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| Photo credit: Before Chartres |
It has been a little while since we last made a foray into the riches of the Romanesque, so we'll correct that today by taking a short tour of the church of San Giorgio in Brancoli, Lucca -- Lucca being in Tuscany and one of the locations where, along with Venice, would became renowned for its productions of silk textiles.
This particular structure was started in the mid eleventh century and completed sometime in the twelfth, so that places at right around that period of transition from the first to the second millennium, but many of the features of this church remind us of the legacy of the first, which is precisely part of the appeal of the Romanesque -- its paleochristian roots are still showing.
That begins right at the outset from the outer facade of the church which is a classic Roman basilica type.
Unlike gothic structures, which have a tendency to have an upward thrust and, through their tracery, tend to give an lighter and airier feel, Romanesque structures by comparison are substantive; they feel heavy and firmly rooted, like a bulwark, in the foundations of the earth. Both have their respective merits it goes without saying. Romanesque churches tend to feel like "fortresses of the faith."
As we venture inside this theme continues, but the aspect of verticality starts to come out what with its open-trussed timber ceilings, triple naves and tall slender columns.
Another angle:
There is quite a bit going on here. First off, again, this is a classic Roman basilica in form. Triple naves, columns, arcades, and so on. We also find paleochristian elements that unite both the Roman East and West. For example, the choir/sanctuary is walled off by a low balustrade that separates the altar and sanctuary from the rest of the church. The altar is itself made distinct by virtue of being raised three steps higher. Behind, more modern woodwork has been inserted, but this area was likely originally setup like a synthronon (similar to what is seen in the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome).
Also seen here is a prominent ambo of grand proportions. This ambo, which dates to the year 1194 and is said to be the work of the architect and sculptor Guidetto, is filled with various sculptural details, typical to this period and style. It also contains the inscription, "Evangelica lectio fiat peccatorum remissio" which loosely translates as "let the reading of the gospel be [for] the remission of sins."
Within the apse, we also find a fourteenth century painted crucifix. This particular type and shape of crucifix can be found all throughout Tuscany.
The altar is quite interesting. It comes in the table-altar form and includes six columns, functioning as the legs, the central of which, on the side facing toward the nave, includes an unknown figure. It is perhaps intended to depict the church's patronal saint, S. Giorgio, but this is purely speculation.
As an aside, it is an open question for me as to whether this altar wouldn't have been originally covered by a ciborium magnum (or was at least intended to be). Certainly the current proportions of the sanctuary find the ambo more visually prominent than the altar itself (which demonstrates the architectural value and liturgical function of a ciborium).Here, for example, is a digital approximation of what this church would look like with a ciborium in place over the altar:
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| A digitally modified photo, spculating what the altar and church would look like with a ciborium in place. |
Like most churches of this vintage, the tabernacle is not located on the altar -- that is a later development. It is rather located within an aumbry, a locked cabinet space in a wall that is typically located near the altar. The aumbry of this church has been ornamented by a later, Renaissance era design that includes neo-classical ornamentation. That this is a later piece is evidenced not only by the content of ornamentation, but also the greater refinement of the style.
The church also includes another interesting feature, a full immersion, octagonal baptismal font, a work also attributed to Guidetto. This font is located in the leftmost nave, near the main entrance of the church.
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| Detail from the baptismal font |
Finally, here are a few other random details taken from the church.
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| One of the many sculptural capitals found in the church |
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| A late 14th century fresco by Giuliano di Simone depicting the Annunciation |
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| A view from the sanctuary toward the nave |
Romanesque churches often don't quite have the full refinement and ornamentation of truly imperial Roman structures, which would often be covered in polychrome marble revetments, but they are substantive and impressive all the same, and they mark a period of transition leading from the classical and paleochristian period, that leads us toward later medieval gothic.
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