Texier, Charles; Pullan, Richard P.: Byzantine architecture illustrated by examples of edifices erected in the East during the earliest ages of christianity (London, 1864)

102

PAGAN TEMPLES CONVERTED INTO CHURCHES.

THE CHURCH OE SAINT PETER AT AURIOL.

All the churches which remain in the valley of the Rhone have not been preserved with
the same care as those which we are about to describe. Some of them having fallen into
decay, have been pulled down and replaced by churches or oratories; but this fact supports
what we have before stated — that the first buildings for Christian worship were' almost
invariably erected upon the sites of ancient temples.

The Abbe Barges has collected several particulars relating to an ancient church which
existed in the neighbourhood of the town of Auriol, in the valley of the Rhone, from the
foundation of which he dug up a very remarkable Christian altar.1

This church was dedicated to the Apostle St. Peter, and, according to the tradition of the
country, belonged to the first ages of Christianity. It was situated in a locality which, according
to all appearance, was the centre of the primitive population of Auriol, long before the
establishment of the Christian religion in that country. This fact is attested by the discovery
of medals of the early part of the Empire, and of a Latin epitaph, on the site of the church, and
of the ruins of a Roman villa in the vicinity.

The simplicity of the plan and the style of architecture both denoted the high antiquity
of this edifice.

The fagade of the church faced the west; its apse was to the east. A round-arclied door

situated in the centre of the fagade gave admission to the temple, which had only a nave

without aisles, about 83 feet long by 28 feet wide. The interior had a plain semicircular
vault, recalling the church in form of a coffer mentioned by the patriarch of Constantinople.3

The east end of the church was semicircular, built of ashlar and ornamented with round-
arclied panels upon the surface of the wall. The side walls of the nave were quite plain.

At the end of the nave and under the apse was a crypt, with two columns of white marble
sustaining the vault.

In the wall to the right a kind of niche (credence) was cut, which originally was used
for the recejffion of vessels necessary for worship.3

During the excavations made for the purpose of obtaining the lowest stones of this
ancient church, a marble altar in an extremely primitive style was found, which might be a
work of the 5tli or 6th century. This was a square table lightly worked on the surface. The

Labarum, with the monogram of Jesus Christ, was carved in the thickness of the stone, and

on either side figures of the twelve Apostles under the symbolical form of twelve doves. On
each side of the Labarum were placed the A and H, showing that the altar had been executed
before the separation of the Greek and Latin Churches.

On the smaller side of the altar is a bas-relief representing a vase, from which proceed
vine-branches representing the Holy Eucharist.4,

But what added considerably to the interest of the altar discovered by the Abbe Barges
was the fact that the top of the slab was covered with names inscribed in cursive characters,
traced with a steel point. There is no doubt but that these names, written in haste, were
those of pilgrims who had come from far to pay their devotions at this church and to honour
the relics that were placed there. Amongst these names there are some that belonged to
persons of Teutonic origin. The inscription upon the left of the field reads thus : —

* Keleberto A.

Magnakiocil
De Arguto Kamaldus

Godbrasmo JPomia
Stefanus

These appear to the Abbe Barges to be the names of pilgrims.

1 Notice sur un Autel antique trouve a Auriol. By Abbe 3 We refer tire reader for a more complete description of this

Barges. interesting church to the work of the Abbe BargSs.

2 S_ee p. 51. * See Plate of Inscriptions.