Title: The Civil engineer and architect's journal, scientific and railway gazette
Identifier: civilengineerarc03lond (find matches)
Year: 1839 (1830s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture; Civil engineering; Science
Publisher: London : (William Laxton)
Contributing Library: Northeastern University, Snell Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Northeastern University, Snell Library

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144 THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. (May, The mode of construction was based on that of the Romans, the buildings being made either of Roman brick or as before observed of bricks of a similar form made at that time. The architects also fre- quently made use of brick and stone in conjunction, a favourite system with the Romans. This is the case with the Baptistry of Poitiers, and the church of the Basse ffiuvre, at Beauvais. Although at first formed very simply, these buildings soon began to be richly decorated with gilt mosaics, splendid marbles, and luxuriant carvings. Stephen of Toumay describes the basilica of St. Genevieve at Paris, built by Clevis, and destroyed by the Normans, as being covered with mosaics both inside and out; and Fortunatus, calls the basilica of St.Germain des Pres, built by Childebert, the gilt house of Germain, being de- corated with gilt mosaics, and with a bright metal roof. Fig. 3.
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The church of St. John at Poitiers, represented above, is considered as belonging to the sixth or seventh century, and was originally a baptistry, as is proved by the discovery of a great octagon basin in the centre, and used for baptism by immersion. This building has under- gone many changes, but the genuine portion is sufficiently distinct to be easily recognized. A pediment of ancient proportions surmounts the fafade, and mouldings of simple profile frame it in, and these cor- responding to the pitch of the roof, are accompanied by incrustations of a semicircular shape. Large stones, cut in intaglio, and ornamented with rosettes, decorate the tympanum. The horizontal entablature wliich supports the pediment is complete, consisting of an architrave, frieze and cornice, which last is enriched with modillions. Below the entablature is a band or zone, formed of large stones and bricks placed alternately, in the midst is an arch composed of several concentric circles, projecting over each other; and in the centre of this arch is a Greek cross resting on an architrave, supported by short pilasters with capitals in the ancient style. Two triangles in stone, similar to those in the tympanum, are on the right and lelt of the arch. Between the pilasters and below their bases are two windows now circular, but which were formerly in the shape of arcades, lighting the interior. A string course divides the lower part of the front into two equal divisions, through which no door was made, as it was opposite to the entrance. The buildings of the south of France belonging to this period wear more of the ancient physiognomy than those elsewhere, a circumstance to be attributed to the neighbourhood of the noble Roman ruins, many of which still exist. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Gifts, at Avignon, has a porch the date of which is not well known, but which may be referred to the eleventh century, from the introduction of the door of the church at the bottom, and from the situation of the steeple, which surmounts it. This porch carries a pediment, of which the pitch is still Fig. 4.—Portal of the lllh cenlury, of Our Lady ol Gifts, the Cathedral of Avignon.

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