Part 17

The enceinte of the castle (Fig. 120) is well preserved, many of the towers which strengthen it being almost entire. These are for the most part square and lofty, and have thus quite a Southern aspect. The original crenellations still exist, together with the holes for the short beams which carried the wooden hoardings for defence at the summit. The openings are generally long narrow slits, but in the eastern angle tower three small pointed windows occur. The keep is almost entirely demolished. It occupied the summit of the rock, and from its ruins a commanding and extensive prospect is obtained. The walls are probably not older than the thirteenth century. Within the enceinte the ground is laid out as a private vineyard.

In the middle of the old town stands the picturesque church of St Paul, approached from a terrace commanding a beautiful view seawards, by a wide staircase crowned with a corbelled tower. It is originally of the twelfth century, but has been altered. The walls of the east end have had to be brought up from a considerable depth, owing to the great slope of the ground, and the lower part of the buttresses shew work like that of the thirteenth century, but the upper part is later. Internally the church has four bays and an apse--all late--the caps of the piers being of Renaissance work. The central nave and aisles are all groined. A wide chapel crosses the building at the west end, and is surmounted with a plain square tower (Fig. 121) of the type of the Italian campanile, of which numerous specimens are to be met with at Grasse and elsewhere along the Riviera. The upper round arched doorway, with its immense voussoirs, indicates a style of work of which several examples are to be met with in the town, and which is doubtless of Moorish or Spanish origin.

The Hôtel de Ville, on the place Massillon in the old town, occupies the chapel of a Commandery of the Templars. It has been much altered and renovated, but with its picturesque round tower at one side it has a good deal of character. A few portions of old houses present some good fragments of Mediæval Architecture here and there.

The main line of railway between Toulon and Fréjus makes a great curve inland, so as to pass through the level and fertile valley lying between the detached and rugged district of “Les Maures” on the south, and the Alpines on the north. Half way along this valley is the station of Le Luc, about six miles to the northward of which stands a structure of great interest to the student of Architecture.

We have already explained the ascetic sentiments which actuated the early Cistertians in the construction of their buildings. Without some knowledge of the principles of these primitive reformers it would be difficult to understand the origin and meaning of much of the architecture of Provence. In the midst of the usually ornate structures of the country, we come occasionally on some important and remarkable churches, which, from the plainness and simplicity of their style, present a complete contrast to the former. Such are the three early daughters of Citeaux erected during the twelfth century at Senanque, Silvacanne, and Thoronet. The churches of these monasteries are all remarkably similar in design, and carry out to the letter the plainness and absence of decoration required by St Bernard.

Of this Thoronet is a striking example. This abbey is situated in a retired rural valley, about six miles north from Le Luc Station. On leaving the station, the road, after passing a large monastery with its chapel and cypresses, ascends by a steep footpath the hill on which stands the ancient town of CANNET (Fig. 122) still partly surrounded with its mediæval walls. A delightful walk of two or three miles through a narrow and rocky valley clad with olives leads to the village of Thoronet, two miles beyond which the monastery is reached. It stands concealed by olive groves on the western slope of a narrow valley, through which flows a small stream, a tributary of the Argens. The church, with its plain apse and little spire, first meets the view, followed, on near approach, by the ruinous but extensive buildings of the monastery which disappear amongst foliage down the slope of the hillside. The public road now runs through the upper part of the enclosure of the abbey, and close along the south side of the church; while part of the monastic buildings to the west are occupied as a tavern or farmhouse.

THE MONASTERY OF THORONET was founded in the beginning of the twelfth century, on ground granted by Raymond de Béranger, Count of Provence, to the monks of Citeaux, and continued to be occupied by that order till their property was secularised and sold at the Revolution. The plan is that usual in Cistertian buildings of the period. The church has a nave, with central and side aisles, crossed at the east end by a large transept, from which, in the centre, a short choir having a circular apse, and two smaller chapels with altars in each transept, extend towards the east. At Thoronet the choir and chapels have apsidal terminations, but in some Cistertian churches the east end is square. Nothing could exceed the unadorned nature of the design, both externally and internally. The west end (Fig. 123) shews the principal entrance, which is a plain round-headed doorway, without even a moulding. The tall windows and the round one in this gable are treated equally simply. These, and a round

window over the apse, give the principal light in the church, which, like the other Southern churches vaulted on the same principle, has no clerestory. There is an alcove for a tomb in the exterior of the wall of the south aisle, but it is now empty. The interior (Fig. 124) presents, as it were, the bare skeleton of the other churches of Provence which we have already considered, without any of their ornamentation. The piers of the nave are simply portions of a side wall set on square slabs as a base, with a plain break to sustain the inner member of the nave arch. Above these rises the perfectly plain, pointed, barrel vault, strengthened with simple square-cut transverse arches, which spring from round attached vaulting shafts, resting on the plainest possible corbels, and having caps of a very simple form.

The vault of the central nave is buttressed by half vaults in the side aisles, which are of the same design.

The tiles of the roof, both of the central nave and the side aisles, rest directly on the outside of the vaults without any wooden construction. This, as we have seen, is the usual arrangement in the churches of Provence, such as Notre Dame des Doms, Avignon, and St Trophime, Arles.

The cloister, and some of the monastic buildings adjoining, are well preserved. A similar simplicity reigns throughout these. The cloister consists, as usual, of four arcades enclosing a garth on the north side of the church. The arcade next the nave is on a higher level than the other three, owing to the slope of the hill, and is only one story high, there being no rooms on this side for an upper gallery to give access to. The other three sides of the cloister had originally an upper floor, with open arches next the garth, and an open timber roof. These galleries gave access to the dormitory and other apartments on the upper floor. The arcades of the cloisters (Fig. 125) are of a very

simple form, consisting of plain round arches in the wall, filled in with a single solid shaft supporting two smaller round arches, and a circular eye above. The arches are absolutely without mouldings. The caps and bases of the central shafts (Fig. 126) are of very simple design--a small leaf or uncarved set-off being all that is allowed to cover the passage from round to square, and any such enrichments are most elementary, both in design and execution. It will, however, be observed that these primitive ornaments, although simple, are _original_. They show no trace of Roman traditions, which, as formerly pointed out, were entirely renounced by the Cistertians in their reformed Provençal art. These very elementary forms are thus the prototypes of the new and natural style of ornamentation above referred to in Part V. as having been introduced by the Cistertian Order. The small arches rest on an impost formed of a plain string course, which, together with the plain splay of the base, are cut off at the outer face of the wall, and do not return round it. This mode of cutting off strings, etc., is of frequent occurrence in buildings of this type.

The cloister walks are covered with plain, pointed, tunnel vaults, strengthened at intervals with square transverse ribs resting on plain corbels, which are inserted in a string course, formed of a simple ovolo.

At the intersection of the cloister walks the pointed vaults meet, and the junction is covered with a pair of square diagonal ribs intersecting one another in the angle.

Opening from the north side of the cloister is a hexagonal chamber, which served as the lavatory of the monks. It projects into the garth from the arcade (_see_ Fig. 125), and has five windows, three of which are plain round-headed openings, and the two others are each finished with two small arches and a circular eye like those of the cloisters. A double doorway gives access from the cloister walk. The basin or vase for washing, which formerly stood in the centre, now lies broken in the garden.

The chapter-house opens into the eastern side of the cloisters by a doorway with a pointed arch, and two side windows, with three openings in each. These openings were for the purpose of enabling the monks in the cloister to hear what passed in the chapter-house. The latter is vaulted with groined-pointed vaults--the ribs being square with bead on angles, supported by two short and dumpy pillars, with spurred bases and remarkable caps, somewhat more ornamental than the others. In the east wing, over the chapter-house, the dormitory still exists, roofed with a wide barrel vault, strengthened with transverse ribs.

From the simple design of the cloister it is apparent how completely the Cistertians renounced the fine shafts and delicate carving of the cloisters of the early Provençal type like those of Aix, with their light wooden roofs, and gave preference to vaults, as being more enduring, while at the same time they rejected all sculpture and ornament. Although simple and plain to a degree, there is a unity of purpose and an originality of character in this new and vigorous style which commands respect if not admiration.

Senanque, Silvacanne, and Thoronet were all built in the severe style of the first fervour of the Cistertians early in the twelfth century. By the end of the century this first enthusiasm became an affectation of simplicity and was gradually tempered by the preponderating influence of the Clunisiens, who were more in harmony with the spirit of the times than the rigid Cistertians,--the general tendency of the age being to great richness in architecture.

At a later period the monastery of Thoronet seems to have been enclosed with walls, within which the grounds were laid out with taste and elegance. Few examples of this refinement have escaped destruction; but a fountain, with its basin set in an alcove in the outer wall, still survives (Fig. 127), and serves to refresh the traveller on the dusty highway which now passes through the pleasure gardens of the monks.

At ST MAXIMIN, which lies considerably to the west of Thoronet and is most conveniently approached by the railway between Aix and Carnoulles by Brignoles, there exists a church of a totally different character. It is said to be the most perfect specimen in Provence of a building in the pure Gothic style. The design has evidently been imported directly from the

North, and is precisely such an edifice as one would expect to meet with in the Ile de France. Its presence here therefore strikes one with surprise, and with a sense of incongruity with its surroundings. This church was begun towards the end of the thirteenth century by Charles of Anjou, but was not finished till the close of the fifteenth

century. The plan shews a central nave with side aisles, each terminated to the east with an apse. There is no transept. The vaults are pointed and simple in form. The central vault (Fig. 128) is lofty, being about 90 feet to the apex. When complete the aspect of the church must have been extremely light and fairy-like. The lofty windows of the clerestory and apse, which are all pointed, fill up with their traceries nearly the whole visible space, the masonry being reduced to its smallest limits. The same idea was carried out in the side aisles, where the windows were originally brought down almost to the pavement. When these windows were all filled with stained glass, as they are believed to have been (although it is now completely gone), the effect must have been very fine, and all the more splendid from the remarkable contrast it would present to the usually somewhat dark and gloomy character of Southern churches. Side chapels have now been added, and the aisle windows shut up by them; and it is stated that the structure is generally very much destroyed. Unfortunately the west façade has never been completed.

From Le Luc the railway follows the course of the wide and fertile valley of the River Argens to Fréjus, the ancient Roman _Forum Julii_, so rich, as we have already seen, in Roman remains; and its Mediæval buildings will be found to be not less interesting.

The Cathedral of Fréjus, erected probably in the twelfth century, is a prominent example of the adoption in Provence of the “single-hall” style of church, which (as explained in Part V.) was so universal in the south and west of France. The original church (Fig. 129) consists of

a nave of three divisions or bays, each covered with round intersecting vaults, strengthened with large square groins, and terminated at the east end with a circular apse, the whole extending to 120 feet in length by 28 feet in width. The vaults spring from piers, which are really large internal buttresses, with recesses between them 7 feet deep (Fig. 130). The north side wall has, however, been cut out, and a side aisle added at a later date, with still later chapels beyond. The string courses, caps, etc., are all of the same simple forms employed in so many buildings of the period. Nothing could be plainer or more devoid of ornament than

this massive and impressive edifice. The exterior of the cathedral has undergone many changes. The Bishop’s Palace adjoins it on the south, and covers a large part of the south wall. The whole series of buildings connected with the cathedral, have at one time been enclosed with a strong wall, built in regular courses, left rough on the surface. Some portions of this work are visible in the outer wall next the street at the west end. There, intermingled with a great deal of modern addition and alteration, may still be traced the remains of two windows (Fig. 131) of the twelfth or early thirteenth century, with circular arches springing from carved caps. In the jambs of one of these windows the caps still surmount projecting shafts standing on corbels, but they have disappeared from the other. The details are given in Fig. 133. Several of the original small windows of the basement, however, remain unaltered. They have the circular heads and the deeply splayed external ingoing of the period.

The east end of the cathedral (Fig. 132) is very remarkable. The apse, which is circular within, is only slightly rounded externally, and is carried up to a considerable height as a tower of defence, and armed with an embattled parapet at the top, supported on bold corbels with machicolations between them.

Fréjus Cathedral is thus another instance of the numerous fortified churches so characteristic of the South, and formed part of the general fortified enclosure which protected the Bishop’s Palace and the other ecclesiastical buildings connected with the see. Adjoining the apse considerable remains of the ancient Bishop’s Palace may still be traced, shewing (amidst modern alterations) work similar to that of the west end, and containing coupled pointed windows and doors with round arches. The enclosing and fortifying of the precincts seem to have been carried out at a time subsequent to the erection of the cathedral. This explains the peculiar form of the tower over the apse, and likewise the manner in which the ancient baptistery is enclosed in a similar mural envelope. The work was probably executed, to judge from the style, early in the thirteenth century. In that

century too the tower at the west end of the church seems to have been erected over what was probably the original narthex or anti-church. Internally the lower portions are executed in the style of the Gothic of the North, and the heavy tower above (Fig. 133) may possibly be of the same date. The coloured tiles, which give the spire a special character, are no doubt much more modern. We also find here other examples of work of different kinds and various periods. Of these the ancient baptistery (Fig. 134) is a structure of great interest. It stands at the west end of what seems to have been originally, although now covered in, a small open court, such as generally existed in front of the western entrances to the early churches. The plan of the baptistery is octagonal, being the same as that adopted for the primitive baptisteries in Italy. Octagonal or circular edifices such as this are frequently called Roman temples; but, although they very closely resemble Roman work, they are found, on an examination of the details, to be only imitated from classic design, and are clearly of Christian origin.

At Fréjus, the baptistery is ornamented with a granite monolithic column in each of its eight angles, provided with caps of white marble. The caps and bases (Fig. 134) are varied in design, and are all closely imitated from the Corinthian, although none of them are exactly after that pattern. The massive fragment of stone, moulded on the front, which is placed over each, is probably a survival or reminiscence of the entablature which was always thought necessary in classic times. The upper portion, which was most likely an octagonal dome in the original building, is now modernised. The plan shews an attempt to make the floor as square as possible, by means of four deep niches introduced in the four angles. The central font is peculiar in form, and stands on a fragment of an ancient column.

In connection with this baptistery it may be interesting here to call attention to the fact that a monument in the same style, but superior in size and design, still exists at

RIEZ, an ancient Roman colony instituted under the patronage of Augustus, some distance to the north-west of Draguinon. The original town was built on the plain watered by the river Colastre (a tributary of the Verdon), but the inhabitants have long abandoned the low ground, and the houses now stand an the slope of the Mont Saint-Maximin above. In the deserted plain are to be found four Corinthian columns of grey granite from the Esterel with caps, bases, and architraves of marble. These, according to Texier and Pullan, formed the façade of a prostyle temple.

The numerous fragments of pottery and mosaics which are constantly dug up, and a large quantity of portions of columns and architraves built into the modern walls, shew that the Roman works here were at one time considerable.

In the chapel of St Maxime six Roman columns have been utilized. But the most remarkable monument of the place is the so-called “Temple” or “Pantheon.” This consists externally of a plain square structure, 37 feet each way, but internally it is octagonal in plan (Fig. 135), with four deep niches in the sides opposite the angles of the square. Within the octagon are eight columns standing detached, so as to form an aisle all round, while they support an octagonal drum (Fig. 136), roofed over with a dome. The aisle is vaulted, with an irregular form, composed of about three-fourths of a pointed arch. The columns are ancient, but they have evidently been removed from their original position, being unequal in the length of the shafts, and the size and design of the capitals, and have no doubt been collected from various sources. Texier

and Pullan believe that this was an ancient Roman structure converted to Christian uses in the sixth century; but excavations in the floor have revealed the remains of a large baptismal basin, similar to the original Italian ones, thus leaving no doubt as to the primitive destination of the structure. The pointed arch over the aisle is also a sign of its belonging to post-Roman times. It is certainly one of the most interesting of the early Christian edifices in Provence.

Returning to Fréjus, we observe that the cloisters, which are on the north side of the small court or lobby adjoining the baptistery, were erected at a somewhat later date than the tower, in a style strongly recalling the Italian-Gothic of Florence and Genoa, which we here meet with for the first time in our eastward progress (Fig. 137). The arcades of the cloisters are plain, and rest on coupled columns, with caps carved in the style of the Italian-Gothic of the fifteenth century, the whole being carefully and elegantly executed in white marble; and, though now sadly built up and mutilated, they still possess a wonderfully picturesque and charming effect. The coupled columns were evidently not intended to support vaulting, but to carry the unique and effective wooden roof (Fig. 138), part of which still exists, but is so greatly decayed that it has to be supported with rough props and wedges. At a still later period the entrance front of the cathedral has been altered and finished in its present ungainly form (Fig. 133). The floor of the cathedral, owing to the slope of the ground, is several feet below the present level outside, and has to be approached by descending steps. Originally the entrance to the narthex was no doubt on the level of the cathedral floor. The outside level has apparently, however, been heightened before the present entrance doorway was built, as it

conforms to the level of the “place” on the south of the church. The late Gothic style of this doorway, in which Renaissance details are mixed with Gothic forms, belongs to the sixteenth century. The wall adjoining has been rebuilt and heightened at the same date, and an attempt has been made to bring the whole façade into a symmetrically balanced design, in accordance with one of the leading principles of the classic style then beginning to be revived. The wooden doors are beautifully carved with Scripture subjects mingled with Gothic details.