Memory of Stones
Abbey of Saint-Austremoine d'Issoire
The Saint-Austremoine abbey is a masterpiece of Auvergne Roman art located in Issoire , in the Puy-de-Dôme department, its construction dates from the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century,
It is one of the largest churches in Basse Auvergne, 65m long and 17m high.
It is one of the five so-called "major" Romanesque churches in Auvergne , with the Notre-Dame-du-Port basilica in Clermont-Ferrand , the Notre-Dame d'Orcival basilica , the church of Saint-Nectaire and the church. Notre-Dame de Saint-Saturnin .
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This abbey, built in arkose (blond sandstone), corresponds to the typical plan of pilgrimage churches, with an ambulatory apse and radiating chapels on a crypt housing the 12th century hunt of St Austremoine. It is remarkable for the layering of its volumes and the richness of the decoration of the bedside: columns, capitals, modillions, mosaics with geometric patterns, medallions carved with the signs of the zodiac, etc. It has a surprising interior polychromy and magnificent historiated capitals (cycle of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ) in the choir.
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The interior surprises visitors with its 13th century polychromy, restored by the restoration work carried out between 1857 and 1860, by the painter Anatole Dauvergne (1812-1870).
These paintings, brightly colored with dominant red-brown, are novel and spirit were performed using the technique of fresco "a fresco", rare in France where the technique "a secco" was the most common, which could suggest "southern, even Italian origins of the performers of this decor"
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The choir and its capitals
The choir is the most beautiful part of the building. It begins with a straight bay and continues with a hemicycle. Seven raised arcades strike the eye with their predominantly ocher-red colors, a decoration created in 1859.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
On the cul-de-four vault, the blessing Christ is the work of Anatole Dauvergne (circa 1861). Below, the arcade is pierced by five windows spaced by blind bays where four holy bishops of the diocese of Clermont nest: Austremoine, Avit, Sidoine-Apollinaire and Priest. Unfortunately, even when illuminated, it is difficult to distinguish them. In accordance with Auvergne tradition, the vault of the choir is lower than that of the nave.
The capitals of the choir constitute its main wealth. Four are foliage and four are historiated. We do not know exactly what proportion of the historiated capitals come from the Middle Ages because they are far from intact. According to historians, they seem to have suffered from the soldiers of Captain Merle when they occupied the place in 1575. They even tried to destroy the building.
Still, according to Charles Terrasse, in his article for the Archaeological Congress of France in 1924, they were, at the time, restored in mastic. Another restoration took place in stucco in 1830. The architect Mallay restored them a third time in 1852 using Roman cement. Finally, they suffered the assaults of the painters of 1859.
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Bedside architecture
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
The radiant chapels of the abbey church are too cramped to leave a lasting impression on the visitor, unlike the ambulatory , arched in ribs, which is truly sumptuous. Of the five chapels which furnish the chevet, four have a cul-de-four vault; only the axial chapel, dedicated to the Virgin, has a barrel vault. In addition, this chapel is circular in shape and not in a semicircle like the other four. We find in these narrow chapels, on the columns that adorn the bays, the patterns of the designs that adorn the nave. Like the rest, they are the result of the full whitewashing of the church by Dauvergne and Mayoli in 1869.
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Cross vault in the ambulatory
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The axial chapel houses a beautiful Madonna and Child by the Lyon sculptor Garraud (1869). Finally, 19th century stained glass windows, very standard in their 13th century pastiche, give it a new lease of life. One of them illustrates the legendary life of Saint Austremoine with a scene of the saint giving alms to the poor and another of the saint taming the wild beasts of the forest. We find the themes dear to the hagiographers of the 19th century
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Crossing of the Transept
On each crosses (North and South) of the transept, it is advisable to observe attentively the raised eyes at this place of the abbey, the aisles of the transept (which adjoin the dome) which are vaulted in a quarter of a circle. Their vault is located very high in order to butt against the dome.
In the photo above, we also see the presence of two open windows that light up this space.
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The north transept is lit by five Roman windows.
The cross is barrel vaulted.
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The nave and the tribune organ is the work of the factor Callinet (1870)
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