Bourgogne romane: Saint Martin priory church in Chapaize
After Blanot, we continue our visit of some remarkable Romanesque churches in southern Burgundy.
In the small and quiet village of Chapaize, a Benedictine priory was founded in the 900s by the monks of the abbey of Chalon-sur-Saône. The church that we can see today, and which is one of the most interesting in all of Burgundy, was built around Year 1000 by the great abbot and builder Guillaume de Volpiano, who had originally come from Italy —but “nations” as we know them today meant nothing back then.
In general, this beautiful church is reminiscent of the abbey church of Tournus, which is only 15 kilometers away, on the other bank of River Saône. You will have noticed the bandes lombardes, an expected decorative motif for the period. They appear on the façade and on the bell tower, which is very tall (35 meters) and towers over all the surrounding countryside.
With these four photos, we end ouir visit of Chapaize. Tomorrow, we move on to another south Burgundy location...
This photo, taken in the nave near the transept crossing, is, I think, interesting for several reasons: first, it shows how the arches and their semi-column supports are integrated into the general architectural scheme; and second, the places where the plastering has been removed (or has not been redone) show how the walls and arches were appareled in the Middle Ages.
Bourgogne romane: Saint Martin priory church in Chapaize
After Blanot, we continue our visit of some remarkable Romanesque churches in southern Burgundy.
In the small and quiet village of Chapaize, a Benedictine priory was founded in the 900s by the monks of the abbey of Chalon-sur-Saône. The church that we can see today, and which is one of the most interesting in all of Burgundy, was built around Year 1000 by the great abbot and builder Guillaume de Volpiano, who had originally come from Italy —but “nations” as we know them today meant nothing back then.
In general, this beautiful church is reminiscent of the abbey church of Tournus, which is only 15 kilometers away, on the other bank of River Saône. You will have noticed the bandes lombardes, an expected decorative motif for the period. They appear on the façade and on the bell tower, which is very tall (35 meters) and towers over all the surrounding countryside.
With these four photos, we end ouir visit of Chapaize. Tomorrow, we move on to another south Burgundy location...
This photo, taken in the nave near the transept crossing, is, I think, interesting for several reasons: first, it shows how the arches and their semi-column supports are integrated into the general architectural scheme; and second, the places where the plastering has been removed (or has not been redone) show how the walls and arches were appareled in the Middle Ages.