Angoulême Cathedral

The Cathedral of St. Pierre in Angoulême, in the Charente region of France ( Poitou-Charentes region ) is a in the years 1105-1128 erected in the style of late Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture. This was built in a very short time cathedral is a typical example of the Aquitanian -domed church.

It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Angoulême. The cultural monument was classified as a monument historique in 1840.

Architecture

Facade

Construction of the cathedral began, in contrast to the usual church construction with the construction of the facade, which is the history of Romanesque sculpture in western France of importance. However, it has suffered from a 19th century conducted by Paul Abadie restoration. For this purpose, wrote Marcel Durliat, one of the most renowned connoisseur of Romanesque art in France: " Paul Abadie, the west facade just as irreverent treated [like the interior ]. With magnificent unceremoniousness Abadie has recut here, there completed, a central portal reconstructed, which was unknown to him, and especially all made ​​top-heavy with a completely incongruous crown. "

The facade is a multi-storey, split by five-fold bow position display wall with rich figural and ornamental statuary. The 75 persons depicted provide a total of the Last Judgment dar. This topic was therefore shown as often on the western facades of the churches, because there are actually court was held.

The central scene shows Christ in the mandorla directly above the center window, surrounded by the symbols of the Evangelists. The eagle on the top left is the symbol of John, the angel is on top right for Matthew. The winged lion on the bottom left represents Mark and the winged ox right next to Luke.

Will appear next six angels, four smaller ones in the middle, their gazes upward turn to Christ and the Apostles, two more on the sides, which look down. In the art of the time not the representation of nature is decisive, but gestures and drama, the ratio of people to each other was, especially noticeable on the viewing direction.

The direction of view of the individual characters is important for the understanding of the entire display wall. See only the redeemed in Christ, the Damned downwards or sideways.

This multi-figured core scene that spreads on the facade over several floors, is permeated by a myriad of decorative elements, so that one almost has the impression that all that has hitherto been ever invented in the history of art in decorative forms, is here, as in a lexicon compiled.

Cathedral in the city image

St. George

St. Martin

Interior

The nave consists of three successive domes with arched Jochen together, a typical design for this region, which is named after the most important building of this group in Périgueux the " Périgord- school". This dome churches have no aisles and no ambulatory, but often domes over the transepts.

It is believed in part, that here the usual barrel vault has therefore been abandoned or not even applied in Périgord, because the builder did not know how you could support it. Maybe negative experiences with collapsed arches as in Cluny III of this attitude are preceded - but this explanation seems unlikely, since the domes used here require a higher level of architectural skills.

Another theory suggested, however - since these buildings of the " Périgord- school" arose shortly after the First Crusade - that they eastern models they are based, but not Islamic but Byzantine. The plan scheme of this building goes back to the former Church of the Apostles in Constantinople Opel, which Justinian I had as an imperial mausoleum can build. These apostles church was also the model of 1063 began construction of the new church of St. Mark in Venice. Whether Angoulême and the neighboring Périgueux and has been directly inspired by Byzantium or only by Venice, can no longer decide.

And the Byzantine model - if it is it was such a - was not copied, but varied significantly in several respects. The floor plan has the form of a Greek cross, which can significantly close to Byzantine influence. Contrast, non- Byzantine is the longitudinal ranking to a single-nave system. In the Byzantine room and the aisles are vaulted to support the domes of the nave in such domed churches. Here in France take on massive walls and columns of this task. The interiors look a less luminous than in the east.

The organization of the nave caused as a succession of domed rooms that the three separate parts of the room a much higher than in self-employment have a nave with continuous ton than vault. The support of the large dome vault provides, in principle, similar to the one Vierungsturmes, which means that at the four corners strong pillar must take up the arch pressure. The wall between them acts as clamped, the space is determined by these dome units and it does not develop those stressed longitudinal extension, which we know from many other churches.

While the clean, almost clinical impression of this church is not original, but the result of the restoration of the 19th century. , Which also Paul Abadie conducted. But, as is evident from old documents, saw this space in the original also been so strict. So that was obviously the intention of the former owners. The Cistercians had indeed waived in their churches for religious reasons aware any ornaments.

Tomb of Girard II

View of the choir room

Organ

The first organ was built in the years 1781-1783 by the organ builder Simon -Pierre Miocque (Paris). This instrument has been repeatedly rebuilt and expanded. The instrument has now 55 registers on three manuals and pedal with electro- pneumatic actions.