2014-09-12 Loupiac, église Saint-Pierre, Gironde, Aquitaine

In 1844, a report by Viollet-le-Duc praised the beauty of materials and the perfect preservation of the sculptures of the Romanesque church of Loupiac. Six years later the architect Abadie, by one of these deceptions that were familiar to him, the building largely disfigured; only the apse and the facade retained their original form, without escaping provided a restoration as radical as possible, and moreover, not always accurate in detail. It can be considered still as a happy coincidence that this frontispiece of an original composition and bold reached us as we still can appreciate science, guess charm. It belongs to the category of cranes in front building, but here the front building took larger proportions than usual; it unfolds in height on a background of wall itself as a long rectangle placed on the small side, topped by a pediment and escorted to the right and left, a little behind, two long blind arcades inherited the architectural traditions of the eleventh century. Their elevation and narrow is intended to emphasize the general verticality of the building. The front building, which also dominate the vertical, itself has a more acute pediment and narrower than the other and pierced a window - redone -; it's the same ledge triple row of billets supported by corbels which highlights these two triangular surfaces and accentuates the game through the lateral recesses. The articulation of these two juxtaposed surfaces inspired to the evidence of ancient monuments, without regional doubt, but these reminiscences of the Gallo-Roman past are only a pretext for new forms of gambling, in the most gracious renewal combinations thereof. Rarely variations on the old theme they grew with such happiness. A large semicircular portal without eardrum, four very splayed arches, alone occupies the ground floor of the front building. Here the setting of these arches starting from the outside: - alternating tori and fillets, in a archivolte; - Diamonds whose tip abuts a torus placed at the angle (repairs may be unfaithful).The denti-particles with an angular torus. Two cores separated by a groove. The three pairs of columns and pilasters backed the doorframe, which receive, have not escaped the ravages General of the sculpture, with the exception of a single tent foliage, to the extreme left, miraculously remained old . A cord buxom palmettos, which is back on the sides of the front building, serves to support equal three high arches which occupy the first floor. They are separated by twin columns while a single column receives their extreme impact, and their bases are heavily threaded redone. Their unique roll semicircular received various patterns; respectively from left to right, a series of diamond shapes between two cores, three naked tangent cores, two cores punctuated here and there by paired rings. Above run rich tracery archivolts, of sheaves and stars. The abacuses of the capitals also wear them a bold decor makes them the medallions interlacing and starry rouelles; those ends extend into transoms. As we see, all this ornamental sculpture is just an abundance of flowers; we would like to specify the parts, if not authentic, at least faithfully restored; we must be content to think that the workers responsible for redo these reasons have been seduced by their edgy verve and we have restored the general spirit. The single central arch is formed with a window. The pair of columns that accosts left received, halfway up his drums, viola player long-sleeved tunic and generously flared. This single figure well placed, inexplicably, acquires an even greater prominence. As for the capitals, their interest is keen.The left side with a very marked relief, a lion surrounded by monsters on the largely populated twin baskets of the Agnus Dei and the animals, as tetramorph the of the Four Evangelists. An other capital with a holy man and another man man, with a wooden leg, sitting majestically in chairs, between which slipped a little character a child or dwarf. And the last to the right offers as a corner volute cluster that a bird strike with its beak. Between the archivolt of the bay and the triple cornice corbels improperly rebuilt, the project manager has placed prominently, a long rectangular relief in a recessed panel framed with a net and a torus; this kind of frieze, highlighting the smallest of pediments, irresistibly draws the eye; that is why the artist has been at the center Christ surrounded by his eleven Apostles, including St. John who bends over his chest. It was during the Last Supper, after the departure of Judas, he must situate this episode, here stripped of all anecdotal element, particularly the table, which, at this height, would have constituted an unwelcome additional horizontal. But it is to recount other reasons: on the right and left of the long frame, clearly separated for this long frieze by two empty beaches, took up the representation of Original Sin and the Adoration of the Lamb, that we see in the air, carrying the cross, between two angels. This shortcut of the human drama of the Fall and Redemption through the intercession of the Saviour had to be and was treated without emphasis, but with strength and clarity. The whole complex and clever architecture of the frontispiece is organized according to the scene. The quality remains the rather banal matter of sculpture in this vision inspired builder who entered without hesitation or ornamental decor featured in the lines of his blueprint to exalt the correctness and blackmail proportions. If the facade Loupiac draws obviously, that of La Brede, the arrangement is far superior; and whether or poitevine of saintongeaise original features are visible, eg geometric patterns, or there is a frieze, like Fenioux, we still find ourselves in the presence of true creation, endowed with its own flavor and an irreducible personality.

(from: Romanesque Guyenne; Pierre-Dubourg Noves, Ed Zodiac, Coll Night of Time, 1979, pp 295-296...)