ARCHITECTURE - Karatunov.net

CH. xxi]FRANCE TOULOUSE 87also a western tower, both pierced by windows withmid-wall shafts. It is a three-aisled basilican church, thenave barrel-vaulted with transverse ribs, and the aislescross-groined.The proportionis narrow and lofty,andthe building ends eastward with three apses.The abbey of MOISSAC, north of Toulouse, is a single- Abbey ofJ. . , t Moissacaisled apsidal church, of which the nave was re- built in the15th century. At the west end however it has the originalRomanesque tower, to which was added on the south sidea magnificentouter portal,and at the same time thetower was turned into a fortress by the addition of aparapet walk round it with crenellation over the entrance.Fortified churches are not uncommon in this district,which suffered severely during the crusades against theAlbigenses.The portalismagnificently sculptured.The arch like that at S. Trophime is very slightly pointedand its three orders are divided by a slender reed-likefeature that serves for shaft in the jamb and arch in thehead, the capital being only marked by a band or knotof carving. This has a later look than 1150, the dateIn the tympanumassigned to it by Viollet-le-Duc.O *sits, imperiallycrowned andi ienthroned,1with1thei"tourtypical beasts around him, who regard him with anecstasy which is expressed in a very lively manner.elders whoThe rest of the spaceis occupied by the 24wear crowns and hold musical instruments.Christ SculptureJVlOlSS3,CAcross thelintel is a fine row of rosettes dished round a raisedcentral flower, which has a Byzantinecharacter. Thejambs of the doorway (Plate CXI), are curiouslyscalloped, and the shafts next the opening follow thescalloped outline. The sides of the porch,which projectsin front and carries a barrel vault, have two arches oneach side containing sculptured figures and a frieze over