ARCHITECTURE - Karatunov.net

44 FRANCE AQUITAINE [CH. xixLe Puy- original fagade, has porphyry columns in the jambs, theeay gp O jj s Qf some ancient fabric. The original doors ofcedar remain, though they are closed, the approachesto church and cloister being now managed differently.They are remarkable works of the time, carved withgospel subjects bearing traces of colour and gilding andexplained by rhyming Leonine hexameters. The artisthas carved his name on the upright moulding that coversthe meeting styles :GAVSFREDVS ME FECIT PETRO SEDENTE.There was a bishop Peter 1159-1191.The last two bays and the west front were completedin 1 1 80, and are advanced boldly down the steephillside,giving the fa9ade a splendid elevation. A longflightof steps is carried upwards under them which hasa very dignifiedeffect. At the time of this last additionwe must suppose that the barrel vaults of the older partof the nave were replaced by the present domical constructions.The nave (Plate XCVIII)is covered with a successionof octagonal quasi-domes constructed rather in thefashion of S. Hilaire, on squinch arches. On the eastand west sides they spring from walls brought up squarelyto the plate level, on arches across the nave a verysingular feature. The squinches beingraised above thecrown of the arch instead of being below it, there is an uprightstage a sort of drum on which the dome is raised.These domes are concealed under a common roof, theirside walls being pierced with windows to form a clerestory,except that over the crossing, which is carried up to forma lantern in a kind of central tower.This however hasbeen entirely re-constructed in the worst taste as regardsthe interior, and differs widely from the original design.In 1843 the repair and restoration of the church was