St-Pierre-aux-Liens (Varenne-l'Arconce)

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West facade of the church
View of the church from the northeast
Tympanum of the south portal with Agnus Dei

The church of Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens ("St. Peter in Chains") is a former Romanesque priory church , later a parish church , in the commune of Varenne-l'Arconce in the Saône-et-Loire department in the historical region of Burgundy ( France ), which was built at the beginning of the 12th century. The church building was placed under monument protection as Monument historique as early as 1889 .

history

The church of Varenne-l'Arconce, located in the old cultural landscape of the Brionnais, is under the patronage of the legend St. Peter ad Vincula of the apostle Simon Peter . The church came to the Cluny monastery from 1045 and before 1095 was subordinated to the priory of Marcigny . By 1130 at the latest, Varenne developed into an independent priory of Cluny. The remaining monastery buildings were probably destroyed during the Huguenot Wars in the 16th century.

architecture

Outside

The west portal, embedded in a slightly projecting central projection, shows an unadorned tympanum under several profiled archivolts . The second floor above the portal is emphasized by two horizontal cornices and adorned by columns and fluted pilasters ; these frame a strongly sloping central window. There is also a window in the gable .

The two-storey crossing tower , which opens more strongly towards the top, is covered by a pyramid roof. All four sides of the tower are framed by half-columns in front.

The tympanum of the south portal is a right, 'representation of five flower rosettes surrounded primitive Easter lamb decorated. The lamb's head is turned back; his gaze is fixed on a cross. The otherwise completely unadorned gate used to be used by monks to enter the church from the enclosure area .

Inside

The lit by windows in the aisles, in the cross-arms, in the choir and in the western facade Church of Varenne has a three schiffiges nave with three yokes , a transept without apses and a semi-circular apse , of a choir bay is upstream. The non-exposed through their own window nave with the aisles with pointed arches connected on pillars with upstream half columnar seated. The central nave, the transverse arms and the choir are covered with pointed barrel vaults and the side aisles with groin vaults. One on squinches dormant dome covering the transept . In the apse vaulted by a semi- dome, there is a five-part round arched arcature above columns with carved capitals .

Romanesque crucifix

Furnishing

The church has several protected items of equipment:

  • An approximately 1.75 meter high, thorn-crowned crucifix in the 'four-nail type' probably dates from the 11th or 12th century. The slenderness or elongation of the body and limbs (legs, arms, hands, fingers) should be emphasized. Despite the depicted death of Christ on the cross, the figure - like many Romanesque crucifixes - exudes great majesty and dignity. The crucifix was included in the inventory of the Monuments historiques .
  • Two smaller, from the 16th century, wooden statues of St. Rochus and Cosmas are also recognized as worthy of protection. Other figures kept in the church are St. Antony , St. Dionysius and St. Sebastian .
  • A church bell from 1533 is another valuable object.

literature

  • Église de Varenne-l'Arconce (leaflet published by the Center International d'Études des Patrimoines Culturels en Charolais-Brionnais (CEP) in Saint-Christophe-en-Brionnais)
  • Henri Nicolas: Églises Romanes du Brionnais. La Taillanderie, Bourg-en-Bresse 2000, ISBN 2-87629-155-X .
  • Raymond Oursel: Les Églises Romanes de l'Autunois et du Brionnais, Cluny et sa région. Protat, 1956, ISBN 2-73480-044-6 .
  • Liliane Schneiter: Le Brionnais, Églises Romanes. Geneva 1967.

Web links

Commons : Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens (Varenne-l'Arconce)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Église Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens, Varenne-l'Arconce in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  2. ↑ Christ en bois, Varenne-l'Arconce in the Base Palissy of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  3. ↑ Saint-Roch, Varenne-l'Arconce in the Base Palissy of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  4. ↑ Saint-Cosme, Varenne-l'Arconce in the Base Palissy of the French Ministry of Culture (French)

Coordinates: 46 ° 20 ′ 18 ″  N , 4 ° 9 ′ 30 ″  E