Eglise de Cunault (INT)
Thérèse vous présentait ensuite l'intérieur de l'Eglise prieurale de Cunault, riche en chapitaux (+ de 200 il me semble !).
As you get un you can easely notice how high and how long the priory church is. The particularities of the church: absence of transept, the entrance larger than the choir, 223 decorated capitals. The main subjects: gospels scenes, vegetals, dragons, monsters, fights...
At the entrance, there are 9 keystones which represent diferent scenes like: resurrection of Christ, St Peter, God who is presenting his son on the cross to us, Paschal lamb holding the triumphal cross…
Joli Leterme rebuilt some parts of the monument, above all to reinforce it. That's why in one column we can see an iron shaft. He reconstructed all the walls, whithout changing the architecture.
Capitals:
- a man with the head of a pig, which simbolises the materialism, stupidity because he has to search in the land to find food.
- an owl: it has diferents meanings. During the antiquity it was considered as a night bird living in darkness, so it's impure and a bad presage. The other signification: the owl was the symbol of Athena, symbol of wisdom. During the middle ages, it represents the jewish nation. The owl represents also Christ who avoid the glories light.
- a centaur: a man with the body of a horse, is pointing an arrow to a bear. It simbolises the man between the evil and the good. The bear: its taste for the honney simbolises that it's a devourer of souls.
- engoulants: big eyes, large line of sharped teeth. He's eating the column which simbolises the church and try to destroy it.
The pieta: located in the previous monk's washbassin. The elements which are characteristic: we always find the Blessed Virgi, with Christ dead, on her knees. It's the symbol of the maternal pain. There are also two angels holding Christ's head helping Mary.
The cope holder: just used to put the dress of the monks. Thus the humidity doesn't damage it.
Reliquary of St Maxenceul: he was the 1st evangelist in Cunault. Not far from here, you'll find a cemetery with St Maxenceul's church. On each side: we notice Christ surrounded by three angels, and six apostles.
Paintings:
St Germain: He died in Ravenne. The queen Galla Placida sent his body back to france where he was a bishop.
St Sebastian:he was a martyr that's why he is represented bleeding. We pray him against the plague.
St Christopher: Legend has it that one day a young boy asked him for help to cross the river. So St Christopher took him on his shoulders. As he was advancing, it was more dificult for him, the young boy told him that it was normal because he was jesus and had to carry the weight of all the sins in the world.
The transfiguration: in the middle, Christ showing his glorious face to Peter, John and Jack on the moutain. At his right: Elias and God and at his left: Moses, Jerusalem and the holy spirit.
The black paintings on the columns: it's more than a decoration, it has also a meaning. When the lords of the country died, a black blanding was painting and also his coat of arms.
Ambulatories: are very handy because when the pilgrims came here, they could go arround the choir without obstructing the monks who used to pray 7 times everyday.
Bell tower: tipical of the 11th century. We can see some marks made when the monks rang the bell.
