Part 10

St André-le-bas was the chapel of the Duke of Burgundy. This church has a single nave (in the style of the south-west provinces), with groined vaulting and heavy buttresses, but the interior has been completely restored. An inscription fixes its date as 1142. There are also some remains of a fine cloister adjoining.

The cathedral of St Maurice is, like that of Lyons, a mixture of different styles, and has few of the merits of any. It was begun in the eleventh century, and not completed till the sixteenth. The plan is that of a basilica with an apse at the east end of the choir. There are a central nave and side aisles, but the latter stop at their eastern extremity with square ends, and are not continued round the central apse. The eight eastmost pillars of the nave belong to the twelfth century, and are partly decorated with fluted pilasters in the style of Upper Burgundy. The caps are “historied,” or carved with

figures after the Romanesque style; while the arches are pointed and ornamented with billet mouldings. Above and below the triforium gallery is a course of red stone containing sculptures of all sorts of subjects, like the inlaid work of Auvergne. The vaulting is of the fourteenth century. In the sixteenth century the proportions of the cathedral were found defective, the building being considered too short for its length, and several bays were then added to the west end in the florid Northern style of the period. The west portal (Fig. 39), with its richly carved tracery and sculpture, standing as it does at the top of a lofty flight of steps, rendered necessary by the slope of the ground to the westward, must have been a fine example of its style before the statues and carving, which so profusely adorned it, were destroyed during the wars of religion, by the Baron des Adrets, in 1562. The cathedral is 300 feet long by 100 feet wide, but, owing to the mixed character of its design, it is somewhat heavy in effect.

A remarkable example of a double round tower of Renaissance art (Fig. 40) stands close to the ancient Forum, and several specimens of antique houses of all ages are to be seen in the busy and picturesque streets.

The next town of importance reached is VALENCE, which, however, is not very rich in architectural subjects. The cathedral (St Apollinaire) is of the twelfthcentury, and shews some special features indicative of the influence of the style of Auvergne, such as an arcade on the outside of the nave, with alternate round and straight sided arches. The caps of the nave piers are very Corinthian in character, and the roof is a tunnel vault. The apse is round, and is strengthened with buttresses in the form of small shafts, a feature very common in Auvergne. But this and the other churches have all been reconstructed in Renaissance times. The Maison-des-Têtes (Fig. 41), near the Place des Clercs is a well preserved and telling specimen of a florid domestic façade of 1534.

In descending the Rhone the traveller cannot fail to notice that the precipitous mountains which bound the plain on the west side of the river are frequently crowned with the shattered remains of mediæval castles. Of these one of the most striking is the CASTLE OF CRUSSOL (Fig. 42) opposite Valence. This great castle, now reduced to a mere fragmentary heap of ruins, was formerly the stronghold of the family of Crussol, Ducs d’Uzès. It forms a fine feature in the landscape, and commands a splendid view of the course of the Rhone and the valley of the Isère, with the Alps to the eastward. But it is now so ruined that a closer inspection is somewhat disappointing to the architect.

A few miles lower down the very interesting ruins of the MONASTERY OF CRUAS are seen on the same side of the river. This may be conveniently reached by the railway on that side, or from Montélimar. The latter course forms a beautiful drive, without taking the traveller going south far from his direct line. Crossing the Rhone by the bridge of boats not far from the station, the ruins of what once was the powerful castle of Rochemaur meet the view, crowning the rocky height in front, and extending great walls of enceinte down to the village at the base. The detached tower forming the keep, which could only be approached by a draw-bridge, now stands a shattered ruin on its isolated peak.

A drive of a few miles along a level road, above which on the left rise great masses of basaltic rock forming fantastic figures not unlike the ruins we have just passed, brings us to the village of CRUAS, where we discover two architectural subjects of some importance. On the hill above the village stand the ruins of the ancient monastery, now greatly dilapidated, and having the space between the walls choked up with the steep and irregular streets of a small town.

The monastic buildings have almost entirely disappeared, the materials having doubtless served for the construction of the shabby houses which now occupy their place. Some portions of the enclosing walls, however, still survive, together with one very interesting edifice, which remains

tolerably entire. This is the ancient chapel of the abbey, originally a building of the twelfth century, but which in the fourteenth century was engulphed by the enclosing walls and fortifications then erected, and heightened so as to be converted into a keep (Fig. 43). The interior has, however, been preserved untouched, and shews the simple style of the Cistertians of the twelfth century (Fig. 44). The plan consists of a single nave with plain pilasters set against the side walls, from which spring the flat transverse arches which strengthen the _round_ tunnel vault. The east end is terminated with a semi-circular apse roofed with a spherical dome, and ornamented with the small arcaded pattern so common at that period. On the left or northern side wall arches are introduced, as if for a side aisle, but there is no appearance of any aisles ever having existed. The plain round arched west doorway still exists, and the line of the original gable above it is distinctly observable in the masonry (_see_ Fig. 43).

The keep built round and over the church is of remarkable design. Large round buttresses have been added at the outer angles, with square buttresses at the sides, and both are carried up so as to receive the arches which support the parapet on the top. These arches spring from bold corbels projecting from the buttresses, and are set well forward from the face of the walls, so as to leave a space between the main wall and the parapet. This space forms a long opening or machicolation, by means of which the base of the walls could be defended against hostile operations. We shall see by and by that this is the same form of machicolation as was adopted in the Pope’s Palace at Avignon, and elsewhere in the South.

The parapet is crenellated, and, from the beam holes still visible in the walls, we may infer that it was provided with wooden hoardings for defence.

The church in the village at the base of the hill (Fig. 45) has also some points of special interest. It is of early twelfth century design, and has a vaulted subterranean crypt with numerous sculptured caps. The upper church has a square tower at the west end, and a transept with three circular apses opening out of it to the east,--the central apse forming the choir, and the side apses lateral chapels. Over the crossing rises an octagonal lantern, containing a dome crowned with a smaller circular lantern. The

whole composition and style of ornamentation strongly recall the architecture of the Rhineland and Lombardy. The thin strips of pilasters on the apses and lantern, with small arcade-enrichment between, together with the general form of the lantern, strikingly recall the churches of Bonn and Cologne. The western tower again is similar to those we have left behind at Vienne and Lyons. This church, like many others we shall encounter, illustrates what has above been stated as to the universality of the one style which prevailed over the “Empire,” before it was broken up into separate nationalities.

Soon after leaving Montélimar with its frowning citadel, in which there are some ancient Romanesque details, and a great tower of the fourteenth century called the “Tour de Narbonne,” we observe on the opposite side of the Rhone the picturesque town of VIVIERS, clustering on a pyramidal rock, and appropriately crowned with the cathedral and spire. The church is of the fourteenth century, a single nave without aisles. It is said that the crowded and narrow streets contain some old houses, but the place is apparently more picturesque than architectural.

We now approach the country in which the peculiar elements of the Provençal style become distinctly apparent. About four miles north-east from Pierrelatte, the ancient town of Garde Adhémar may be seen towering aloft on the crest of a bold promontory about 500 feet high. This town contains a Romanesque church with an eastern and western apse, after the German fashion, a rather remarkable feature here, but showing, like the ornaments already referred to, an influence from the Rhine. The side aisles are vaulted with quarter-circle arches, and the exterior is finished with a small belfry and steeple.

About six miles to the south-east of Pierrelatte lies the village of ST PAUL-TROIS-CHÂTEAUX, where another very remarkable church is found. The town was of some importance from Roman times downward, and retained its bishop’s see till the Revolution. Several fine Roman sculptures have been found in the locality, and are preserved in the Calvet museum at Avignon; and a few remains of Roman structures and columns are still to be seen. But the most interesting edifice in the town is the ancient cathedral of the twelfth century. As this is the first building we have met with which is characteristically Provençal in style, so it is also one which preserves in a very distinct and marked manner the traditional Roman

features of that style. The annexed geometric view of one of the exterior bays (Fig. 46.) shews how close is the imitation in the Provençal architecture of the twelfth century of that of the Roman structures which no doubt then existed on the spot. The pilasters, crowned with their complete entablature of architrave, frieze, and cornice, and filled in with an intermediate arcade, might be part of a Roman amphitheatre (such as those at Nimes and Arles); and indeed it is supposed that traces of an ancient amphitheatre have been discovered at St Paul. Every detail might belong to the Lower Empire. The ornaments of the cornice are directly imitated from the modillions and leaf enrichments of Roman work; and the egg and dart, and other classic details are freely used throughout. The interior ornament is equally Roman in design. The east end is terminated with an apse, which has eight fluted columns. The two side aisles are covered with half wagon vaults, and the nave, which is unusually high, with a simple tunnel vault.

This locality brings us for the first time into contact with a tradition of which we shall find many traces in various parts of Provence, viz., that the Gospel was introduced into this country by the family of Lazarus, and some other contemporaries of Christ, who had been driven hither by persecution. At St Paul the story goes that the first bishop was the blind man whose sight was restored, and who assumed the name of Restitutus.

About three miles from St Paul may be seen the monument of this saint, said to be of very ancient and curious construction. It is partly built into the church, and is ornamented with a remarkable frieze, containing a rude representation of the last supper.

The station of La Croisière is the nearest to a very remarkable specimen of mediæval construction, the PONT ST ESPRIT. This celebrated bridge was planned and begun in 1265 by Jean de Tensanges, the abbot of the order of Cluny, in the district of St Savourin du Port, which belonged to the abbey. It was thirty years in building, but we have proof that the work was well planned and skilfully executed, in the fact that it subsists till the present day. The length of the bridge is about 3000 feet, and the width of the roadway is 16 feet. There are twenty-two arches, all semi-circular in form, and constructed with carefully wrought courses of arch stones, forming separate rings set together side by side, but not bonded into one another. This mode of construction was probably borrowed from the bridge of St Bénezet at Avignon, which again derived it from the Roman Pont du Gard. Over the piers are smaller arched openings to allow the water of the high floods of the Rhone to pass freely through. Like the Pont St Bénezet at Avignon the Pont St Esprit does not run straight across the river, but is bent at an obtuse angle against the current so as to resist its pressure. The bridge was fortified at both ends by castles erected by the suzerains on the opposite sides of the river. These remained till the seventeenth century, when one of them was brought into connection with the citadel of the town constructed by Louis XIII. This was the last bridge erected by the “Frères hospitaliers pontifes” (of whom we shall hear more at Avignon). After the thirteenth century neither Communes nor Nobles found it necessary to apply to the monks for their aid as architects and engineers. By that time the lay architects had superseded them, in the manner above described (Part V.)

Passing next close under the rocky heights crowned with the picturesque ruins of the castles of Montdragon and Mornas, the massive wall of the theatre of Orange rising high above the plain arrests the eye.

A little further on the ramparts and gates of the small walled town of COURTHÉZON are visible close to the railway; soon after passing which, the bold outline of the great Palace of the Popes discovers itself to view towering on its rock above the town of AVIGNON.

On nearer approach, the city walls and gates, surmounted with bold corbels and machicolations, and the numerous towers and spires of the churches, unite to give a striking first impression of the city. As it is _chef-lieu_ of the department of Vaucluse, and the See of an Archbishop, Avignon is a town of some business and prominence. The traveller will here find better accommodation than he generally meets with in the country towns. This may therefore be regarded as a good place to establish one’s headquarters for a few days, both for the purpose of seeing the very splendid monuments of the town, and also as a convenient centre from which excursions may be made to the interesting Provençal churches of early date, which abound in the vicinity.

Although Avignon was an important Roman colony, it has already been remarked how barren it is in Roman remains. After the fall of Rome, it passed successively through the hands of the Burgundians, the Franks, and the Visigoths: it was twice taken by the Saracens (730 and 737), and twice delivered by Charles Martel. Afterwards it became part of the Kingdom of Arles, and subsequently capital of the Marquisate of Provence.

In the twelfth century the community declared itself a free and independent city, and erected new walls and fortifications. Avignon ranged herself on the side of the Albigenses; and, as previously mentioned, she was besieged and taken, and in 1251 became subject to the Count of Provence.

In 1308 an event happened which had a very important bearing on the subsequent history of the city. Pope Clement V., finding his position in Italy insecure amidst the dreadful factions which rent that country, judged it prudent to retire to Avignon, where he would be under the protection (if also under the power) of the King of France. Avignon thereafter continued for more than a century the Holy See, and during that time seven Pontiffs and two Anti-Popes reigned in this new Rome.

As already narrated, Pope Clement VI. purchased the suzerainty of Avignon and the control of the Venaissin from Jeanne, the Queen of Naples and Countess of Provence, in 1348. Successive Popes used every exertion to render the place secure, and especially built themselves, on the Rocher-des-Doms, the immense Palace, which still forms the most prominent feature of the town. The walls and fortifications were begun in 1349, and finished in 1368.

When the Popes returned to Rome, Avignon was governed for them by a Legate, who was displaced in favour of the Republic in 1797.

The Palace of the Popes is well situated for defence. It stands on the top of an abrupt rock, round the base of which, on the north, sweeps the deep and rapid current of the Rhone. The rock is perpendicular all round the east and south sides, and is thus cut off from the town; while on the west, where alone the site is approachable, the access is steep, and is protected by the lofty and menacing walls of the Palace (_see_ Plan, Fig. 49).

The Church of Notre Dame des Doms (A) occupies the summit of the rock, and is of much older date than the Pope’s Palace. The porch of this church (Fig. 47) is extremely interesting as an example of Provençal architecture so strikingly ancient in character as to have been long held to be a classic structure of the Lower Empire. It exactly resembles a Roman design in its general idea, forming, as it were, a compartment of a classic edifice, with a fluted Corinthian column at each side, and an arched doorway or opening between. On the columns rests an entablature, and the whole is crowned with a triangular pediment. The Corinthian capitals, the cornices with egg and leaf enrichments, the mouldings, imposts, &c., are all strikingly Roman in character. The inner doorway to the church is similar. Mérimée points out that the size of the stones used in this porch does not correspond with Roman work, being smaller than Roman large work and larger than Roman small work. Also that the stones of which the columns are composed are

wrought with tails bonded into the wall (alternating right and left), which he regards as contrary to classic practice. The bull’s-eye of the tympanum is also not Roman, but might be an addition. It is probable that the sides of the porch were originally open.

The date of this porch has been the subject of much discussion; but it seems most likely that it belongs to the early part of the eleventh century. It was at that date that architecture began slowly to revive; and this is probably one of the first efforts. Designers would then naturally fall back on the classic forms, of which examples were abundant around them. There are many instances in which the early mediæval architecture can be traced to Roman structures found in their vicinity. We have already met with one striking example at St Paul-trois-Châteaux; and it was previously shewn how the gates of Autun influenced the architecture of a large district, in which pilasters, copied from those of the Porte d’Arroux, are universally used instead of round shafts. We shall also presently see how the dome-topped campaniles of Provence are also copied from Roman monuments, such as that at St Remy; and how in almost all the churches throughout Provence Roman columns, caps, cornices, mouldings, and enrichments are freely imitated. But these imitations are generally incomplete, and invariably contain defects or omissions, which shew that they are imperfect copies, and not real Roman work. Such imperfections affect the details rather than the general style. In the instance before us, it is stated that the cornice of the antique part of the tower above the porch is copied exactly from that of the attic of the Arch at Orange.

The interior of Notre Dame des Doms is an example of an early Provençal church, but not a very favourable one, as it has been frequently altered and added to. The choir is of 1671, and the lateral chapels are of the fourteenth century, while Renaissance balconies in marble have been added in front of the gallery, over the side aisles.

In the choir is a remarkable chair of the twelfth century, in white marble, which was the seat of the Pope; and the tomb of John XXII. (Fig. 48), in one of the side chapels, is a fine specimen of the imported Northern Gothic style.

The tower, partly destroyed in the fifteenth century, was repaired in 1430; and the colossal statue of the Virgin was added in 1859.

The walls of the interior were once decorated with frescoes by Simone Memmi, but they are now almost obliterated; and the interior is so dark, that the few fragments remaining cannot be seen.

Originally the church consisted of a single nave, without aisles, vaulted with a pointed barrel-vault, strengthened with transverse ribs and internal buttresses, being, as above explained, one of the arrangements common in Provence. The east end terminated with an apse, the bay in front of which is vaulted in a remarkable manner. A dome is frequently introduced in this position; but in the present instance, owing to the width of the bay being small compared to the width of the church, a square space on which to raise the dome could not readily be obtained. To

accomplish this, successive arches are thrown across between the transverse ribs, rising with the curve of the latter and advancing over one another, till the central space becomes a square, on which a lantern, with eight Roman-looking columns, is raised and supports an octagonal dome above.

In the twelfth century the rock, on the summit of which stands the Church of Notre Dame des Doms, was covered with habitations and gardens, which were dominated by the ancient castles of the Podestà and the Bishop. Pope Clement V., on his first arrival at Avignon, occupied the Convent of the Dominicans; and John XXII., in 1316, lived in the building which existed in his day where the Pope’s Palace now stands. In 1336 Benedict XII. demolished what his predecessors had erected, and rebuilt the northern part of the existing Palace (Plan, Fig. 49--from Viollet-le-Duc’s _Dictionnaire_), being the side next the Cathedral, on a grand scale, from plans by the architect Pierre Obreri. His works terminated at the “Tour de Trouillas,” or the great donjon (B) at the N.-E. angle, and is marked by another immense tower (B) at the west end of the range, called the “Tour de la Gache.”

The south face (E) of the northern courtyard, and the southern walls of enceinte were constructed under Pope Clement VI. It was also he who acquired the suzerainty of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin from Queen Jeanne in 1347.

The southern front of the palace was completed by Pope Innocent VI., including the great Chapel, or Consistorial Hall (G), a building about 170 feet long by 50 feet wide, roofed with pointed and groined vaulting. The great tower (H) adjoining to the south contains the sacristy, &c. Urban V. levelled the space which forms the _Cour d’honneur_ (D), excavating the platform out of the solid rock. Owing to the slope of the ground, this court is about one story lower than the older northern court.

The same pontiff further erected the east wing, and added the seventh tower, called the Tour des Anges. Gregory XI. left Avignon and returned to Rome in 1376.