St-Jean-Baptiste (Jazeneuil)

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Saint-Jean-Baptiste church
Blind arcades on the apse

The Catholic Church Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Jazeneuil , a municipality in the department of Vienne in the French region Nouvelle-Aquitaine , was in the 12th century in the style of Romanesque built. The church on the bank of the Vonne is dedicated to John the Baptist . In 1883, the church was added to the list of architectural monuments in France as a Monument historique .

history

The church of Jazeneuil was originally a priory church of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Maixent-l'École . It was mentioned in writing as early as 681 in connection with the transfer of the relics of Saint Leodegar of Autun to the Saint-Léger church in Saint-Maixent-l'École. It was not until the new building in the 12th century that the church received its current patronage . In the 17th century, the northern arm of the transept, which served as a connection to the monastery buildings, was torn down. In the 19th century, a wide central nave and two narrow aisles were built on the site of the originally single- nave nave, vaulted in the style of the Romanesque churches of Poitou . In the years 1843/44 the sacristy was added to the north side of the choir .

architecture

Exterior construction

The squat, square bell tower, which has been renewed several times, rises above the crossing . In the two-storey apse structured by buttresses, five arched windows framed by archivolts and slender columns open up . Under each of the three middle windows there is a row of four high arcades that rest on pilasters , the capitals of which are decorated with flower buds, stylized leaves and a bull's head. The arcade arches are decorated with buds like the pilasters. The corbels under the roof are mainly sculpted with different animal and human heads. The transept and choir are covered with limestone slabs.

Capital on the west facade

West facade

Capitals on the west portal

The west facade is bordered on both sides by buttresses and is broken in the middle by a large ogival tracery window. The portal of the west facade is dated to the 12th century. It is embedded between two blind arcades and is framed by ten pillars on which four archivolts rest. The archivolts are decorated with geometric patterns, on the capitals of the columns, in addition to angels, griffins, human heads, foliage and winged four-legged friends, a person can be recognized who, as a symbol of avarice, has tied a filled bag around his neck that the devil is pulling on .

  • West portal

  • West portal

  • Capitals on the west portal

North portal

The portal on the north side of the nave is framed by two slender columns decorated with capitals and an archivolt with geometric motifs. On the left capital you can see stylized leaves, on the right capital a dragon is depicted. The fighters are also decorated with stylized foliage.

  • Fighter and capital on the north portal

  • North portal

  • Fighter and capital on the north portal

inner space

The three-aisled nave is divided into six bays . The crossing is spanned by a pendent dome , the southern transept is covered by a pointed barrel . The two yokes of the choir have cross ribbed vaults , the ribs of which are reinforced with strong bulges . The year 1164 is carved on the shaft of a column next to the door to the sacristy. The choir is illuminated by five arched windows, below which blind arcades are cut into the wall, each resting on two pilasters and two central columns with capitals.

  • capital

  • capital

  • Blind arcades in the choir

  • Columns under the crossing dome

Leaded glass window

Choir with modern windows

The central stained glass window in the choir depicts the baptism of Jesus . It was created in 1869 by the Guérithault brothers' stained glass workshop in Poitiers . The other two windows show the French King Louis the Saint with the crown of thorns and Saint Alodia, who is counted among the martyrs of Cordoba .

The large Gothic window on the west facade, which was renovated in 1994, was fitted with modern glazing created by Thierry Gilhodez using the fusing technique in 1999 . In 2005, more windows by the glass painters Michel Guevel and Jean-Jacques Fanjat were installed in the church, which have the baptismal water as a theme. They are intended to clarify the relationship between the church and its patron saint, John the Baptist, and to refer to the spring under the choir , which feeds the Saint-Macou fountain and the washhouse next to the church.

  • Baptism of Jesus

  • Louis the saint

  • Saint Alodia

literature

Web links

Commons : Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Jazeneuil)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)

Coordinates: 46 ° 27 '42.1 "  N , 0 ° 4' 12.7"  E