DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29899#0088
68
FRENCÏÏ ARCÏÏITECTURE.
Rakt II.
in Cairo than of a Christian church of the Middle Ages. The building
is not large, being only 205 ft. in length internally, including the
porch, and 110 across the transepts. Its age is not accurately known,
but it is usually placed by antiquaries
in the 12th century on account of its
pointed arches.
The cathedral at Angoulême (Wood-
cut ISTo. 565) is another and still more
extended example of this class, having
three domes in the nave ; the façade
belonging probably to the llth, the rest
to the 12th century. Theform of these
domes, with the arrangement of the
side walls, will be understood from the
woodcut Ho. 566. The method adopted
in this church may be considered as
typical of all this class ; and, except in
the mode of lighting the upper part, is
by no rneans inferior in architectural
effect to the intersecting vaults of after
66(Frœirvemeiih. e/ r^eaie^oo 0ft!^to ei in. ag es- The transepts here are shortened
internally so as only to give room for
two small lateral chapels ; but externally they are made very imposing
by the addition of two towers, one at the end of each. This was
another means of solving a difficulty that everywhere met the
mediæval architects, of giving the greatest dignity to the most holy
place. The proper and
obvious mode of doing
this was of course to
raise a tower or dome at
the intersection of the
nave and transepts, but
the difficulties of con-
struction involved in this
mode of procedure were
such that they seldom
were enabled to carry it
out. This can only be
said, indeed, to have been
566. One Bay of Nave, Angoulême. (From Verneilh.) No scale. fail’ly aCCOmplished in
England. At Angou-
lême, as will be observed in the plan, there is no passage round the
altar, nor is the choir separated from the body of the church. In
Italy, and indeed in Germany, this does not seem to have been
considered of importance ; but in France, as we shall presently see, it
FRENCÏÏ ARCÏÏITECTURE.
Rakt II.
in Cairo than of a Christian church of the Middle Ages. The building
is not large, being only 205 ft. in length internally, including the
porch, and 110 across the transepts. Its age is not accurately known,
but it is usually placed by antiquaries
in the 12th century on account of its
pointed arches.
The cathedral at Angoulême (Wood-
cut ISTo. 565) is another and still more
extended example of this class, having
three domes in the nave ; the façade
belonging probably to the llth, the rest
to the 12th century. Theform of these
domes, with the arrangement of the
side walls, will be understood from the
woodcut Ho. 566. The method adopted
in this church may be considered as
typical of all this class ; and, except in
the mode of lighting the upper part, is
by no rneans inferior in architectural
effect to the intersecting vaults of after
66(Frœirvemeiih. e/ r^eaie^oo 0ft!^to ei in. ag es- The transepts here are shortened
internally so as only to give room for
two small lateral chapels ; but externally they are made very imposing
by the addition of two towers, one at the end of each. This was
another means of solving a difficulty that everywhere met the
mediæval architects, of giving the greatest dignity to the most holy
place. The proper and
obvious mode of doing
this was of course to
raise a tower or dome at
the intersection of the
nave and transepts, but
the difficulties of con-
struction involved in this
mode of procedure were
such that they seldom
were enabled to carry it
out. This can only be
said, indeed, to have been
566. One Bay of Nave, Angoulême. (From Verneilh.) No scale. fail’ly aCCOmplished in
England. At Angou-
lême, as will be observed in the plan, there is no passage round the
altar, nor is the choir separated from the body of the church. In
Italy, and indeed in Germany, this does not seem to have been
considered of importance ; but in France, as we shall presently see, it