so that they are visible as stone. The paint coatings in the nave and in the crossing are older and in large parts damaged by aging. The colored version of the transept arms and the choir are the result of current restorations.

Nave and chapels

The single nave is three rectangular in plan yokes long and is of ogival arches covered, the two strong and sharp transverse arches are separated. Immediately in front of the crossing wall there is a fourth, somewhat narrower belt arch. The belt arches are extended vertically downwards (stilted) by just under 1.50 meters at their lower ends. The ends of the arches are marked by fighters profiled on the inside . Only under the transom in the corner between the crossing wall and the south wall of the ship is there a capital-like bulge. The vertical belt pieces stand on a good two-meter-long, semicircular column shafts that carry massive plant-carved capitals that are covered with sturdy transom plates and the lower visible edges are beveled. In the corners between the crossing wall and the side walls of the ship, instead of the column with capital, there is a wall template with an almost square cross-section with a transom cover. In the corners between the west wall and the side walls there are also wall templates with fighters, but without lower chords.

Ship from crossing

The side walls of the ship are structured with three round arched blind arcades , the width of the belt arch spacing. The setbacks of the arcade arches, which are rectangular in cross-section, lead down to the floor behind the capitals and columns. Their apexes reach about as high as the capitals of the belt arch approaches. In the side walls of yokes one and two there is a round-arched window, the smooth walls and parapets of which are widened inward. A simply profiled cantilever profile runs just below the parapet edges. In the third yoke there are ogival openings to the chapels that were added later, the apex of which are approximately at the same height as the edge of the robes of the round-arched windows. Their reveals are simply profiled and stand on profiled bases and angular plinths.

The chapels have a slightly rectangular floor plan and are covered by four-part cross-ribbed vaults, which are united in circular keystones that are decorated with coats of arms in strong colors. The southern chapel is illuminated by a round-arched window, as in the first two nave bays. The northern chapel has a pointed arch window, which originally reached from just above the floor to just below the arch of the vaulted gusset and is decorated with Gothic tracery in the flamboyant style. The lower part of the window was later bricked up in the depth of the tracery, presumably because of the flooding of the mountain stream mentioned under “History” with debris.

Except for the continuation of the cantilever profile under the window parapets, the west wall of the ship has no decorative elements. The “ox eye” just below the top of the vault has inwardly flared walls. The arched portal on the outside has a horizontal lintel with an arched door . Just above the door lintel, an iron U-profile was built in as a horizontal tie in modern times to absorb lateral shear forces.

The east wall of the ship opens into the crossing with a large arched arcade. The arch is slightly stilted at the ends and stands on semicircular columns with capitals and fighters, in dimensions and appearance like those of the ship. Another wall pillar is inserted between the pillars and the extension of the inner surface of the nave wall. Above and to the side of the arched wedge stones, the east wall extends beyond the last belt arch. Between the apex of the round arch and the pointed girdle arch, a twin window opens into the crossing consisting of two very slender round-arched openings, which are separated by a smooth column, which is equipped with a simple leaf capital and a profiled spur and a base.

Transept with crossing

Crossing dome with coves

The crossing stands almost on the same large rectangular floor plan as the nave yokes. Its triumphal arcade to the choir has the same dimensions and design as that to the ship. The arcades to the arms of the transept are less wide and high, corresponding to the smaller side of the rectangle. Their arches are a little more stilted and stand on rectangular pillars with fighters on top, which are arranged a little higher than their neighbors. The crossing above the arcade arches is rather dark, as none of its four windows let in direct light from outside. The lower edge of the crossing dome is still a little above the apex of the twin window to the nave. Opposite it is a round-arched single window of almost the same height with sloping walls, which lets in a little light from the roof space above the choir bay, which is weakly illuminated by an externally visible "ox-eye". On each of the two short rectangular sides of the crossing there is a smaller round-arched window with sloping walls, which opens into the absolutely dark roof space of the transept arm.

Crossing, south arm of the transept

The crossing dome is composed of four quartered domes, in the four corners of the rectangle, between which halved barrel vaults with the same radii are inserted in two sections of different length on the four sides. The coves built into the corners underneath should lead from the quadrant shape of the “dome corners” to the right angles of the crossing. Here they consist of horizontal triangular stone slabs, over which arched niches with rounded backgrounds open.

The two arms of the transept have almost the same rectangular floor plan as the chapels. They are covered by semicircular barrel vaults, the radius of which is slightly larger than that of the crossing arcades. In each of the smooth gable walls of the transept arms, there is a slender, arched window with a sloping curtain on all sides.

Choir

Choir apse with dome

The choir yoke stands on a rectangular floor plan, the width of which is significantly narrower than that of the nave yokes. It is covered by a semicircular barrel with a slight stilt, the radius of which is slightly larger than that of the triumphal arch. The yoke is bounded to the east by a round arched arcade of clearly indented rectangular wall pillars and a slightly stilted arch of approximately the same cross-section, both of which are separated by a slightly cantilevered and profiled spire. In the side walls there are doors to the two almost square side rooms that were added much later.

Behind the aforementioned arcade, the choir apse, which has a semicircular floor plan, joins with a slight setback, the wall of which merges seamlessly into the semicircular dome of the apse. A base about 30 centimeters high runs around the apse, on the inside flush with the lower edge of the dome.

There are three arched windows in the walls with smooth, inwardly widened walls. The two outer windows have slightly sloping parapets, the inner edges of which are about twice as high as the base. The side walls of the central window reach down to the base. A parapet is inserted between these walls, the inside of which increasingly recedes towards the top of the soffit. This parapet is significantly higher than that of the neighboring windows.

Choir apse, arcades on the right outside

Five arched arcades are erected on the plinth above the floor, with two additional half-arcades on the sides of the apse, all of which are interconnected. The three open arcades in front of the window openings are slightly wider than the closed blind arcades. Accordingly, the arches in front of the windows are slightly higher than those of the blind arcades. The arches, which are almost square in cross-section, each unite over a smooth round column, which is equipped with mostly vegetable-carved capitals, strong transom plates with beveled visible edges, and profiled bases, some with angular plinths. The backs of the blind arcade niches run through behind the columns, up to the edges of the windows and over their parapets.

Color of the interior

Ship to the choir

Nave and chapels

The last coat of paint on all internal plaster surfaces was uniformly white. Under the flaking off, sometimes other shades of earlier layers appear, predominantly yellow, and sometimes dark green algae. The vaulted surfaces are adorned with small dark-colored rosettes and lobed leaves that are alternately divided into an invisible square grid. A wide yellow band runs along the vaulted ridge, on which geometric patterns can hardly be seen. The curved vaulted surfaces are delimited on all sides by dark painted lines. On the belt arches, without their vertical stilts, the joints of wedge stones are painted as dark lines. On the two belt arches next to the third yoke, remains of painted ornaments from an older layer can be seen faintly. The east wall to the crossing and the west wall are painted with the same lines with a masonry bond. The arches of the blind arcades of the longitudinal walls, the edges of the windows and the arch of the wall to the crossing are painted with wedge stone joints, which are widened T-shaped on the outside.

In the northern chapel there is a painted brickwork on a yellow background, the vertical joint of which consists of double lines. The cross ribs are multi-colored, the vaulted gussets are tinted in a plain gray, as are the window frames on which the joints are painted. The coating on the walls in the southern chapel is badly damaged.

Crossing and transept arms

The older, not yet renovated color coating can only be found in the transept on the inside and the vault. The surface of the dome in particular is badly damaged. The basic color of the last coating was probably white or light yellow, as in the nave. Due to the damage, a stronger yellow shimmers from the older layer. Furthermore, a grid of darker squares shimmers through, separated by lighter stripes.

In the middle of the dome is a circular lid that closes the hole for transporting the bell. It is painted in dark shades of green and red. A pointed rosette is enclosed by a bead with serrated ornaments and shows a small spoked wheel in the center. The lid is surrounded by a wreath painted in brownish red, from which twelve pointed needles extend in a star shape, from which two short prongs spread out on both sides. The rest of the dome is covered with small four-leaf clover leaves in an irregular grid.

The lower edge of the dome is marked by two parallel lines, above the coves and windows. Their edges are set off with strong brown-red lines. These lines swivel horizontally at the level of the lower wall edges of the windows to meet in the crossing corners. Between these lines and the lower edge of the dome, a pattern of rectangular panels with bevelled corners is painted, each with a small rosette in the middle. Not far below are the apices of the crossing arcade arches. The insides of which are painted with wedge stone joints that spread out in a T-shape on the outside.

Choir apse with arcade wreath

The restored transept arms are primed in yellowish tones, the vault surface and the wall surface above the soffit are significantly lighter. The lower vault transition is marked by two parallel lines that run up to the edges of the reveal. The round edge of the reveal and the rounded vault along the gable wall are each accompanied by two parallel lines that are ornamented with jagged edges and dots. Above the crown of the garment is an ornament consisting of a cross over an M with spiral "legs". The wall and vault surfaces are covered by a grid of small rosettes.

Choir

The subsurface of the walls of the choir bay is colored white, with the painting with red joints of a large-format masonry association. In the area of ​​the arch curvature, the layer format becomes thinner and the butt joints are marked as double lines.

Wall pillars Chorjoch, north side

The arcade towards the choir apse is again completely subdivided into "stone layers", which are alternately colored in red, yellow and black.

The apse calotte is closed at the bottom by a dark red-black band about a meter wide, which is bordered by two broad dark lines. On the top line, circles are lined up with U-shaped white shields hanging from them. The remaining part of the ribbon is filled with three strips of black rosettes.

The surface of the dome is primed white over this band. It is structured like a ribbed vault, which is divided by painted cross ribs. They meet in a four-leaf "keystone" in the shape of a clover leaf, with a square set on the corner. The "vault gussets" are filled with evenly divided dark six-pointed asterisks.

The arcade frieze set up around the apse is decorated in strong colors. The arcade arches are painted in different color combinations in red-black-yellow. The column shafts are sometimes black, sometimes yellow or red and white, or alternately painted in V-shaped stripes. The side edges of the window reveals are painted with alternating red and black "corner stones".

Inner capital sculpture

The quality of the capitals remains far below that of the sculpture of the main churches of the Auvergnat Romanesque, known and typical for this region. Most of the capitals show vegetal structures and are often badly damaged. Few show beautiful large-leaved structures.

There are only two capitals with figural sculptures, with very shallow reliefs:

Capital on the southern edge of the choir apse:

  • The familiar scene with the two griffins is presented on the front, but not four-legged here, drinking together from a goblet . They grip the stem of the chalice with their claws.
  • The left side shows a winged dragon playing on a harp.
  • On the right side a person is shown whose head is covered by the hood of a monk's robe and an open book is presented on his chest, perhaps the holy scriptures.

Capital north side of the nave between yoke 1 and 2:

On all sides you can see people and faces of different sizes standing frontally, sometimes one hand raised in greeting. You will find some flowers and blossoms distributed completely randomly. The presentation is quite naive.

High cross next to the church

Hochkreuz next to the church

A stone high cross has been erected on the square next to the church, which according to sources is said to date from the 15th century. Among the Christian cross shapes , it is known as the "Celtic Cross". It is made of dark gray basalt and is built on a cubic base, made of the same material. The actual cross stands on a smooth column with a round base that is profiled with two beads. This in turn stands on an angular plinth that merges into the curve of the base at the upper edge. Above the base, an iron band with four anchors encloses the foot of the shaft, which suggests that the shaft and base are separate parts.

The cross has a circular base, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the shaft below. The cross arms have slightly right-angled cross-sections, the edges of which are broken by narrow quarter bars. The lower cross arm is a bit longer than the other three. The arms are closed at the ends with wider rectangular plates with creeper petals closing around the corners.

Celtic cross

The cross arms are pierced a little in front of their ends by a circular ring with an approximately square cross-section, the sides of which are slightly fluted. More leaves crawl on the outer sides of the ring and the front of the horizontal cross arm.

In front of the lower arm of the cross stands a Madonna in a foot-length robe with her feet on the head of an angel (?) With pageboy hair. She herself wears shoulder-length hair and a magnificently designed crown. In her arms lies the infant Jesus, wrapped in diapers. His head was cut off. Above the crown, the upper body of an angel rises up with outstretched wings, who seems to be propped up with his arms on the crown. He's also missing his head.

Web links

Commons : St-Étienne (Chambon-sur-Lac)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

literature

  • Older information sheet, handwritten, hung in the church (see discussion).
  • Anonymous: Art Roman Massif Central. 159 p., Chamina, Clermont-Ferrand 2004.

Coordinates: 45 ° 34 ′ 15.4 "  N , 2 ° 53 ′ 54.4"  E