St-Maurice (Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans)
The Catholic parish church of Saint-Maurice in Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans , a parish in the Ain department in the French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes , was opened in 11/12. Built in the 17th century in the Romanesque style. The church is dedicated to Saint Mauritius , the leader of the Thebaic Legion . It has frescoes that are believed to date from the 16th century. Since 1909, the church has been on the list of Monuments historiques as a protected architectural monument .
history
The history of the place Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans goes to the foundation of a Benedictine - Priory back as of a certificate of Conrad of peacemakers from the year 971 is evident. During this time the first church was built. The construction of the current church began towards the end of the 11th century. It is assumed that the building was completed at the beginning of the 12th century and that the church was consecrated around 1111 . The stones of the previous Carolingian building were reused in the new building . Between the 12th and 15th centuries the nave was extended to the west and again at the beginning of the 19th century. Since the building had become unstable as a result of these construction measures and the constant penetration of moisture, the south facade was reinforced by a mighty buttress that connects the old and new components with one another.
In 1959, during restoration work, wall paintings were discovered under a layer of plaster, which, due to their similarities with the tapestries of La Chaise-Dieu Abbey , are dated to the 16th century.
architecture
Exterior construction
The outer masonry consists largely of round-cut, golden-brown stones from the Ain river bed .
The square bell tower over the crossing was demolished during the French Revolution and had to be rebuilt in the 19th century. In the 19th century the west facade was also created with its arched portal and the oculus above.
In the east, three semicircular apses adjoin the transept . The middle, larger apse is pierced by three arched windows, the smaller side apses have no openings.
inner space
The nave of the church has been extended several times and is unusually long. It has a single nave and is covered with a barrel vault. The side walls of the original nave are divided into double arcades supported by narrow columns . The latter are decorated with capitals on which leaves, heads and fantasy beings are depicted.
The crossing opens seamlessly to the semicircular choir , which is spanned by a semi-dome. This rests on five arcades, each separated by a pair of columns. Two capitals are decorated with figurative figures. One capital depicts an eagle holding an animal in its claws, another two quadrupeds with the beaks of birds of prey.
Frescoes
Wall paintings have been preserved on the walls of the old nave, the southern transept and in the choir. On the dome of the main apse, Christ is depicted as the judge of the world in the middle of a mandorla , surrounded by the symbols of the evangelists. They emanate banners, but they are very faded.
In the southern apse the Annunciation scene can be seen, the Archangel Gabriel holds a banner with the words: "Ave Maria".
In the nave, some scenes were lost when windows were broken through. The fresco cycle begins on the north wall with the capture of Jesus and ends with the hanging of Judas on the opposite side. One scene depicts the meeting of the risen Christ with Mary Magdalene , another scene shows a naked man and a naked woman in the jaws of a monster.
Web links
- Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans Mairie de Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans (French, accessed January 22, 2018)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église Saint-Maurice in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans Mairie de Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans (French, accessed January 22, 2018)
Coordinates: 45 ° 49 ′ 17 " N , 5 ° 11 ′ 45" E