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I. Medieval Architecture in Aquitaine; in continuation of previous Papers. A Letter addressed to the Viscount Mahon, President
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 January 2012
Extract
In my last letter I carried the account of my architectural Tour in the English provinces of France as far as Bordeaux; the following year I made this my starting point, and traversed the length of the ancient province of Guienne, which it is hardly necessary to ohserve is a long and rather narrow strip across the south of France, extending from Bordeaux in the west, nearly to Lyons in the east, leaving Gascony and Languedoc in the south, and other smaller provinces to the north. I have paid no attention to the modern division of the country into departments, it not being material to my purpose; and my rapid passage from one department to another would have caused great confusion in describing my route.
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References
page 3 note a This Calendar of the Seasons has attracted a good deal of attention among the French antiquaries, and engravings of it have been published.
page 6 note a There is an inscription in the choir, surrounding the sacred monogram, recording the day of dedication but not the year, II. NONAS DECEMBRIS DEDICATIO ECCLESIÆ EJUSDEM, in characters of the twelfth century.
page 8 note a I am indebted to my friend M. de Caumont for the information respecting these documents, which was supplied to him by M. Marellet, an inhabitant of the town. Full particulars will be found in the “Histoire des Departements de Lot et Garonne, par M. de St. Amans,” 2 vols. 8vo. 1836.
page 8 note b These capitals are now well known in England, from the plaster casts of them in the Architectural Museum at Westminster, and in the Crystal Palace at Sydenha'm, copied from those in the Museum of Toulouse.
page 10 note a The engraving is carefully reduced from a rubbing of the inscription, and exhibits the peculiar form and arrangement of letters which was prevalent at the period, so that there is little doubt that it is almost contemporary with the date inscribed upon it. The greater part is most clear, and runs thus:—“Anno ab incarnatione æterni principis milesimo centesimo, factum est claustrum istud tempoee Ansquitilii Abbatis, Amen. v.v.v.—m.d.m.—r r r.—f f f.” Of these last initial letters it is difficult to determine the meaning. They have probably nothing to do with the former part of the inscription. One gentleman has interpreted them as “Venerabiles—Monachi Domus Religiosi—Fratres.” Another, “Venerabili Virgini Virginum—Maria Dei Matri—Reverendissmi—Fratres.” I am inclined to consider the latter as the more probable interpretation, and I think still further, as most probable, that they are the alliterations of some lines with which the monks were familiar, such as—
Virgo Virginum Veneranda (or-rabilis)
Mater Dei Miranda (or-rabilis)
Regina Regia Reginarum,
Femina Felix Feminarum (S. Luke i. 28.)
page 11 note a This inscription, of which an engraving is given above, partakes of much the same character in the formation and arrangement of its letters, with that of the cloister. Whether put up at the same time or not, we have no means of ascertaining. They certainly must have been written before the middle of the twelfth century, as the fashion of inserting one letter within another then ceased. The words, so far as we can make them out, and there is little difficulty, are as follows:—
“Idibus octonis domus ista dicata Novembris
Gaudet Pontifices hos convenisse celebres:
(1) Auxius Ostindum, (2) Lactora dedit Eaimundum,
(3) Convena Wilelmum, (4) direxit Aginna Wilelmum,
(5) Jussit et Heraclium, non deesse Beorra benignum,
(6) Elloreus Stephanum concessit, (7) et Adura Petrum,
(8) Te Duranne suum nostrumque Tolosa patronum,
(9) Respuitur Fulco Sῐmŏnis dans jura Cadurco,
Myriades lustris appoijens tres duodenis
Virgineum partum dabat orbi tune venerandum,
Hanc tibi, Christe Deus, rex instituit Clodoveus,
Auxit magnificus post hunc donis Ludovicus.”
Having given the time of the year when the dedication took place, the inscription proceeds to give a list of those renowned elders of the church who assembled together on the occasion. I have placed them below, in a tabular form; at the same time, the years during which they held their respective sees:—
The expression used with this last person named is harsh, but curious;—the word “respuitur” shows evident tokens of disgust or hatred, but it is easily accounted for when we call to mind the continual feuds which existed between the two abbeys of Moissac and Cahors.
At first sight it would seem unnecessary to enter so minutely into the names of those who were present at the dedication, but it is a singular instance of how often these minor details, if they do not of themselves fix, will often confirm in a most satisfactory manner, the date of a building. A glance at the above list of years of office, shows that the dedication cannot have taken place earlier than (4) 1061, or later than (3) 1063. Although the Inscription gives us the date, “Since the birth of Christ, one thousand (Myriades for Mille) and sixty (tres duodenis-three twenty's),” this discrepancy I think must be accounted for, not by an error in the date of William's accession to the see of Agen, but by a blunder of the Monk's, either in the making of his verse, or else, as was more probably the case, from the inscription having been composed some years afterwards, the precise date had been forgotten. We are led to the conclusion that 1063 is the correct date, as it is given elsewhere. The two last lines refer to the supposed original foundation of the abbey by Clovis, and the addition afterwards by Louis (according to M. Dumege, Louis le Debonnaire, King of Aquitaine).
page 12 note a I may, however, mention, that on each side of the porch are three rows of sculpture, covering the whole of the wall from the ground to the vault; the lower range consists of an arcade of round arches, with a single figure or statue under each arch, a little smaller than life, divided by shafts with capitals, inscribed with small groups of sculpture. The two upper ranges are in niches and bas-reliefs. On one side are the four Cardinal Virtues, with their reward, and opposite to them the four principal Sins, with their punishment. In the bas-reliefs are represented the chief events in the life of Christ, some of which are represented in a very curious manner, particularly the arrival of the Holy Family at the gates of a fortified town. Most of these sculptures, which are chiefly in marble, are sadly mutilated. Full details respecting them will be found in the Bulletin Monumental, tome 18, p. 473–483. The sculptures on the tympanum of the corner doorway are much more flat, and of earlier character than those of the porch.
page 13 note a Moissac was besieged by Richard the First, and taken from Raymond the Fifth, Count of Toulouse, who was then in possession of it. A few years afterwards it was given up to his son, Raymond the Sixth, and was again attacked and taken by Simon de Montfort in the beginning of the thirteenth century (1212).