Although there is a consensus regarding defining characteristics of Romansque style in architecture, which is the utilization of semi-circular arches, large porches, decorative arcading, and thick walls, the complex interplay of space and solids is what separates Romanesque architectural style (Armi, 18 Evans, 25). This defining characteristic is what makes the simplest Romanesque exterior and interior dynamic. Nowhere else this pattern is manifested more than in dozens of Romanesque architerctural artworks of Medieval France, such as Perrecy-Les-Forges, Notre Dame of Le Puy and Notre Dame of Le Thoronet. The evident structural equilibrium, the fullness of the forms combined with the precision of the detail (Bony, 72), the heaviness of the walls combined with the springiness of the openings (this is why they are arched), the sheer planarity of the surfaces combined with the animation of the decoration where it exists (Nichols, 8), all these are contributing manifestations of Romansque architecture and these architectural artworks in particular.
ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE PERRECY, LE PUY and LE THORONET
The Romanesque complex of Perrecy-Les-Forges is located in pastoral southern Burgundy between the Loire and the Saone (Armi, 39). According to the documental evidence available to historians and art history scholars, Perrecy-Les-Forges has been constructed between 860s-890s with later modifications being made in 1030s-1100s (Armi, 44-45 Baum, 52). The Romanesque church and porch of Perrecy represents the beautiful outcome of the local building practice that preveailed in the Brionnais and the Autunois (Armi, 45). Upon entering Perrecy-Les-Forges through the tripartite faade, visitors today are impressed bythe austere ashlar stonework, beautiful foliated capitals, richly carved bases, and the solemn sculpural ensemble of the nave portal. They are all virtually intact, in good condition, and exhibit a rare unity of architecture and its intergral sculpture. The combination of ashlar construction in the interior, low groin vaults, plain round arches, compound supports on cruciform plinths, ornamental bases, and capitals with attacked neckings characterizes this tradition. From the critical perspective, the foliate capitals and ornamental bases incrorporated into the structure of the porch are particularly useful for establishing Perrecys position in the development of Romanesque architecture and sculpture.
The Original plan of the eleventh-century church had a nave with single aisles, a crossing surmounted with an octagonal dome on squiches, salient transepts, a choir flanked with side chapels and an apse. Today, one can still observe the original nave, south aisle, crossing and north transept with some minor alterations. The original nave had six bays of equal dimensions flaked by north and south aisles that were separated by plain nave arcades. Upon constucting the Romanesque portch, the nave was externded westward by adding another bay (Armi, 58). The abrupt change in span and height of the arch over the westernmost bay (the seventh bay from crossing) evidences that this bay does not belong to the original nave (Armi, 59). In addition, the engaged foliate capital on the west wall of the nave, its impost block and decorated base all exhibit the same dimensions and carving style of those in the porch. Further, the molding on the westernmost per not only shows a more advances type than simple moldings in the nave and crossing, but also abruptly stops in the middle of the wall (Armi, 59). Therefore, one can safely conclude that westernmost bay and the porch were constructed together, adjoining the existing eleventh-century church.
The elevation of the nave is simple. Nothing breaks its continuous south wall except of the arcade in the lower section and the corresponding windows in the upper section. The concept of register that divides the nave wall into several horizontal zones is absent here (Armi, 67 Bizaarro, 105). Nor do vertical elements break the continuity of the nave wall. The five original piers show the simple, insignificant imposts projecting only on the intrados sides at the springing level. The six semicircular windows with deep embrasures above the arcade were filled with masonry in the lower halves when the original riif of the south was replaced with the higher roof. Observation of these windows from the exterior shows this change evidently.
There are neither attached columns nor capitals that give the nave a mathematical rhythm as well as decorative effects. The total absence of engaged columns, capitals and projecting imposts on the nave wall points to a pre-Romanesque structure covered probably with a flat timber roof (Armi, 69 Bizaarro, 108).
The examples of this type are widespread and can be seen at Bourbon-Lancy dated c. 1030 and Saint-Benoit-du-Sault dated before 1040 (Armi, 69). Lack of perpendicular elements also meansthat the concept of a bay system, with the bay conceived as a design unit, was not fully developed at Perrecy (Armi, 71). Although the arcade physically pierces the continuous wall to allow communication between the nave and the aisle, no corresponding elements, beyond the fenestration, mark the bays in the upper structure. In this respects, the nave of Perrecy remains within traditional nave configurations knows from the Early Christian to the Ottonian period.
The crossing of Perrecy-Les-Forges communicates with the nave, choir, and transepts through four, large, diaphragm arches that rest on four corner piers of unequal cross section. Each arch is prierced by a set of small twin arches with a free-standing column dividing them. Each column is crowned with a foliate capital and a simple oblong impost block. The twin arches on the east, north and west sides are intact. The diaphragm walls framing the crossing then rise to the squinches in the four corners on which the octagonal dome rests. The squinches alternate with arched windows, forming the base of the dome. The transition from square plan to octagonal superstructure by means of squinches left the square shoulders visible on the exterior.
Being located in the Auvergne region of central France, Notre Dame of Le Puy is considered as one of the oldest and celebrated Romanesque architectural artworks (Baum, 64). The construction of Notre Dame of Le Puy was started in 5th century AD (Baum, 64). Notre Dame of Le Puy ideally corresponds to the principles defined by the early Romanesque period. From the nave, up to the second bay before the crossing, one primarily sees a succession of domed bays. The bays ahead on the axis east are clearly articulated and separated into boxy chambers by the piers at their corners and their arches and domes. The transverse arches carry walls above them, which clearly make the bays into separate spaces at that level. The longitudinal arches parallel ones own direction they are lower than the transverse arches except that at the crossing the transverse arches are also low. The domes above each bay are seen directly above and for one bay forward, are seen through the wall windows above the transverse arches ahead of that, and are also intuited as the logical covering of the remaining bays, since all the other seen characteristics of the bays are the same. Articulation into bays therefore exists above and on all sides and is lacking only at the floor plane.
The bays are big, ponderous boxes because their boundaries have those characteristics. The piers are intersecting walls. The result is the paradox of openness made by solids (Nichols, 39). Light comes first from the large windows of the aisles, paired in the two east bays of the nave, single in the west bays second from the small lateral windows of the nave bays, below the domes in the two east bays of the nave, at squinch level and as continuations of the squinch arches in the four west bays (Nichols, 40). The typical window above the nave transverse arches does not exist over the crossing transverse arches, so that the crossing is separated from the nave (and also from the transepts and the choir bay) more than the nave bays are separated from each other. The crossing is a separate space as well as the connecting and focus space.
Notre Dame of Le Thoronet, another typical example of Romasque architecture in France during Medieval period, was constructed in 12th century AD in Provence (Gilchrist and Mytum, 139). Church of Notre Dame of Le Thoronet complex represents a visually comlicated set, consisting of light sources and light reflectors, and solids and voids (Bizaarro, 122). Interior spaces are unidirectional, defined by wall planes and by vaults which are the same planes bent. Everything heads east. At the same time, the aisle ahead stops at a wall over the opening into the transept at the left the arches of the nave arcade are widely spaced and therefore slow in rhythm, and the openings are so large and unencumbered that space enters easily laterally into the aisles. The rhythm of this arcade is two openings - the west bay at the left is not yet in sight - and then one rising - the transept bay.
The church is larger than one has expected from the exterior, higher, more spacious, and with a larger scale.
The windows of the north aisle, for instance, are at eye level on the exterior and therefore at domestic scale here inside they are well above one and therefore at monumental scale (Evans, 93). One can see much more of the nave vault as it arches over the plane of the arcade, its curve picked out by the reinforcing arches at each bay. It rises from the line of the molding over the arcade, its falling on ones own side not seen. On the right the dark wall of the aisle, twin to the wall far to the left, firmly and flatly bounds the space to the side to the left rear the inside of the facade wall bounds it equally flatly and firmly behind only what is ahead remains undefined, only suggested by what one sees of the chapels (Evans, 96). The aisle space is cut abruptly at its end by a wall above the opening into the transept it is cut awkwardly also at its left side by the plane of the piers just to the left of the apex of the vault, a curious incompleteness of the volume.
Ahead are the flat sharp planes and edges of the piers in light and shadow. The pier at the arcade is primarily a continuation of the wall. It is broader than wide, and even that width is subdivided into three parts - four, counting the aisle pilaster. Its breadth is stretched in the direction of the space. The colonnette on the nave side below the reinforcing arch stops above the floor, above eye level, allowing the pier to continue plane, to continue as the wall remaining after the arcade opening has been cut out of it.
Analysis of churches at Perrecy, Le Puy and Le Thoronet that Romanesque architecture articulates the variety of unique as well as universal artistic characteristics. From the critical perspective, in range and principles of architectural organization, consistency of formal language, use of light, sophistication of detail adjustment, relation of exterior and interior, and response to functional program there is certainly variation but fundamentally a coherence, adequacy and depth of response which exist from the earliest examples of Romanesque buildings to the latest. In construction means, architectural technique and structural sophistication, churches Perrecy, Le Puy and Le Thoronet exhibit similar Romanesque characteristics that had lasting technical and aesthetic effect on later architecture.
ROMANESQUE ARCHITECTURE PERRECY, LE PUY and LE THORONET
The Romanesque complex of Perrecy-Les-Forges is located in pastoral southern Burgundy between the Loire and the Saone (Armi, 39). According to the documental evidence available to historians and art history scholars, Perrecy-Les-Forges has been constructed between 860s-890s with later modifications being made in 1030s-1100s (Armi, 44-45 Baum, 52). The Romanesque church and porch of Perrecy represents the beautiful outcome of the local building practice that preveailed in the Brionnais and the Autunois (Armi, 45). Upon entering Perrecy-Les-Forges through the tripartite faade, visitors today are impressed bythe austere ashlar stonework, beautiful foliated capitals, richly carved bases, and the solemn sculpural ensemble of the nave portal. They are all virtually intact, in good condition, and exhibit a rare unity of architecture and its intergral sculpture. The combination of ashlar construction in the interior, low groin vaults, plain round arches, compound supports on cruciform plinths, ornamental bases, and capitals with attacked neckings characterizes this tradition. From the critical perspective, the foliate capitals and ornamental bases incrorporated into the structure of the porch are particularly useful for establishing Perrecys position in the development of Romanesque architecture and sculpture.
The Original plan of the eleventh-century church had a nave with single aisles, a crossing surmounted with an octagonal dome on squiches, salient transepts, a choir flanked with side chapels and an apse. Today, one can still observe the original nave, south aisle, crossing and north transept with some minor alterations. The original nave had six bays of equal dimensions flaked by north and south aisles that were separated by plain nave arcades. Upon constucting the Romanesque portch, the nave was externded westward by adding another bay (Armi, 58). The abrupt change in span and height of the arch over the westernmost bay (the seventh bay from crossing) evidences that this bay does not belong to the original nave (Armi, 59). In addition, the engaged foliate capital on the west wall of the nave, its impost block and decorated base all exhibit the same dimensions and carving style of those in the porch. Further, the molding on the westernmost per not only shows a more advances type than simple moldings in the nave and crossing, but also abruptly stops in the middle of the wall (Armi, 59). Therefore, one can safely conclude that westernmost bay and the porch were constructed together, adjoining the existing eleventh-century church.
The elevation of the nave is simple. Nothing breaks its continuous south wall except of the arcade in the lower section and the corresponding windows in the upper section. The concept of register that divides the nave wall into several horizontal zones is absent here (Armi, 67 Bizaarro, 105). Nor do vertical elements break the continuity of the nave wall. The five original piers show the simple, insignificant imposts projecting only on the intrados sides at the springing level. The six semicircular windows with deep embrasures above the arcade were filled with masonry in the lower halves when the original riif of the south was replaced with the higher roof. Observation of these windows from the exterior shows this change evidently.
There are neither attached columns nor capitals that give the nave a mathematical rhythm as well as decorative effects. The total absence of engaged columns, capitals and projecting imposts on the nave wall points to a pre-Romanesque structure covered probably with a flat timber roof (Armi, 69 Bizaarro, 108).
The examples of this type are widespread and can be seen at Bourbon-Lancy dated c. 1030 and Saint-Benoit-du-Sault dated before 1040 (Armi, 69). Lack of perpendicular elements also meansthat the concept of a bay system, with the bay conceived as a design unit, was not fully developed at Perrecy (Armi, 71). Although the arcade physically pierces the continuous wall to allow communication between the nave and the aisle, no corresponding elements, beyond the fenestration, mark the bays in the upper structure. In this respects, the nave of Perrecy remains within traditional nave configurations knows from the Early Christian to the Ottonian period.
The crossing of Perrecy-Les-Forges communicates with the nave, choir, and transepts through four, large, diaphragm arches that rest on four corner piers of unequal cross section. Each arch is prierced by a set of small twin arches with a free-standing column dividing them. Each column is crowned with a foliate capital and a simple oblong impost block. The twin arches on the east, north and west sides are intact. The diaphragm walls framing the crossing then rise to the squinches in the four corners on which the octagonal dome rests. The squinches alternate with arched windows, forming the base of the dome. The transition from square plan to octagonal superstructure by means of squinches left the square shoulders visible on the exterior.
Being located in the Auvergne region of central France, Notre Dame of Le Puy is considered as one of the oldest and celebrated Romanesque architectural artworks (Baum, 64). The construction of Notre Dame of Le Puy was started in 5th century AD (Baum, 64). Notre Dame of Le Puy ideally corresponds to the principles defined by the early Romanesque period. From the nave, up to the second bay before the crossing, one primarily sees a succession of domed bays. The bays ahead on the axis east are clearly articulated and separated into boxy chambers by the piers at their corners and their arches and domes. The transverse arches carry walls above them, which clearly make the bays into separate spaces at that level. The longitudinal arches parallel ones own direction they are lower than the transverse arches except that at the crossing the transverse arches are also low. The domes above each bay are seen directly above and for one bay forward, are seen through the wall windows above the transverse arches ahead of that, and are also intuited as the logical covering of the remaining bays, since all the other seen characteristics of the bays are the same. Articulation into bays therefore exists above and on all sides and is lacking only at the floor plane.
The bays are big, ponderous boxes because their boundaries have those characteristics. The piers are intersecting walls. The result is the paradox of openness made by solids (Nichols, 39). Light comes first from the large windows of the aisles, paired in the two east bays of the nave, single in the west bays second from the small lateral windows of the nave bays, below the domes in the two east bays of the nave, at squinch level and as continuations of the squinch arches in the four west bays (Nichols, 40). The typical window above the nave transverse arches does not exist over the crossing transverse arches, so that the crossing is separated from the nave (and also from the transepts and the choir bay) more than the nave bays are separated from each other. The crossing is a separate space as well as the connecting and focus space.
Notre Dame of Le Thoronet, another typical example of Romasque architecture in France during Medieval period, was constructed in 12th century AD in Provence (Gilchrist and Mytum, 139). Church of Notre Dame of Le Thoronet complex represents a visually comlicated set, consisting of light sources and light reflectors, and solids and voids (Bizaarro, 122). Interior spaces are unidirectional, defined by wall planes and by vaults which are the same planes bent. Everything heads east. At the same time, the aisle ahead stops at a wall over the opening into the transept at the left the arches of the nave arcade are widely spaced and therefore slow in rhythm, and the openings are so large and unencumbered that space enters easily laterally into the aisles. The rhythm of this arcade is two openings - the west bay at the left is not yet in sight - and then one rising - the transept bay.
The church is larger than one has expected from the exterior, higher, more spacious, and with a larger scale.
The windows of the north aisle, for instance, are at eye level on the exterior and therefore at domestic scale here inside they are well above one and therefore at monumental scale (Evans, 93). One can see much more of the nave vault as it arches over the plane of the arcade, its curve picked out by the reinforcing arches at each bay. It rises from the line of the molding over the arcade, its falling on ones own side not seen. On the right the dark wall of the aisle, twin to the wall far to the left, firmly and flatly bounds the space to the side to the left rear the inside of the facade wall bounds it equally flatly and firmly behind only what is ahead remains undefined, only suggested by what one sees of the chapels (Evans, 96). The aisle space is cut abruptly at its end by a wall above the opening into the transept it is cut awkwardly also at its left side by the plane of the piers just to the left of the apex of the vault, a curious incompleteness of the volume.
Ahead are the flat sharp planes and edges of the piers in light and shadow. The pier at the arcade is primarily a continuation of the wall. It is broader than wide, and even that width is subdivided into three parts - four, counting the aisle pilaster. Its breadth is stretched in the direction of the space. The colonnette on the nave side below the reinforcing arch stops above the floor, above eye level, allowing the pier to continue plane, to continue as the wall remaining after the arcade opening has been cut out of it.
Analysis of churches at Perrecy, Le Puy and Le Thoronet that Romanesque architecture articulates the variety of unique as well as universal artistic characteristics. From the critical perspective, in range and principles of architectural organization, consistency of formal language, use of light, sophistication of detail adjustment, relation of exterior and interior, and response to functional program there is certainly variation but fundamentally a coherence, adequacy and depth of response which exist from the earliest examples of Romanesque buildings to the latest. In construction means, architectural technique and structural sophistication, churches Perrecy, Le Puy and Le Thoronet exhibit similar Romanesque characteristics that had lasting technical and aesthetic effect on later architecture.
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