St-Quiriace (Provins)
The Roman Catholic collegiate church of Saint-Quiriace in Provins , a town in the Seine-et-Marne department in the French region of Île-de-France , was begun in the 12th century in the Romanesque style . It was planned to be larger than the Cathedral of Sens and almost as large as the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris , but it was never completed. The church consists only of the choir with ambulatory , a transept and two longhouse subjugate . In 1840 the church was as a protected monument in the list of Monuments historiques added.
history
Already in Merovingian times a church is suspected in the upper town of Provins, which originally served as a parish church . Here the martyr Judas Cyriacus (Quiriace) was venerated, a Jew who, according to legend, contributed to the discovery of the cross of Christ . After that he is said to have converted to Christianity, was bishop of Jerusalem and later executed as a martyr. His head relic came to Provins in 1206.
In the first third of the 11th century, under Count Odo II of Blois († 1037), a monastery for secular canons was founded at the Cyriacus Church , which adopted the Aachen rule . The palace of the Counts of Blois (today Lycée Thibaud de Champagne ) was directly attached to the church.
Count Theobald the Great (1093–1152), who wanted to reform the collegiate monasteries of his county according to the rule of St. Augustine , also enforced the establishment of regulated canons in Saint-Quiriace . However, these could not assert themselves against the secular canons and soon had to leave the monastery again. As compensation, they were assigned the Saint-Jacques church of the former Hôtel-Dieu, which was also in the upper town.
Heinrich the Generous (1126–1181) provided the monastery with rich goods and had a new church built after the Canons of the Regulars left . Construction began around 1157. The choir was completed within ten years. At the beginning of the 13th century the transept and the eastern nave yoke were built. Due to the declining importance of the fairs in Champagne and the lower income, construction work had to be stopped at the end of the 13th century.
The western nave yoke was not completed until the 16th century and in 1504 the Archbishop of Sens Tristan de Salazar consecrated the church. In 1625, the nave with today's west facade was closed, as the funds for further construction were lacking. After the ceiling collapsed in a fire in 1662, the nave was re-vaulted and the current dome was built over the crossing .
architecture
Exterior construction
The slate-roofed dome from the 17th century, which can be seen from afar, rises above the crossing and is crowned by a windowed lantern . A metal cross on the forecourt of the church stands on the site of the bell tower, which collapsed in 1689 and which was supposed to limit the west facade and which marks the originally planned dimensions of the nave. On the south facade there is a walled-up pointed arch portal with set columns , the capitals of which are carved with leaves and animals.
The relief of the Majestas Domini on the tympanum of the west portal dates from the 13th century and was formerly part of the royal portal of the almost completely destroyed church of Saint-Thibault, which was also located in the upper town.
inner space
The three-story nave has three aisles and consists of only two bays . The transept does not extend beyond the width of the nave. To the east, three chapels with straight ends are attached to the choir, which is covered by an eight-part ribbed vault . The former chapter house from the 13th century on the south side of the choir is now used as a sacristy . In the choir, pointed arcades that rest on pillars with leaf capitals open to the ambulatory. The capitals in the choir still show the sculptural decoration of the 12th century. A triforium with round-arched twin arcades runs above the arcade zone .
The dome over the crossing rests on pendentives which are decorated with baroque stucco reliefs of the four evangelists .
South transept, triforium
Bud capital
Gusset
Leaded glass window
The stained glass windows of the choir chapels were created in the 19th century in the style of medieval stained glass. One window bears the signature of the glass painter Claudius Lavergne , another the inscription “Paris MDCCCLXXXIV” (1884). Episodes from the legends of the saints are shown on the windows.
A window tells episodes from the life of the Archbishop of Canterbury , Edmund Rich (1170 / 80–1240), his conflict with the English King Henry III. , his reception in France by the French King Louis the Saint and his mother Blanka of Castile and on the top scene his death.
Reception by Louis the Saint and Blanka of Castile, death of Edmunds (above)
Edmund Rich and Heinrich III. (below)
Scene from the childhood of Edmund Rich
Another window is dedicated to Judas Cyriacus, the patron saint of the church. The lower scene depicts Judas Cyriacus helping Saint Helena find the cross of Christ. The scene above shows the saint converted to Christianity, who has meanwhile become a bishop, suffering his martyrdom. On the next disc, Judas Cyriacus is tortured in a cauldron of boiling oil. The upper scene depicts the transfer of his relics to Provins.
Transfer of the relics of Judas Cyriacus to Provins
Judas Cyriacus in a cauldron with boiling oil
Judas Cyriacus suffers martyrdom
Judas Cyriacus helps Saint Helena find the cross of Christ
Other windows contain scenes from the life of Mary and the life of Joseph . One window is dedicated to St. Theobald of Provins (Thibaut de Provins), the patron saint of the no longer preserved church in the upper town of Provins.
Coronation of Mary
Presentation of Jesus in the temple
Annunciation
Birth of Mary
Furnishing
- The offering box dates from the 16th century. It is decorated with a flower vase and three stylized lilies .
- The 52 choir stalls were created in the 18th century.
- The choir grille dates from 1767.
literature
- Communauté Aïn Karem (ed.): Saint-Quiriace de Provins . Provins 2003.
- Hubert Collin: Champagne Novels . Editions Zodiaque, La Pierre-qui-Vire 1981, pp. 36-40.
- Jean-Marie Pérouse de Montclos (ed.): Le Guide du Patrimoine. Île-de-France . Hachette, 2nd edition, Paris 1994, ISBN 2-01-016811-9 , pp. 529-530.
- Georges Poisson (ed.): Dictionnaire des Monuments d'Île de France . Editions Hervas, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84334-002-0 , pp. 649-650.
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Seine-et-Marne . Flohic Éditions, Volume 2, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-100-7 , pp. 1249–1251.
Web links
- Église Saint-Quiriace Commune Libre de la Ville-Haute de Provins (French / English) (accessed December 23, 2012)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église Saint-Quiriace in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Majestas Domini in the Base Palissy of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Offering box in the Base Palissy of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
Coordinates: 48 ° 33 ′ 39.1 ″ N , 3 ° 17 ′ 29.8 ″ E