C'est ensuite Samia qui nous présentait l'intérieur de l'Eglise abbatiale Saint Serge d'Angers. Voici sa visite, en anglais, avec le lexique en fin de page !
I. THE NAVE ... Brief explanation of the artistic context that led to St Serge architecture : In the middle of the XIIth century a new kind of architecture appeared in France : gothic style In the Anjou region the buildings have a single nave dating from the Romanesque period and are quite wide and not very high. The vaults are very rounded, very lightful: angevin gothic style. Little by little, the evolution of this angevin gothic style is characterized by the development of the decoration on the vaults: -> the keys are adorned, the ribs are more and more refined and numerous. This gothic style of the west of France is also called the Plantagenet style in reference to Henri II Plantagenet, count of Anjou and king of England, because it is mainly present in the Anjou, Maine and Poitou regions. ... ... The Romanesque nave probably ruined after the Hundred Years war is rebuilt in the middle of the 15th century. We can find the classic elevation of the angevin style that is to say : Big arcades, a narrow gallery, windows made in the flamboyant style of this period. The decoration is a coherent unity with a serie of 4 keystones representing a Tree of Jessé, a genealogic tree from Jessé to Jesus Christ. The stained glass windows of the north represent the prophets of the Old Testament and those of the south the apostles in charge of announcing that Jesus was coming and his message. As you noticed it, there is not one single nave: the bays on both sides were originally chapels that have been opened to make a continuous aisle. ... ... II. TRANSEPT ... It is the oldest part of the church dating from the 11th century. Of the Romanesque church it only remain 4 pillars embedded in the crossing transept and Romanesque arches which opened onto the original belfry. There are characterized by the alternation of bricks and stones. Statue of Anne the prophetess: in the XVIth century the side chapels were set in place separated by groups of sculptures. From the group of th Presentation, it only remains Anne the prophetess. The whole group was destroyed during th Revolution. ... ... III. THE CHOIR ... This choir shows the result of the gothic art of the west of France. It remains one of the masterpiece of the Plantagenet architects. The prosperity of the abbey in the XIIth and XIIIth centuries allowed the rebuilding of the choir. It was rebuilt about 1220-1225 taking back the former plan of the XIth century during the monastic restoration. It was rebuilt in a rectangle shape extended by a square apsidal chapel with 2 lateral chapels. 6 high columns of more than 8 meters high support 12 rounded vaults of pretty much the same height, which covers a space of 21 meters over 14 meters. The importance of the choir is normal in a monastic building. The unknown architect of the XIIIth century used the model of the chapel and vaults of the Saint-Jean hospital dating from a few decades earlier but made some modifications: thinner and higher columns, octagonal bases, multiple ribs with liernes. The lightness of the vaulting is opposed to the austerity of the walls. The apsidal chapel with 6 windows will become the model of the small rural churches of the area of Angers. At the XVth century it was planned to build a big choir. The chapel on the right is the trace of this project. The decoration is abundant. By attracting the glance upward, the soul will be led to the sky. All the intersections of the ribs are pretext to a sculpture. In all, a hundred keys and statue-ribs are present in this church. The keys of the central bay is devoted to the story of the salvation. Keystones -->Paschal Lamb: the key of the apsidal chapel glorifies the Paschal Lamb cause of salvation. --> Coronation of the Virgin: marks the start of the Realm of the chosen ones. --> Christ risen from the dead: represents the new era. --> The Bosom of Abraham: evokes the destiny of the Righteous before the Redemption. --> The Christ of the Judgment Day. --> Saint-Pierre
--> It has also to be said that these sculpted decorations present some humour with for instance a monk turned down to Heaven getting dragged by the ears, indeed we cannot judge a book by its cover = a word play in French with the word monk = do not judge a monk by his clothes. Stained glass windows The light is very present in the gothic art thanks to big windows which symbolically change the light as the Christ has changed the religion. At the beginning of the XIIIth century the grisaille windows were very appreciated. This type of windows was made with a metallic powder put on the white glass and then heat. Some of the stained glass windows are old and others are close reproductions made in the XIXth century called "archaeological windows". Saint Brieuc window: this window recalls the presence of his relics at the place where they used to be. At the lower part is represented the Saint's body taken away from Saint Brieuc, in the middle Saint Brieuc is represented and at the upper part the return of the body to the bishop of st Brieuc. ... IV. SAINT CHRISTOPHER PAINTING ... Was discovered a few years ago. This fresco dating from the XVth century had been totally recovered with white paint in the XVIIIth century as the whole mural decorations of the church. It represents the giant St Christopher carrying on his shoulders a child to cross a river. The more he walks heavier is the child. The child is in reality the Christ and his weight the world. A prayer to St Christopher is written, he is invoked against sudden death, plague, cough, thunderstorms and for travellers. LEXIQUE - adorned = decorated - rib: nervure - keystones: clés de voûte - glance: regard - Paschal lamb: agneau pascal - bosom of Abraham: sein d'Abraham - to get dragged by the ear: tirer par l'oreille - plague: peste - cough: toux - thunderstorm: orage
