St-Pierre-St-Paul (Montceaux-l'Étoile)
The small parish church of Saints Pierre et Paul stands in the middle of the eastern French community of Montceaux-l'Étoile in the Saone-et-Loire department in the Burgundy region , a good four kilometers east of the upper reaches of the Loire . The modest country church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul . It consists of a barrel-vaulted nave hall , a tower-lofted front yoke , a semicircular choir apse and a later added burial chapel and sacristy. Its art historical importance is based almost exclusively on the rich sculptural decoration of its step portal . The church building has been recognized as a monument historique since 1893 .
History
The name Montceaux referred to a small mountain in Old French and is derived from the Latin " monticullum ". The place received the nickname " l'Etoile " in the 17th century on the occasion of the marriage of the noble house Fougères , owners of the lordship " l'Etoile " in Ligny-en-Brionnais , with that of Saint-Georges in Montceaux . In the Middle Ages, services in the church of Montceaux , attached to the parish of Versaugues , were carried out by monks from the Anzy-le-Duc priory. The parish only became independent in 1669, but remained subordinate to the prior of Anzy-le-Duc, who was the ruler of the church, but had to share the rulership rights over the parish with the landlord ( seigneur ) of the place.
The very little information about the church in the known sources is limited to the dating of the building. The church was built in the High Romanesque period , around 1130 to 1140. Its apse was broken open in 1777 in order to build a burial chapel for the master of the place, Abel de Vichy and his wife, Claudine de Saint-Georges , to extend. The sacristy is also a later addition. The barrel vault above the nave was renewed in the 19th century.
Building
Approximate dimensions , taken from the drawing and extrapolated (without pillar templates)
- Overall length, outside: 27.70 m
- Length of the Romanesque church, outside: 20.50 m
- Length of the ship, outside: 14.40 m
- Width of the ship, outside: 7.60 m
- Width of the front yoke, outside: 7.10 m
- Length of the ship, inside: 12.40 m
- Width of the ship, inside: 5.40 m
- “Length” of the front yoke, inside: 2.00 m
- “Width” of the front yoke, inside: 5.30 m
- Apse depth, inside: 2.40 m
- Sacristy, inside. 1.90 x 2.10 m
- Width burial chapel, outside: 6.50 m
- Sepulcher chapel, inside: 5.00 × 6.90 m
The structure is oriented almost exactly to the east.
Outward appearance
The Romanesque church is mainly of medium-sized building stones in irregular Association bricked, the component corners, opening boundaries and buttresses made of cut stones larger format. The Romanesque builders used a particularly beautiful, gold-ocher-colored limestone , which comes into its own in the light of the setting sun.
The later additions only have such stones at component corners, opening limits and wall pillars; the wall surfaces in between have been provided with wall plaster tinted slightly ocher .
Longhouse
The single-nave nave stands on the ground plan of an elongated rectangle and is covered by a gable roof inclined at around 35 degrees , which is covered with red roof tiles in Roman format, also known as monk-nun tiles.
The eaves on the long sides of the nave consist of sturdy eaves cornice panels , the visible edges of which are profiled with a large beveled cove and narrow quarter bars . They are supported by chipboard bricks , which are sometimes decorated with sculptures such as heads, animals, mythical creatures, etc. The lower row of roof tiles protrudes slightly over the edge of the eaves and allows the rainwater to drip off freely.
The longitudinal walls are divided into three wall sections or yokes by four buttresses , which are right-angled in the floor plan , but which do not mark an inner structure here. The buttresses are steeply sloping towards the top and reach below the eaves corbels. Round-arched windows are recessed in the upper halves of the wall sections, the walls of which are flared outwards. In the third yoke on the south side you can see in the masonry bond - slightly off-center to the west - a former round-arched doorway that was later walled up flush with the wall. In any case, the Romanesque church had a second doorway next to the main portal, presumably an old direct connection to the former cemetery or the non-preserved enclosure area .
Gallery longhouse
Longhouse by S
Longhouse of N
Longhouse eaves cornice
Eaves cornice
facade
The facade of the church closes off the nave to the west. Its gable wall is as wide as the nave, but protrudes with its sloping ends at a slightly steeper slope and increasing slightly upwards, over the gable roof surfaces. These tops are covered with flat stone slabs that protrude slightly at the sides. The covers end on the wall ends on cantilever cornices.
The gable ridge is crowned by a magnificent stone cross, reminiscent of Carolingian wattle. The wickerwork forms a square and ends on each of its four sides in cross arms made of outwardly rolled up tendrils of the wickerwork. Such wattle can be found on the roofs of the choir head of Notre-Dame-du-Port de Clermont-Ferrand and by a window of the village church of St-Pierre de Fenioux .
On both edges of the gable wall, weakly bulging buttresses protrude, the bevelled upper sides of which are approximately level with the lower edges of the bevels on the pillars of the longitudinal walls.
Not far above the main portal of the church, a round arched window is cut out, the walls of which are strongly widened outwards.
On the masonry surfaces of the facade you can see the incised contour of the gable roof or hipped roof of a former vestibule, with about the same roof pitch as the gable tops. It was as wide as the longhouse and partially covered the window mentioned above.
Main portal
The sculptural decoration of the main portal is the real attraction of this building. Slender columns with sculpted capitals , wide, protruding, profiled transom plates and sculpted bases, on angular plinths and rounded plinths are set in large, lateral wall recesses that are rectangular in plan . The transom profile extends a little beyond the brickwork edge of the back offset. On top of these fighters are semicircular archivolts made of three thicker and two slimmer round bars . These are covered by a cantilever profile. Short pieces of wall protrude behind the pillars on both sides of the rectangular portal opening, reaching up to the lower edge of the capitals. At this height, the portal opening is closed off horizontally by the tympanum . At the upper end of the door reveals , capital-like consoles with sculptures emerge, which are covered by striker plates.
The door lintel and the tympanum field rise above it in the form of a stilted semicircle made from a single block of stone.
This shows the ascension of Christ in two zones . The Son of God depicted with a crutch cross (top left) and a cross nimbus stands in a mandorla carried by floating angels . His robe flutters, like that of the two angels, and you think you can feel the wind that is created by the upward movement. Underneath , the comparatively small figures of the apostles, Mary and an angel appear, with moving gestures and backed by nimben. Here, too, the themes of Ascension and Maiestas Domini , i.e. departure and return, are linked. An almost touching detail is the figure of Peter with his huge key. In its freshness and liveliness, this scene is a true masterpiece of Romanesque stonemasonry.
The iconographical and stylistically closest parallels can be found in the almost same age tympanum of the priory church Ste-Trinité d'Anzy-le-Duc , the tympanum of the church in Saint-Julien-de-Jonzy and the two north tympana of the abbey church of St-Fortunat in Charlieu . In the scenes of the Ascension there, too, a figure style emerges from the side portals of the abbey church of Ste-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay , which is characterized by the combination of a three-dimensional conception of the body and a rather graphically determined dressing. The distinctive detachment of the lively acting figures from the relief ground in the common model can also be seen in both tympana. In Montceaux-l'Etoile, this is particularly evident in the figure of Christ, who appears almost fully sculpted in front of the mandorla.
The capitals on the pillars show figurative sculptures. On the left is the fight of a warrior, naked except for a pair of shorts, with an unidentifiable being, while on the right an angel (with a nimbus) points the viewer to the representation of the tympanum.
On the left console in the reveal, an angel in chain mail is fighting a monster writhing on the floor with a raised sword. On the right is a winged creature with a human head and clawed feet.
The two-leaf wooden door is decorated with artistically forged hinges.
Gallery portal capitals and consoles
Portal capital on the right
Portal capital on the left
Console right
Console on the left
Front yoke and bell tower
The short tower-lofted Vorjoch, also Chorjoch, is still enclosed by the original side walls, almost exactly as an extension of the nave walls. The small monopitch roofs next to the tower and their eaves are slightly lower than the adjoining gable roofs of the nave and the eastern extensions. The eaves rest on cantilever consoles similar to those of the nave. Rectangular windows are recessed in the southern and northern outer walls, which are covered by small arches . They are probably the later replacement for formerly smaller round-arched windows. Its enlargement was supposed to compensate for the windows that were formerly in the apse, which have been omitted due to the addition of the burial chapel. The two-storey bell tower has a square floor plan, the dimensions of which, starting from the tower base, remain unchanged. The tower base, which is closed on all sides, protrudes just above the ridge of the nave and is closed off by a broad cantilever profile with a narrow outer edge. The first floor has a large round arched arcade on each side, in each of which a twin sound arcade is cut out. Its two semicircular arches stand together on a pair of pillars, which are equipped with carved capitals, profiled fighters and bases. The arches stand on the outside on profiled spars of the soffits. The top of the storey is covered with the same cantilever profile as with the tower base. The second tower floor is about the same height as the first. Instead of a blind arcade, a large rectangular niche is let into each side, in which the same sound arcade as on the floor below is recessed. The upper edge of the niche is divided into five small arched arcades that stand up on simply carved cantilever consoles. In the lateral extension of these arcades, approximately equally small arcade niches are embedded in the remaining narrow wall sections. The upper storey is closed all around by a protruding profiled eaves cornice. The wooden spire has the shape of a steep-walled four-sided pyramid, the sides of which are somewhat exposed in the lower area. The roof surfaces, covered with red tile shingles, protrude slightly above the eaves. On the top of the tower is a simple, delicate cross made of metal with a three-dimensional weathercock .
Choir apse and sacristy
The choir apse, which is almost complete inside, can no longer be seen from the outside in connection with the eastern extension of the burial chapel and the sacristy on the north side. The wall sections covering the apse on the south and north sides are flush with the surface in the extension of the outer walls of the Vorjoch. This section of the building is covered by a gable roof, which is continued over the extension of the burial chapel. The roof covering corresponds to that of the nave. The eaves cornice corresponds to that of the burial chapel.
On the south side there is a small wicket door that opens up a staircase to the bell tower. Two small slit-like windows illuminate this stairwell. A small sacristy building on a slightly rectangular floor plan has been added on the north side at the level of the choir apse. It is covered by a gable roof, the ridge of which remains well below the eaves of the burial chapel. The roof is hipped on the north side. The roof covering corresponds to that of the nave. On the east and west walls of the sacristy there is a small rectangular window with an arch.
Burial chapel
The burial chapel of the local aristocracy, which was added in the 18th century, stands on a rectangular floor plan that is about 60 centimeters narrower than the front yoke. It was built directly onto the choir apse and connected to it with a wall opening. The pitch and roof of the gable roof correspond to that of the nave. The eastern head end of the gable roof is hipped. The wide, multi-profiled eaves cornice is sloping upwards. The lower rows of roof tiles protrude slightly over the cornice. On the south and north walls of the chapel, roughly in the middle of the wall, a strong, rectangular buttress is built up to below the eaves, around which the eaves are led. A small stone pylon rises above the pillars from the roof surfaces , in a baroque design. A post that is square in plan tapers steeply upwards, is crowned with a ball and is notched all around in the lower area. On both sides of the buttresses, a rectangular window with arched arches is cut out. On the south side there is a door under the east window, which is also covered with an arched arch.
Interior
The component surfaces of the nave are covered with smooth wall plaster and colored snow-white. The front yoke, the choir apse and the burial chapel are also plastered white, but decorated with patterns, profiles, ridges and other stucco decorations that are reminiscent of the Baroque period.
Longhouse
The nave is based on an elongated rectangle and is covered over its entire length with a barrel vault, which merges from the side walls without a break. A large arcade opens in the east wall, the round arches of which are supported by lateral wall templates, from which sturdy combatant profiles protrude, which are led to the outer walls. These are supported on the ship-side edges of the wall templates by columns with carved capitals, profiled bases and plinths, which are set in corresponding setbacks of the templates. In the side walls of the ship, three arched windows are recessed in the upper wall area, the walls and balustrades of which are widened inward. A similar window is let into the west wall just below the crown of the vault. The rectangular main portal is covered by a stilted round arched niche that corresponds to the outer tympanum. The window walls are decorated with painted stone, which are led around the edges of the opening on all sides. The arch above the door has painted wedges.
A black litre funéraire (mourning ribbon) is painted on the entire length of the north wall immediately below the edges of the window parapets, in which some coats of arms of the former rulers of the village are inserted.
Vorchorjoch and choir apse
The sanctuary of the Romanesque church consists of a choir bay and the choir apse . It is separated from the ship by a waist-high wrought iron grille. The choir yoke stands on a transversely stretched rectangular floor plan and is covered by a ribbed vault, in the center of which a circular, colored medallion is inserted. It covers the equally circular opening that is cut out for vertical transport of bells, tools and building materials. A relatively large rectangular window with a flat arch is cut out in a round-arched blind arcade in both side walls. The windows illuminate both the yoke and the apse. All arch approaches are marked with fighter profiles. The floor of the choir bay is one step above that of the nave.
A large round arched arcade, the triumphal arch , opens out of the front yoke into the former choir apse, which completes the apse rounding and the vaulted dome. The rounding of the apse is only incomplete. In the 18th century it was opened to a third of its outline with a large round arched arcade to connect the church with the then new chapel. Their arches are also marked by strong fighter profiles. On the remaining lateral parts of the apse rounding, two round-arched blind arcades are embedded above a roughly one meter high base, the depth of which tapers from the outside to the inside. The arches each rest together on a column with a capital, spire and base that stands on the plinth.
The blind arcade facing south-east still contains the original small round-arched window with inwardly widened walls and steeply sloping parapets. However, no daylight falls through the window, as it is covered by the staircase that was added later and leads to the bell tower. In the north facing arcade, diagonally opposite, a rectangular doorway to the sacristy annex was broken. The former window in the northeastern blind arcade has been bricked up.
In the apex of the half-dome there is a semicircular medallion with colored frames. Various profiles, which belong to the baroque design with stucco ornaments , rise centrally from the edge of the dome . The floor of the choir apse is one step higher than that of the choir bay. A massive stone altar table stands on it , in lavishly curved baroque forms on all sides.
Burial chapel
The burial chapel is on the plan of a rectangle with slightly rounded corners. Its baroque design contrasts with that of the Romanesque nave. It is covered by a six-part ribbed vault, in the apex of which a large, colored oval medallion is attached, which is reminiscent of the keystone of cross vaults . It depicts an open sky with numerous winged putti . The medallion is surrounded by a profile of round bars and throats, which is decorated with all kinds of plant tendrils.
In the corners of the room and in the middle of the longitudinal walls, pillars are faded in, the surfaces of which are slightly rounded in the floor plan. They are closed about 2.50 meters above the ground with equally rounded transom profiles. From each of the six pillars, two ridges rise to the central oval, at a distance that begins in the width of the pillar and tapers conically upwards to halfway. The stucco surface is slightly rounded between the pairs of ridges. The vault gussets meet the outer walls with semicircular shield arches , the apex of which is approximately at the level of the central vault apex.
In the longitudinal walls, just below the two shield arches, a rectangular window with flat arched arches is cut out, the walls of which are widened inward. A rectangular doorway with a flat arch is let in under the eastern window of the south wall.
literature
- Thorsten Droste : Burgundy. Monasteries, castles, historic cities and the culture of viticulture in the heart of France. 3rd updated edition. DuMont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2003, ISBN 3-7701-4166-0 , pp. 161–162.
- Rolf Tomann (Ed.): Burgundy. Architecture, art, landscape. Text by Ulrike Laule. Photographs by Achim Bednorz. Könemann, Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-8290-2707-9 , p. 233.
Web links
- Montceaux-l'Étoile, church - photos + brief information
- St-Pierre-St-Paul (Montceaux-l'Étoile). In: arch INFORM .
- Montceaux-l'Étoile, church - photos + brief information (French)
- Montceaux-l'Étoile, church - photos + info (in French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul, Montceaux-l'Étoile in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
Coordinates: 46 ° 21 ′ 4.9 " N , 4 ° 2 ′ 41.9" E