File:The Civil engineer and architect's journal, scientific and railway gazette (1839) (20644636902).jpg

Title: The Civil engineer and architect's journal, scientific and railway gazette
Identifier: civilengineerarc05lond (find matches)
Year: 1839 (1830s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture; Civil engineering; Science
Publisher: London : (William Laxton)
Contributing Library: Northeastern University, Snell Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Northeastern University, Snell Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
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 1120, 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.
Text Appearing After Image:
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,"

Note About Images