THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[March. 



Fie. 2. 







height. The sculptured capitals, which are greatly injured and 

 defaced, indeed, tor the most part destroyed, vary in design, and are 

 ill-fitted to the shafts. The capitals of the small columns in the win- 

 dows are formed of comparatively large flat leaves. The upper story 

 of the two side walls is similar in arrangement to that represented by 

 the sketch, with the exception, that in the latter the triangular-headed 

 opening is wider than it is in the two side walls : in the one case it is 

 about six feet, in the other about three feet six inches. The arches 

 of the windows, (now only circular lights, having apparently been 

 blocked up at some remote period,) and the arched entrance to the 

 absis, are formed of stones about fifteen inches long and three inches 

 wide. 



The walls of this building have been covered with paintings or 

 mosaics, many of which still remain. Around the upper part is 

 painted a fret, with birds and other devices on a white panel, in each 

 compartment. The colours in the fret are blue, red, white, and 

 yellow, and have an antique appearance. Over the windows a zigzag 

 line is either drawn in white, or inlaid ; and beneath the openings are 

 ornamental scrolls, or other decorations, in colours. On the walls various 

 figures of large size are painted, some few of which have names 

 against them, formed by letters placed one over the other in an 

 wpright line : the prevailing colour of the whob is red. The trian- 

 gular-headed compartment over the absis contains a painted figure of 

 Christ, within a vescica piscis, of which mysterious form and its con- 

 stant recurrence in works of the middle ages, I shall hereafter take 

 occasion to speak. 



The soffit of the inner arch leading to the absis is painted; and on 

 the domical ceiling of the absis appears a very large seated figure of 

 Christ or of the Almighty, within a pointed quatre-foil. This has 

 been lately drawn by M. Seguin, for the " Comite Historique des 

 Arts etMonumens," and is described in one of their Bulletins to be 

 probably of the thirteenth century : some other figures which surround 

 it appear to be more ancient. 



In the absis there is a series of arches and small columns, with 

 capitals closely resembling those of the Corinthian order; one of these 

 is quite so, and the shaft of this displays a slight swell or entasis, as 

 is also found in the larger columns at the entrance. Some writers 

 liave considered that this portion of the building, like the vestibule, 

 is less ancient than the body of the structure; but this has been 

 warmly combatted, on the ground that the materials composing it and 

 the style employed correspond throughout both. M. Magnon de La- 

 lanie is of opinion that the north-west wall, originally similar to that 



represented by sketch 2, was altered to its present state when the 

 building was converted into a baptistery, and that the absis in question 

 was constructed at this same time, with the materials of the old wall.* 



Fig. 3. 





The exterior of one side of the ancient part of the building, both 

 being similar, is represented by sketch No. 3. The upper part of the 

 gable, originally inlaid with glazed bricks or coloured marble in 

 patterns, has been rudely repaired, but still displays a portion of its 

 early adornments. The triangular pediments, as well as the square 

 compartment with a triangular head, contain flat rosettes, formed like- 

 wise of glazed or encrusted brick. The semicircular opening in the 

 lower arcade presents a small Greek cross, (by accident not repre- 

 sented in the sketch,) and serves almost to identify the original 

 connection of the building with the Christian religion. The 

 series of corbels below the gable originally bore a cornice, now 

 destroyed. Beneath these, ranges of tiles or thin bricks are seen, 

 alternating with the stones composing the remainder of the front. 

 The pilasters, with their capitals and bases, project but slightly from 

 the face of the wall, and, together with the small entablature which 

 they bear, display very rude workmanship. 



On first entering this building, or viewing attentively its exterior, 

 one cannot avoid regarding it as a type of those edifices which we 

 term Saxon and Norman; a most interesting link in that chain which 

 connects the stupendous monuments of Egypt, and the glories of 

 Athens, with the cathedrals of Strasburg, Cologne, or York. In most 

 of those architectnral remains in England which are acknowledged to 

 be Saxon, as, for example, the towers of Earls Barton church, North- 

 amptonshire, of St. Peter's church, Barton-upon-Humber, and of 

 Barneck church, Northamptonshire, triangular-headed openings, or 

 straight-lined arches if they may be so called, occur; and they are also to 



* "Memoires dc la Sociele Ro)ale des Antir|uaires de Fr-ince." Tom. xir. 

 M. Caumunt is of opinion there was a similar aUsis, or small chapel, at the 

 nnrlh-wpst end. before the alteration: this would render the plan of the 

 buililing criuMform. The same writer is disposed to think the small columns 

 in I he windows and the absis are of less ancient workmnnship tlian the larger 

 cnlumns, but ihat they were worked out of some similar co'umns, as tlicy 

 are of the same marble. " Cours d'Anlitiuiles." Turn. iv. 



