ARCHITECTURE - Karatunov.net

France30FRANCE [CH. xixonce furnished the Aliscamps at Aries were carved inprovincial Gaul, they show a very flourishingstate of artthere in the 4th century, at least equal to that of Italy.But of course it is possible that the finer sort may havebeen broughtfrom Rome, and there iscertainly a closeresemblance between one of those in the museum atAries and a in thesarcophagusLateran Museum.For the architecture of the fourth and three followingcenturies we must trust to description only, for nothingIndtthcentiriesOf jt remains. At the beginning of that periodwe findthe greatnobles of Auvergne and Aquitaine living ontheir estates in lordly villas with largeretinues and householdsof slaves, Sidonius describes his country house inAuvergne much as Pliny 1 describes his Tusculanum tohis friend Apollinaris.Sidonius speaks of dining roomsfor winter and for summer, baths with domed roofs ongraceful columns, apartments for the ladies, and spinningrooms for the maids, saloons and verandahs.Primitive Nor was church architecture behindhand. Thechurch builtat Tours by Bishop Namatius in the 5th century atClermont-Ferrand is described by Gregory of Toursas measuring 1 50 ft. by 60, and 50ft. in height to theroof. It had side aisles, was cruciform and apsidal,with 42 windows, 70 columns and 8 doors, The wallswere adorned with mosaic of various kinds of marble 2 .The odour of sanctity was patent to the senses, for thechurch exhaled "the sweetest scent as of aromas."Ona still largerscale was the famous basilica of S. Martin builtby Bishop Perpetuus in 472 at Tours, which Gregory thehistorian and bishop himself re-built after a conflagration.IL ii,1PHn. Ep. v, 6. Sid. Apoll. Ep. 2 Parietes ad altarium opere sarsurio ex multo marmorum genere exornatoshabet. Greg. Turon. X. 16. He gives a long list of churches built at thistime by Bishop Perpetuus and others. sarsurius=musivum opus. Ducange.