im 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND AUCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[May' 



to represent eight angels. Tlie upper arcade contains a number of 

 circular medallions, witli heads upon them. The cornice which ter- 

 minates the front, and the small turrets at the angles, seem to have 

 been addied at the commencement of the IGth century. 



There is a small octagon tower at the junction of the nave and 

 transepts, but the bell tower is situated at the extremity of the north 

 transept, and is a very remarkable and beautiful specimen. It rises 

 independently to a great height, and is divided into six stories above 

 the transept, adorned with columns and semi-circular arcades, and 

 terminated with a short pyramidal roof. It may be seen many miles 

 round, rising from the conical hill on which the city is placed, like a 

 high mast, and has a very curious effect. With regard to the details 

 of it, the capitals of the columns are leafed, and indented squares, 

 scrolls, &c., are amongst the chief ornaments of the mouldings. In 

 the top story but one, the arcade would seem to be an alteration or 

 addition, other arches appearing behind those on the face. The 

 uppermost story has large circular pillars at the angles. Withinside 

 the church, the nave, which has no columns, is covered by three large 

 cupolas with plain horizontal bands between each, passing from wall 

 to wall. The bands form a pointed arch, as they do also on all four 

 sides under the centre tower, which is pierced with openings, and 

 serves as a lantein to light the space between the nave and the choir. 

 The choir, which has an aisle on either side of it, terminates with a 

 emi-circular absis, the whole much modernized and injured. The 

 transepts originally presenteu similar cupolas to those now in the 

 nave. These cnpolas are very singular, and are to be seen only in 

 very few instances in France. M. de Caumont, who examined this 

 cathedral in 1S34, considers that originally they formed the external 

 covering, but that, finding it difficult to prevent the infiltration of 

 rain water, a wooden roof was aftervcards placed over them. In the 

 church of >S/. Front, at Perigueux, the same arrangement has been 

 made ; but in the church at Loches, where there are two similar cu- 

 polas in the nave, thev are still exposed externally and form two 

 cones.* 



Touching the foundation of the cathedral, and the age of the present 

 building, it is stated that Clovis rebuilt a church here, and dedicated 

 it to at. Peter. Having been much injured by invading barbarians, it 

 was restored and consecrated in 1017 ; but ultimately, namely in 1 120, 

 was taken down and rebuilt " a primo lapidc." Several of the French 

 writers wish to insist that the western front was not pulled down at 

 this time, but that it is a remnant of the structure built by Clovis I 

 This opinion, however, is quite untenable, as the front is evidently 

 not earlier than the 12th century. The church was greatly injured 

 by the Calvinists in the 16th century, as it was also during the revo- 

 lution of 1793, of which latter time a record yet remains in these 

 words, sculptured over the entrance door, " Temple de la Raison." 



As another example (in fact, perhaps, constituting with Notre Dame 

 de Poitiers, the three chief examples in France) of a class of buildings 

 little known to us, I annex a view (Fig. 8,) of the extraordinary western 

 front of the church of St. Nicholas, at Civray, situated betu een Poitiers 

 and Angouleme, and is attributed to the 12th century. It was not 

 drawn on the spot, but is reduced from a very correct engraving of it, 

 published by M. ThioUet, and will serve to give a clear notion of its 

 arrangement. In the upper of the two stories into which this facade 

 is divided, three arches occujiy the whole extent, and display some 

 extraordinary bas reliefs ; on the left hand side two figures occupy 

 the place of columns, and support the arches. The doorwav in tlie 

 centre of the lower story is very richly decorated with sculptured 

 figures, as are the arches adjoining the space beneath, each of which 

 is subdivided by two pointed arches, also elaborately adorned. The 

 signs of the zodiac occur more than once on this very remarkable 

 front. 



The history of that style of architecture which grew up in Byzan- 

 tium, after the removal of the seat of empire from Rome by Constan- 

 line, is yet to be written. The extent to which it influenced the 



" The interr.al length of the buiUling is 241 fc«t. 



FiS- S. 



architecture of Germany, France, and England, was, until lately, very 

 imperfectly estimated, and even now is not sufficiently so. The 

 materials for such a work, which is unquestionably a dcsideraliim, are 

 neither few nor slight. Eusebius describes minutely many of the 

 buildings erected by Constantine and his mother,* as does Procopius 

 even more fully those built by Justinian.t Spon and other old tra- 

 vellers give descriptions of many of these edifices, which now no 

 longer remain; and Hope,$ Mr. Gaily Kniglit,!i' M. Albert Lenoir, and 

 M. Mallay,|| have each proceeded a considerable way in elucidating 

 the subject. M. Lenoir, especially, in his architectural course, de- 

 livered at the BibliotJii'que Royale, Paris, in 1838, and since published 

 in the " Revue Generale de 1' Architecture," has ably sketched out the 

 work required.** 



It seems quite clear that Constantinople was the great metropolis of 

 the middle ages, and that at a period when Italy was deeply abased, 

 skilful artists and artisans of all descriptions were to be found in the 

 new city.tt They were accordingly sent for to all parts of the empire, 

 and served to diffuse and make general the style of art there in use. 

 Works in mosaic, if not originated by the Constantinopolitans,JX were 

 made so entirely their own as to become invariably termed opus Grce- 

 cum, and Btjsanteum arlifoium; and stained glass, fresco- painting, 

 and other decorations, were brought by them to great perfection. The 

 buildings erected bv Constantine were coated with marble, and the 

 cupolas by which they were covered were plated with gold.^^ Tlie 



* De Vita beatissimi Imperatotis Constavtvii. Liber tertius. 



T De JEdificiis Domini Justiniani. 



\ Hist. Archit.. chap. x. 



^ Normans in Sicily, chap. xxii. 



II Essai snrh's Eglises Romano-Bijzantines du dcpartcvieut dn Put/ -de -Dome. 



"* Mr. Willis, in his work on the " Architecture of the Middle Ages,'' has 

 made some valuable observations bearing on the subject. Dr. Moller's book, 

 •• Memorials of German Gothic Architecture," translated by Mr. Leeds, 

 sho'-ild also be referred to. 



tf Gibbon gives a lively description of the magnificence of Constantinople. 

 He says, " Some estimate may be formed of the expense bestowed with im- 

 perial liberalit\' on the foundation of Constanlinople, t>y the allowance of 

 about £2.500.000 for the construction of the walls, the porticos, and the 

 aqueJucls. Codinus Antiquit. Const, p. \\. The forests that oversbadoHe,! 

 the shores of the Kuxine, and the celebrated quarries of wbite marble in Ibe 

 little island of Proconnesus, supplied an almost inexhaustible stock of mate- 

 rials, ready to be convej'ed by the convenience of a short \vater-carri.ij^e lu 

 the harbour of Byzantium." Elsewhere he continues, " A particular de;>criii- 

 tion. composed about a century after the foundation of the city, enumeiaie,'? 

 a capitol or school of learning, a cirous, 2 theatres, 8 public and 153 private 

 baths, 52 porticos. 5 granaries, Saque-lucts or reservoirs of water, 4 S|jacioii.', 

 h.alls for the m^'Ctings of the senate or courts of jusiiee, 14 churches 14 

 palaces, and 4-38S hous s which, for their size or beauty, deserved lo be dis- 

 tinguished from the muliitnde of plebeian habitations," Too much haste, 

 however, led to to" early decay. 



Jt An esrly instance of the use of inlaid work seems pointed out in the 

 description of the palace of Ahasuerus (Book of Esther, ch.i. v. 6, ascribed to 

 the year 521 belore Christ), where a pavement is mendoned " of red, ami 

 blue, and white, and black marble." 



^^ " Cumqee icmplum omne in immensam altitudinem exiulisset, vnrio 

 lapulum genere splendiilum reililidit, a solo ad cameram usque marmoreis 

 crustis illud openens. Porro cameram lacunaribus rainutissime opens olxlu- 

 cens, totam auro imlir.icteavit." Eusebius ut supra, *' De coustruciiuiie 

 martyrii aposlolorum Constantinopoli," 



