Notre-Dame la Grande (Poitiers)

Notre-Dame la Grande is a church in Poitiers, France. Having a double status, collegial and parochial, it forms part of the Catholic diocese of Poitiers.

History and architecture

The district was already populated in Roman times. The ancient vestiges of a brick and rectangular stone construction can be located near the gutter on the northern wall of the current church.

The church is mentioned in the tenth century, under the name of "Sancta Maria Maior", referering to the Roman church of the same name, Santa Maria Maggiore. Its position next to the Palace of the Counts of Poitou-Dukes of Aquitaine (current law courts of Poitiers), is certainly not innocent from the political point of view, the bishops of Poitiers being barons of Poitou.

The whole of the building was rebuilt in the second half of the eleventh century, in the period of High Romanesque, and inaugurated in 1086 by the future Pope Urban II.

The plan of the church is composed of a central nave with collateral ?the very high ones? according to a frequent plan in Romanesque architecture of the Poitou. The interior has the effect of a "church agora" on just one plane. The barrel vault has a slightly flattened silhouette, whereas the collateral ones are covered with a groined vault. Outside, the collateral ones were covered with a terrace punt, the roof being reserved for the nave: thus there was the effect of a rise basilica on two levels. This silhouette disappeared with the Gothic remodelling. A deambulatory with radiating chapels developed around the church which preserved a part of its murals. A crypt of the XI century, dug a posteriori under the choir, also preserves frescos of the time. The plan does not present a transept, certainly by preoccupation with a place: buildings were in the north, and the principal street passes to the south. It east can be also for that that the choir is slightly eccentric compared to the nave. The Romanesque gate is preserved in part at the south. Cut down by this stage, one found there before the Revolution, an equestrian statue representing Constantine. This statue was the counterpart of another, older statue destroyed by the Huguenots in 1562. It is not known if the identity of the first rider were the same. Behind this statue, on the ground, a small vault dedicated to Sainte Catherine was referred to during the Middle Ages. The bell-tower dates from the XI century. In the beginning it was marked much more: the first level is dissimulated today by the roofs. Located at the site of the crossing, it presents a square base, then over it a circular level of a roof decorated with scales. This type of roof, frequent in the south-west, was often copied by the architects of the XIXe century, in particular Paul Abadie in Angoulême, Périgueux and Bordeaux.

During the second quarter of the XIIe century, the old bell-tower-porch which was on the frontage was shaved and the church was increased by two spans towards the west. In the south, the turret of a staircase marks the site of this enlarging. It is at that time that the celebrated frontage-screen was built.

In the north, there was a cloister in the XII century. It was removed in 1857 for the construction of the metal markets. There remains the door (walled up). Three arcs supported by columns duplicated with capitals with foliage were re-installed in the court of the university opposite, as was a pillar on the corner.

Private vaults were added to the Romanesque frame during the XV and XVI centuries. Of flamboyant Gothic style, they belonged to the middle-class families of the city, who had been merchants since the end of the Middle Ages. The largest was built in the south by Yvon the Insane, Grand Senechal of Poitou in the XV century. His tomb was placed there before the Revolution.

Interior Decoration

Romance frescos remain only those of the half dome above the chorus and the crypt. Above the chorus, one still distinguishes a not very frequent representation of the apocalypse: the Virgin with the Child is represented in a mandorle, Christ is in majesty on the voute, between a circle and a square, then the Mystical Lamb is represented in a circle. Around, under blind arcades, the 12 apostles are represented sat, as on the frontage. The historians of art think today that this painting was used as model for the sculptures of the frontage, the attitudes and the composition being identical. In the angles, angels accompany the hearts with the paradise. In the crypt, the frescos represent anonymous saints. Some traces of representations of animals appear under the coatings in collateral north. The whole of the church was resaturé by Joly-Leterme in 1851. This last made repaint the columns and the vaults with reasons "romano-Byzantine", on the basis of a principle running in the restorers of the XIXe century, that of the influence of the crusades on the Romanesque art. Whimsical and a little doors, these paintings were criticized as of the time. The writer Joris-Karl Huysmans treated them "tattooings". The sculptures of the capitals are sober, made up of stylized foliages known as "fatty sheets". Only one capital is historié: located in the déambulatoire southern side, it represents the Rise with Christ upright in a mandorle. The capitals of the chorus take as a starting point the Corinthian capitals of Roman antiquity. One reads there the name "Robertus", without knowing to which it refers. Pattées crosses are carved a little everywhere on the columns, in the roofs and on the bell-tower. In the vault Ste-Anne, known as "of Insane", is a setting with the tomb carved out of polychrome stone. Dating from the first hours of XVIe century, it comes from the old abbey of the Trinity.

Movable

The church was refurnished after the Revolution. Thus, one finds there a pulpit baroque out of wood carved of the XVIIe century, coming from the convent of the girls from Our-injury, two bronze lecterns of the XVIIe century representing the eagle of St-Jean. The statue of Our-injury of the Keys date completion of XVIe or the beginning of the XVIIe century. The tradition says that it acts of a copy of the miraculous statue, destroyed by the huguenots in 1562. Its hieratic, foreign style to the taste of the end of XVIe century, recalls the Romance virgins indeed rather. One preserves the coats, crowns and ornaments which were useful at the time of the procession of the Easter Monday. A table of the XVIIe century represents the Miracle of the Keys, just as a stained glass of the XIXe century. The whole of the stained glasses dates from XIXe and XXe centuries. The choir organ is end of the XIXe century, whereas large the organ is 1996.

The Frontage

Church Our-injury the Large oneAdded towards the second quarter of XIIe century, the frontage-screen of Our-injury-the-Large with a silhouette specific to the novel poitevin. One finds this type of composition to the church St-Hilaire of Miss and St-Jouin-of-Marls. The frontage, punt, are much higher than the building, making the effect of a bottom of scene. Framed by two turrets which one is unaware of the function (except to admit the explanation of "the Initiatory Rosette" that Rosart gives some), it is structured superimposed blind arcades. The sculpture decorates with profusion the frontage. One finds there reasons frequent forthe Romanesque art: rinceaux, bestiary, let us modillons carved fantastic heads grimaçantes and figures. A capital represents faced elephants. Above the gate, a plank comprises biblical scenes.

The Plank of Frontage

Detail of the plank representing, left on the right, Adam, Eve and Nabuchodonosor II

With the top of the door, one can contemplate a plank of high reliefs illustrating of the passages of the Bible. The scenes chosen, taken in the Old one and the New Will, tell the advertisement and the arrival of God on ground in the person of Jesus-Christ to save the humanity of the original sin. She is sometimes called plank of the Incarnation. Of left on the right one sees the original sin there, Nabuchodonosor king de Babylone, the Daniel prophets, Moïse, Isaïe and Jérémie. They are followed by the Annunciation, the Tree of Jessé and king David. This first half of plank, showing those which see the arrival of a saver as of the Old Will, the Annunciation and the ancestors of the Virgin, evokes the filiation which exists between the Old Will and the New one in the Christian Church. On the other side of the gate, one sees the Visitation, between the towns of Nazareth and Jerusalem. Represented like medieval cities, the town of Nazareth represents also the Synagogue, that of Jerusalemthe Church. One represents thus, in XIIe century, the passage of the Jewish law to the new Christian law. This scene is followed Jesus Nativity and Bath of the Child scene drawn from the writings apocryphal books. The cut in which one washes Jesus is also the chalice of the mass, which evokes its sacrifice here. The end, Holy Joseph, perplexed, attends with the scene. Under Joseph, two men are represented fighting. According to a recent study (cf bibliography) it would act of the fight between Jacob and the Angel.Just above, the arcades shelter the twelve apostles and two bishops. The local tradition sees Saint-Hilaire and Saint Martin's day there. The historians of art prefer to not see there portraits but representations of the bishop like heir to the apostles, therefore represented on the same level. The behaviours are differentiated besides: on the right, a bishop points out the episcopal capacity of the bishops of Poitiers, barons of Poitou. On left, the bishop carries the papal behaviour of XIIe century: it is the bishop of Rome, recall of the papal capacity in one period marked by the Gregorian reform.Finally at the top Parousie is represented: Christ is represented upright in a mandorle, is surrounded of Tétramorphe and is surmounted Sun and the Moon.

One distinguishes work from at least two different workshops of sculpture: one with a taste for the movement and the folds, visible in the Annunciation for example, and the other with a more static work, in flat tints (cf Visitation). The sculptures had been carried out before the assembly of the frontage, as indicates it certain rinceaux which are not followed or certain sculptures which are obviously not with the site initially envisaged.

Traces of polychromy and inscriptions painted were located on the plank and the characters. They are especially visible for the spectator around the scene of the Annunciation.

In 1562, at the time of the bag of Poitiers, the huguenots broke the heads of the figures which it judged heretics. At the XVIIe century, the presence of merchants salt makers who had placed their gravers against the frontage, will cause a deterioration of the calcareous stone by salt.

In 1992 one began a large restoration campaign of the church. The stones were désalées in laboratory and were reinstalled. The inauguration of the restored frontage took place in 1995. It is on this occasion that the artists of Skertzò have creates the spectacle of Polychromies of Our-injury-the-Large.

The legend of the miracle of the keys

Rule of Our-injury holding the keys of the cityIn the year 1202, the English besieged the city. The clerk of the mayor promises to them to deliver the city to them in their providing the keys of the city in exchange of a great amount of money and this, the Easter Day.In the night, the clerk returns to the room of the mayor to steal the keys from him but, at the time to seize them, they had disappeared.To his alarm, the mayor also realizes of disappearance and, frightened, knows that there was treason. He thus prevents his army and goes to Our-injury-the-Large to request. He discovers the statue of the Virgin Mary there, turn-key.

During the night, under the ramparts, frightened by the appearances of the Virgin, Saint-Hilaire and Sainte-Radegonde, the English entretués themselves and are flee.

It is represented in the church on a stained glass of the XIXe century and on a table of the XVIIe. Church St-Hilaire-the-Large of Poitiers preserves three stone statues (the Virgin with the Child, Saint Hilaire and Sainte Radegonde) which formerly decorated the door of the Trench, place of the miracle.

The legend is incredible from the historical point of view since in 1202 Poitou formed part of the English duchy ofAquitaine, under the reigns ofHenri II andAliénor of Aquitaine. The oldest account goes up in Jean Bouchet, in his Annals of Aquitaine. The legend became very popular especially after the seat of the admiral Gaspard II of Coligny in Poitiers in 1569.Poitevins celebrated until in 1887 this divine protection by a solemn procession in all the city and a statue was set up in the medium of the ch?ur to THE XVIIEcentury.

[to modify] BibliographyAndrault-Schmitt, Claude, and Camus, Marie-Thérèse, Our-injury-the-Large, Romance work, editions Picardy, CESCM, 2002Riou, Yves-Jean, the Collegial Our-injury-the-Large one, collection Routes of the Inheritance, editions of the C.P.P.P.C., 1995external Bonds [to modify]

External links

Wikimedia Commons proposes free documents multi-media on Église Our-injury the Large one of Poitiers.

• Romanes.com: Chapîteaux of the frontage• diocese-poitiers.com: History of the church on the site of the diocese of Poitiers• Site of the tourist bureau and the Service Inheritance of Poitiers (to click on "the ways of Our-injury" then on the bonds of the monuments)• : Keys of Our-injury-the-Large, a religious organization to make radiate this inheritance by artistic creationRecovered " http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89glise_Notre-Dame_la_Grande_de_Poitiers "
* http://www.green-man-of-cercles.org/galleryto see an album of photographs of the façade of Notre Dame la Grande