Identifier: historyofarchit02cumm (find matches)
Title: A history of architecture in Italy from the time of Constantine to the dawn of the renaissance
Year: 1901 (1900s)
Authors: Cummings, Charles Amos, 1833-1905
Subjects: Architecture
Publisher: Boston, New York, Houghton Mifflin and company
Contributing Library: PIMS - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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side chapels as the triforium occupied the spaceover the aisles, and both galleries were covered by a single roof, theouter portion of which has disappeared, but is now, in 1898, beingrestored. (Fig. 246.) The outer arcade, however, on the south side, isin excellent preservation. (Fig. 247.) It is divided by strong squarepiers into six groups of six arches each, corresponding to the divisionof the blind arcade below, and of the nave arcades, and a wall whichconnects each pier with the wall at the back of the arcade dividesthe gallery into separate loggie. The small round arches are heavilymoulded, and rest on columns of an extraordinary character. Theshafts are of uniform size and length, but show a great varietyof ornament, with capitals of greatly exaggerated size and heightspreading crosswise of the wall, which is of considerable thickness, soas to receive the entire bearing of it upon their abaci, and showing intheir vigorous sculpture a prodigious variety of motives, both animal
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Fig. 245. Bitonto Cathedral. 16 ARCHITECTURE IN ITALY and vegetable, in which the wild and fantastic Lombard spirit isjilainly predominant. I have called them capitals, but they mightwith as much exactness be called stilt-blocks, since the top of theshaft is broadened out, — yet without the intervention of a necking,— and brought to a square plan with something like an abacus, toreceive the vastly larger block above. The transej)t is as high as the west front; the blind arcade of theflank is here continued, the arches enclosing each two smaller arches.Above are two stages of windows, with a large wheel in the gable. The whole treatment isextremely similar to thatof Bari, and, indeed, tothat of most of the con-temporary churches ofthe region. The examples thus farcited are perhaps suffi-cient to show how farthe Lombard architec-ture of the South hadwandered from its pa-rent style in the Northof Italy. The spirit ofthe Lombard was to aoreat extent preserved,largely through the or-na

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