captpete wrote:...
Still plugging away on researching St. Dominiques church. The current incarnation looks like a patchwork to me but I can't seem to find a older image to compare it to. Are you aware of any similar churches with plans online?
Indeed only few churches are still in their original form. It's one of the reasons I love looking at old churches. In the begining one understands nothing and is amazed at what appears to be a wild jumble of materials, styles and plans. Then when after some closer inspection the building slowly reveals it's story, one can almost hear the long gone people discussing new plans, repairing damaged areas and adding the one or other detail with good humor. This is what makes many churches look so alive and lived with.
St. Dominiques of Monpazier has had it's share of history and shows it. I have only had a few glances at some pictures and must admit I never visited the closer area. The closest I ever came was when I travelled from Bordeaux to Carcassonne by train a long time ago. So my brief diagnosis from afar:
It seems the church started similar to others of the region, purpose and timeframe as a single nave, flat ending gothic church with a short transept in the east with the floorplan resembling a latin cross. There may have been a double tower facade planned in the west but this seems to have been left for later. The nave has been raised later so the vaulting is not the original. The whole idea was to built a church as fast as possible with not much care spent on decoration or complicated design. I would guess the first building may even have been unvaulted for a considerable amount of time, probably with the timbers visible from below. Some damage was done to the church during some military events after which it seems the walls became higher and the current vaulting was added. Although a choir was planned and money collected for, it seems they did not add an extra choir bay but rather spent the money to furnish a choir in the existing eastern part. To the east finally the flat wall was taken down and replaced by a polygonal apse attached to the choir bay. The chapels between the supports of the nave where late additions and thus the arches opening to them would need to be investigated as to their age. In the west only a single tower on the northern corner was erected. The current upper part of which seems to be somewhat younger.
The church seems to have arrived pretty much at it's current form before the Huguenot unrests in France.
If you are still interested I could add some links once I am at my pc at home again. This is mostly from memory of what I read and saw in the last days without having much time to go into a detailed research, hope you found more :-)
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