In The floor…
I often do get sidetracked by small details in buildings, and these trapdoors in the floors of the various halls and rooms of the Marvel (here in the Knights’ Chamber) caught my attention. Made of solid oak, as is much of the woodwork in the abbey they have the glowing patina of centuries of wear on them. But what was their purpose? One of our party suggested there had probably been a gallows above them – an unlikely use I thought despite the knowledge that for part of its history the Mont had served as a prison. Hanging, after the invention of the guillotine, was not a widely used method of execution in France. I had seen a similar covered aperture in the Petit Trianon in Versailles, which was used to deliver food from the kitchen below the Queen’s dining room without the need for lowly kitchen staff to enter the presence of Royalty. However although the ‘class system’ was indeed adhered to in the Marvel, no kichen lay below this level and location of the building, besides which the height and function of the rooms below discounted that idea too. The size of the opening (perhaps a metre square at most) precluded their use for furniture removal, and so the only possible answer can be that they served for either temporary access to the lower chambers or for the delivery of building materials, or even timber used to construct refectory tables in situ. The oak fixtures around the abbey are details not to be missed. Although not grown in the immediate region, much oak is still brought to Normandy – the well known local apple brandy – Calvados – is aged in casks of (usually Limousin) oak.
No comments:
Post a Comment