Merovingian art

The unification of the Frankish kingdom under the rule of Clovis I (465-511) and its descendants coincided with the need to build churches, especially monasteries, since they were seen as a stronghold of the Merovingian power, strengthened by the baptism of the Franks. Church building plans often continued the tradition of Roman basilicas , but reflected the influence of different styles, even from Syria and Armenia. In the east of the kingdom, most of the buildings were wooden; the use of stone for a significant construction was more common in the west and south, which were annexed to the kingdom later.

Of course, most of the main cathedrals and churches have been rebuilt several times over the centuries, but archeology has made it possible to reconstruct many Merovingian floor plans. The description in the work of Bishop Gregory of Tours " History of the Franks " of the Basilica of St. Martin, which was built in Tours and by St. Peter (bishop 460-490) at the beginning of the Merovinian period at that time on the outskirts of the Frankish lands, makes us regret that the building was not preserved. According to his description, the basilica was one of the most beautiful Merovingian buildings, had 120 marble columns, towers on the eastern side and several mosaics.

See St. Martin's Basilica (Tour) article

The Basilica of St. Martin had a vertical accent, was distinguished by a complex internal space and a wealth of external silhouette, all this will subsequently become characteristic features of the Romanesque style ^[1] . One of the features of St. Martin’s Basilica, which has become a feature of Frankish church architecture, is the placement of the sarcophagus or the relic of the saint on a pedestal or apse so that it can be seen behind the altar. Roman tradition did not know such Frankish innovations ^[2] .

St. Peter's Church in French Vienne is the only example of a building that has preserved these features to this day. A number of other buildings, which according to the descriptions had these features, are now lost: these are the Merovingian foundations of the Abbey of Saint-Denis , the church of Saint Gereon in Cologne and the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris.

Several small buildings that have gone out of fashion but have not been rebuilt have survived to our times. In Provence Aix-en-Provence , Riezé and Frejus , three octagonal baptisteries, covered with domes placed on columns, have survived, which indicates the eastern influence on them (in particular, the baptistery in Riez resembles the baptistery of St. George in Isra , Syria ). The Baptistery of St. John the Baptist in Poitiers (VI century), which has a rectangular shape with three apses on each side, differs significantly from Provencal baptisteries. The original building probably underwent numerous changes, but retained the Merovingian decoration style (marble capitals).

Of the many crypts , only a few have survived: crypts in the church of St. Severin in Bordeaux, St. Lorent in Grenoble and the Abbey of Notre Dame in Juare (VII century).

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  Baptistery Riesa

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  Baptistery of the Frejus Cathedral

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  Baptistery of St. John in Vienna

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  Crypt and sarcophagi of the abbey in Juare

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  Capital in the crypt of Notre Dame Church in Juare

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  Crypt in the church of St. Lorent in Grenoble

In the 7th century, Merovingian artisans had a good reputation - for example, they were invited to England to restore the art of glass production (which was lost in northern Europe after the collapse of the Roman Empire) and to build local churches ^[3] . The Merovingian masons made extensive use of the opus gallicum technique (making holes in the stone, into which the wooden elements of the building were inserted) and brought it to England, and after the Normans conquered England, they already brought this technique to Italy.

The decorative and applied art of the Merovingian period is characterized by a combination of late antique trends with the features of the “ animal style ”. Favorite materials of barbarian masters throughout the Early Middle Ages were gold and transparent minerals of saturated and bright colors, especially red and blue; one of the most common stones used in Frankish jewelry was red garnet - almandine ^[4] . No less frequently used material was glass paste, also of bright colors, mainly red. A common technique for most German peoples is the creation of a gold product with many cells with inserts of precious and semiprecious stones or glass paste. Sometimes glass paste inserts were used in combination with precious stones as equivalent decorative elements of one product.

Jewelry of the Merovingian period is represented mainly by brooches of various shapes (disk-shaped, ring-shaped, zoomorphic), belt buckles, rings and horse harness elements. More modest decorations were made of bronze and red glass, sometimes with gilding or individual gold elements.

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  A gold plaque in the form of a chrysma with the face of the Savior, decorated with garnets, was created presumably at the turn of the 6th-7th centuries.

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  Hairpin hairpin with eagle-shaped finial, early VI century; Walters Art Museum .

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  Disk-shaped fibula, VII century; gold, bronze, stones, glass paste; Walters Art Museum .

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  Frankish brooch in the form of a peacock ^[5] , VI century, gold on top of bronze; blue pomegranate, red glass paste, Walters Art Museum .

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  Two eagle-shaped brooches and a gold belt buckle; Musée de Cluny .

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  Golden chalice with pomegranates and turquoise; Gourdon's Treasure ; Cabinet of medals , Paris.

• Solodovnikov V. Cathedrals of the Gallic Church of the Merovingian era.
• The General History of Architecture, vol. 4, L. - M., 1966, p. 39-45.
• Hubert J., L'art pre-roman, P., 1938.
• Holmquist W., Kunstprobleme der Merowingerzeit, Stockh., 1939.
• Frankish art during the Merovingian period