Side by side
Looking across the transept crossing and nave from the north transept, one gets a good appreciation of the differing but complementary architectural styles of Romanesque and Gothic. Let’s spend a little more time looking at what differentiates these two architectural periods.
Romanesque (in the style of the Romans) was prevalent from the 9th through to the 12th centuries and followed the earlier Byzantine style – typified by much smaller buildings than were now to be constructed. Arches were barrelled - as found in many classical Roman buildings - and buildings tended to have a heaviness from the thick walls to the heavy vaulted roofs, resulting in small and often few windows which tended to weaken construction. These larger buildings with blunted towers and often fortress like appearance, are something we have seen much of on the Mont
Gothic style (forget about today’s eyelined Goths) superceded Romanesque in the 12th century and was introduced in church design with the intention of making them appear like heaven (or man’s idea of the place – colourful, spacious and light). The use of complex external supporting structures, towers and buttresses along with internal ribbed arches displaced roof pressure outwards allowing increased heights, thinner walls and most notably increased use of glazed windows. Pointed arches, vaulted roofs, tall spires and lead-light or stained-glass panels typify the style. It is one that comes into its own in the Marvel.
A good descriptive comparison of the two styles can be seen here. Use your back arrow to return to this site, and you’ll see many of these features contrasted in today’s image – the transept with its Romanesque origins, and the nave, crossing and chancel - pure Gothic.
From the relative quiet of the transept I did feel somehow closer to heaven; it was probably here that I first mentally applied a single word to the abbey.
Celestial.
The place truly is celestial.
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