FRENCH

ROMANESQUE
ARCHITECTURE
RAR- 407 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
LEENA CHAUDHARY CHANDAN GUPTA
 INTRODUCTION
◦ Romanesque architecture appeared in France at the end of the 10th century, with the
development of feudal society and the rise and spread of monastic orders.

◦ Distinctive features of French Romanesque architecture include thick walls with small
windows, rounded arches; a long nave covered with barrel vaults.

◦ Churches commonly had a cupola over the transept, supported by four adjoining arches; one
or more large square towers, and a semi-circular apse with radiating small chapels.

◦ Decoration usually included very ornate sculpted capitals on columns and an elaborate semi-
circular sculpted tympanum, usually illustrating the Last Judgement, over the main portal.

◦ Interior decoration often included murals covering the walls, colored tiles, and early stained
glass windows.
ROMANESQUE CHURCHES IN FRANCE

◦The Church of St. Trophime in Arles

◦The Abbey of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard

◦The Basilica of St. Sernin

◦The Abbey Church of Sainte Foy

◦Le Puy Cathedral

 Church of St. Trophime

◦ The Church of St. Trophime is a Roman

Catholic church and former cathedral located in the
city of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department
of southern France.
◦ It was built between the 12th century and the 15th
century, and is in the Romanesque architectural
tradition.
◦ The sculptures over the church's portal, particularly
the Last Judgement, and the columns in the
adjacent cloister, are considered some of the finest
examples of Romanesque sculpture.
◦ The church was built upon the site of the 5th-
century basilica of Arles, named for St. Stephen. In
the 15th century a Gothic choir was added to the
Romanesque nave.
THE CHURCH
◦ Though mainly notable for its outstanding
Romanesque architecture and sculpture, the church
contains rich groups of art from other periods.
◦ These include several important carved Late
Roman sarcophagi, reliquaries from various periods,
and Baroque paintings, with three by Louis
Finson. Trophime Bigot is also represented, and
there are several Baroque tapestries, including a set
of ten on the Life of the Virgin.
◦ The church has been used to hold items originally
from other churches or religious houses in the
region that were dispersed in the French Revolution
or at other times.
 THE WEST
PORTAL
◦ The west portal is one of the treasures of Romanesque
sculpture, presenting the story of
the Apocalypse according to St. John, and
the Gospel of St. Matthew.
◦ Christ is seated in majesty in the timpanum, with
the symbols of the Evangelist around him.
◦ To the left of the portal, a procession of chosen
Christians is going to heaven, while to the right
sinners are being cast into hell.
◦ The decoration of the portal also includes a multitude
of Biblical scenes; the Annunciation; the Baptism of
Christ; the Adoration of the Magi, the Magi
before Herod; the Massacre of the Innocents;
shepherds with their flocks.
The Abbey of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard

◦ The Abbey of Saint-Gilles is a monastery in Saint-Gilles, southern France.

◦ It is founded by Saint Giles, and it is included in the UNESCO Heritage List, as part of
the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.
◦ According to the legend, it was founded in the 7th century by Saint Gilles, over lands which
had been given him by the Visigoth King Wamba.
◦ The monastery was initially dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul: however, in the 9th
century, the dedication was changed to St. Giles himself, who had become one of the most
venerated figures in the area.
◦ In the 11th century, the monastery was attached to that of Cluny.
 The Basilica of St. Sernin

◦ The Basilica of Saint-Sernin is a
church in Toulouse, France, the
former abbey church of the Abbey of
Saint-Sernin or St Saturnin.
◦ Apart from the church, none of the
abbey buildings remain. The current
church is located on the site of a
previous basilica of the 4th century
which contained the body of Saint
Saturnin or Sernin, the first bishop of
Toulouse in c. 250.
◦ Saint-Sernin is the largest remaining Romanesque
building in Europe, if not the world.
◦ The church is particularly noted for the quality and
quantity of its Romanesque sculpture.
◦ In 1998 the basilica was added to the UNESCO World
Heritage Sites under the description: World Heritage
Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in
France.
The Abbey Church of Sainte Foy

◦ The Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy in Conques, France, was

a popular stop for pilgrims traveling the Way of St.
James to Santiago de Compostela.
◦ The relics of Sainte-Foy arrived in Conques through theft
in 866. After unsuccessful attempts to acquire the relics
of Saint Vincent of Saragossa and then the relics of St.
Vincent Pompejac in Agen, the abbey authorities set
their sights on the relics of Sainte-Foy at the ancient St.
Faith's Church, Sélestat.
◦ The Conques abbey opened a priory next to the shrine
in Sélestat.
◦ A monk from Conques posed as a loyal monk in Agen for
nearly a decade in order to get close enough to the
relics to steal them.
◦ The original monastery building at Conques was
an eighth-century oratory built by monks fleeing
the Saracens in Spain.
◦ The original chapel was destroyed in the eleventh
century in order to facilitate the creation of a
much larger church as the arrival of the relics of
Sainte-Foy caused the pilgrimage route to shift
from Agen to Conques.
◦ The second phase of construction, which was
completed by the end of the 11th century,
included the building of the five radiating
chapels, the ambulatory with a lower roof, the
choir without the gallery and the nave without
the galleries.
◦ The third phase of construction, which was
completed early in the twelfth-century, was
inspired by the churches of Toulouse and
Santiago de Compostela.
◦ Like most pilgrimage churches Conques is a basilica plan that has been modified into a cruciform plan. 
◦ Galleries were added over the aisle and the roof was raised over the transept and choir to allow people
to circulate at the gallery level.
◦ The western aisle was also added to allow for increased pilgrim traffic. 
◦ The exterior length of the church is 59 meters.
◦ The interior length is 56 meters. the width of each transept is 4 meters. The height of the crossing
tower is 26.40 meters tall.
Le Puy
Cathedral
◦ Le Puy Cathedral, sometimes referred to
as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the
Annunciation, is a Roman Catholic church
located in Le Puy-en-
Velay, Auvergne, France.
◦ The cathedral is a national monument. It
has been a centre of pilgrimage in its own
right since before the time
of Charlemagne, as well as forming part
of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de
Compostela.
◦ Since 1998 it has been part of a multi-
location UNESCO World Heritage
Site along France's Santiago pilgrimage
routes.
◦ The cathedral forms the highest point of
the city, rising from the foot of
the Rocher Corneille.
◦ Constructed over centuries, it contains
architecture of every period from the
5th century to the 15th, which gives it
an individual appearance.
◦ Formerly, the visitor passed through a
porch standing well out from the
building and, after descending beneath
the pavement, emerged by a stairway
in front of the high altar.
◦ The principal stairway is now covered
by a bold vaulting that serves as base
for one half of the church.
THANK YOU