CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. 



thor* who have been occasionally mentioned. The Rev. 

 Mr Dllaway. more especially, has given a very full, 

 iBMirrly, ami well arranged vievr of the subject. 



The rtmder having now before him an account of the 

 cfcaagvt which the art underwent during the before men- 

 tioned period, and the leading historical circumstance* 

 connected with it, he will readily perceive, that alwayi 

 to Italy, and in Britain, till 1135, the great features arc 

 UKM* of a depraved Roman ityle. He will recollect, 

 that, about this time, the intercourse with the East, by 

 meant of the Crusades and settlements in Palestine, was 

 frequent and extensive ; that, about this time, a corpo- 

 ration of buiMcri, consisting of Greeks, Italians, French, 

 Germans, and Flemings, united, under the sanction of 

 papal bulls, to construct ecclesiastical buildings ; and, 

 for this purpose, travelled wherever their labours were 

 required. The information acquired by the ecclesiastics 

 who visited the East, when united with the experience 

 and dexterity of this incorporated school of builders, 

 and supported by the influence the church had acquired, 

 will account for the improvements which took place, and 

 for the expedition with which such a number of edifices, 

 of so extraordinary magnitude and splendour, were eve- 

 ry where erected. It will also open a wide field for spe- 

 culation, respecting the probable causes for the variations 

 in the manner which took place. 



For the pointed arch, which, in the pure Gothic, is 

 accounted a governing feature, there will be found a 

 striking resemblance in the intersection of the beautiful 

 Saxon or Norman arches in the cathedral of Winches- 

 ter, constructed previous to the first Crusade ; and in the 

 east end of the church of St Cross, near Winchester, 

 erected by Bishop Blois, 1132. There are twenty high- 

 ly pointed windows which enlighten the chancel, formed 

 by the intersection of circular arches. On the inside of 

 the wall, the pillars which support these arches, and 

 also others at Winchester, are divided into tall slender 

 forms. Long, narrow, and lancet-pointed arches, are 

 formed by the intersections of the circular arches, with- 

 out pillars or mouldings, which are placed, by way of 

 rnament, on the upper part of the outside of the south 

 transept at Winchester. These casual occurrences may 

 perhaps be reckoned to have afforded sufficient hints to 

 ingenious men to improve into more perfect forms ; and 

 when united with the taste for minute and delicate orna- 

 ments, as practised by the Moors, and also with other 

 ideas collected from the architecture of Egypt and Sy- 

 ria, and impelled by every motive which religious zeal, 

 vanity, caprice, and the most ardent spirit of competi- 

 tion could impose, will probably, to many, afford a sa- 

 tisfactory explanation for the changes and improvements 

 which took place, from the period of the most simple 

 to that of the most magnificent and luxurious style of 

 this school. 



But such interest has Gothic architecture of late ex- 

 cited, that not only the periods in which it appeared 

 have been disputed, but the claims of rival kingdoms, 

 as to priority, have been contested with much ability 

 and zeaL The late Mr Whittington has endeavoured 

 to prove that the original hints cane from Asia, and 

 that France preceded and surpassed England in pro- 

 ducing fine specimen* of this school of architecture. 

 - Dr M ilner hat boldly claimed the merit exclusive. 

 ly for our own country, and has, with much distinctness 

 and assiduity, traced the progressive steps by which the 

 changes took place. These two able men having taken 

 masterly views of the architecture of the two countries, 

 we cannot rttist preirntuig our readers with sketch of 



their statements, referring to their valuable performan- Hutory. 

 ces for more perfect information. ~"Y" 



Mr Whittington begins by observing, that the Ro- Whittiny- 

 man architecture was only pure from the time of Angus- ton - 

 tut to that of Hadrian and the Antonines ; that, in the 

 works of Dioclesian, may be found arches springing 

 from top* of columns, consols, supported by figures pro- 

 jecting from the face of the wall, and even the zig-zag 

 moulding. He says, that Constantine founded churches 

 at Rome and Byzantium in the form of the ancient Ba- 

 silica, of which there were 19 in Rome ; and that San- 

 ta Croce in Gerusaleme at Rome, is the only specimen 

 of the architecture of Constantine, and is thought to have 

 been originally open at the sides. St Paul's, without the 

 gate* of Rome, built, in its present form, in the time of 

 Valentinian and Theodosius and Arcadius : near the end 

 of the fourth century it was inclosed on all sides. St Paul's 

 is the best specimen of the manner of building, and St Cle- 

 ment's of the internal distribution of the first churches. 



In the 3d century there were seven bishops sent to Gaol, 3<i 

 Tours, Orleans, Thoulouse, Narbonne, Paris, Limoges, century, 

 and Auvergne ; and Constantine built a church at Au- 

 vergne. In the 5th century Gregory of Tours relates, 

 that Pepetuus bishop of Tours built a church over the Gregory : 

 tomb of St Martin, 155 feet in length, 60 in breadth, lourl - 

 and 4'j in height; that it had 120 columns, 52 windows, 

 and 3 doors in the sanctuary, and 5 in the body of the 

 church. Naumatius, bishop of Auvergne, also built 

 his cathedral in form of a cross, with aisles on each side 

 which terminated in a round apsis ; the walls of the sanc- 

 tuary were incrusted with marble ; it was 150 feet long, 

 60 wide, and 50 high, had 42 windows, 70 columns, and 

 8 doors. 



Clovis, being converted, built many churches. He CJovi*. 

 founded the abbey of St Peter and St Paul (near St s , Gcm _ 

 Genevieve) without the walls of Paris in 507, also the T ; e ve. 

 church of St Peter at Chartres, and St Mesenin near Or- 

 leans. His son Childebert built the abbey of St Ger- 

 main des Prez near Paris. It is said that the only re- 

 mains of these works are the tower of St Germain des 

 Prcr., and that of St Peter at Chartres. The general Form ob- 



form was oblong, with a semicircle at the east end. lon K> somc - 

 rriL r r r times a 



They were sometimes in form of a cross ; the roof was crost 



supported by pillars of stone and marble, and covered 

 with lead or gill tiles ; the altar and covered ceiling of The man- 

 apsis were incrusted with marble and Mosaic work, as nerof exe- 

 wcre sometimes the western front ; the walls were em- cl 

 bellished with sculptures, relieved with painting ; the 

 windows were frequently glazed ; there was a pediment 

 in the west front perforated with a circular aperture, and 

 afterwards with a rose window. The plans, it is said, were 

 often made by the abbots, and their convent assisted in 

 carrying on the work ; in sundry times the ecclesiastics 

 performed carving, smelting, painting, and mosaic. Leo, Leo, bi- 

 bishop of Tours, was a great artist, especially in carpen- >hop of 

 try. St Elojr, who was first a saddler, then a goldsmith, 1 ourl - 

 and at last bishop of Noyon, built the monastery of Lo- 

 lognac near Limoges, but was most noted for shrines of 

 gold, silver, and precious stones, especially those at St 

 Denys and St Martin of Tours ; he dud in 668. The St Deny*, 

 greatest work of this century was St Denys, by Dago- 

 bcrt, son of Clothaire. Pepin began to rebuild it, but it 

 was completed by Charlemagne, and dedicated in 775. 

 The vault of the crypt under the east end, and the frtrat 

 entrance of the present church, is said to be part of the 

 work of Pepin and Charlemagne. It appears that, in 

 the course of the 8th century, stone towers and belfries 

 became common in Franc:. 



