Merovingian art
Merovingian art is the art of the Merovingian dynasty of the Franks, which lasted from the 5th century to the 8th century in present-day France, Benelux and a part of Germany. The advent of the Merovingian dynasty in Gaul in the 5th century led to important changes in the field of arts. Sculpture regressed to be little more than a simple technique for the ornamentation of sarcophagi, altars and ecclesiastical furniture. On the other hand, gold work and the new medium of manuscript illumination integrated “barbarian” animal-style decoration, with Late Antique motifs, and other contributions from as far as Syria or Ireland to constitute Merovingian art.
Architecture
No truly important Merovingian monument has survived to this day, large churches, monasteries, and civil buildings have all been replaced by larger monuments and more recent Romanesque and Gothic styles . Only underground crypts (difficult to reconstruct) and some baptisteries (which were not much used in later periods in France), in poor condition and often reworked, are the last and precious testimonials to give us some ideas of style Merovingian architecture, although the original decorations have disappeared or have been redone. Some very few churches have survived, such as St. Peter ‘s Church in Vienna , but this is an exception.
In the Merovingian period architecture no longer reflects a desire to build large, robust buildings, which contrasts with Roman antiquity. The sculpture regresses to the point of being no more than a simple technique of ornamentation of sarcophagi, altar tables or ecclesiastical furniture.
On the other hand, the rise of goldsmithery and manuscript painting led to a resurgence of Celtic decorative elements, which, despite the Christian and barbaric contributions, constitute the true basis of Merovingian artistic creation.
To the unity of the Frankish kingdom realized by Clovis (465-511) and his successors corresponds the necessity of building churches, whose plan was taken from that of the Roman basilicas .
The need for new places of worship has often led the clergy to re-use existing civilian buildings by modifying them, such as the temple of Augustus and Livia in Vienna or basilicas such as the Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains church in Metz . The excavations make it possible to redo the plans of the churches built at that time, such as the cathedral group of Geneva , or that of Lyon with the church of the bishop, the parish church and the baptistery.
The large basilical churches, which had a wooden frame, unfortunately did not resist the fires, accidental or lit by the Norman pirates, the Saracens or the Hungarian horsemen during their incursions as well as during the struggles between the different lineages Merovingian. But most of them have disappeared primarily because of the clergy’s desire to build more “modern” buildings. The description left by Bishop Gregory of Tours in his ” Ecclesiastical History of the Franks ” of the Basilica of St. Martin , built in Tours around 472, makes regret the disappearance of this building which was one of the most beautiful Merovingian churches. St. Peter’s Church in Vienna is a good example of the architectural typology of a basilica built in the 6th century.
In Aix-en-Provence , Riez and Fréjus , three baptisteries , built on octagonal plan and covered with a cupola on pillars, remain as main testimonies of a rotunda architecture with centered plan. The centered plan is a continuation of early Christian paleo – Christian architecture under Emperor Constantine : the Lateran Baptistery and the Santa Costanza Church in Rome, the ancient Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem and the monumental Cathedral. Basilica of St. Lawrence in Milan are the first examples. This paleochristian architecture was spread throughout the Mediterranean Basin during the Lower Empire, then in Byzantine architecture , and we find very similar architectural typologies and close links both in East and West between the end of Antiquity and the first half of the Middle Ages (for example, the baptistery of Riez, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, recalls that of Saint-Georges d’Esrah in Syria ). The baptistery of Venasque was probably built at the time when the bishops of Carpentras took refuge in Venasque.
Very different from the Provençal baptisteries, the baptistery Saint-Jean ( vi century), in Poitiers , has the shape of a square flanked by three apsidioles. It is probably an old building reworked, having undergone a great number of transformations, but which retains in its decoration (marble capitals) a Merovingian character.
Among the crypts , very numerous because of the importance of the cult of the saints at that time, only remain some like those of the basilica Saint-Seurin of Bordeaux , of the crypt Saint-Oyand of the church Saint-Laurent of Grenoble and the Abbey of Jouarre ( seventh century).
The Merovingian architecture has also developed the funerary basilicas, which have now disappeared, such as the Saint-Martin d’ Autun church built around 590 by Queen Brunehaut or the Church of the Holy Apostles in Paris (now Sainte-Marie Church). Genevieve) built by Clovis to receive the relics of St. Genevieve and where he was buried. Some of these funerary basilicas had been connected with mausoleums, at Saint-Martin d’Autun for Queen Brunehaut, at Jouarre for the family of Agilbert. The hypogeum of the Dunes of Poitiers is a survival of Antiquity.
After the first abbey foundations by Saint Martin – Abbey of Ligugé and Abbey of Marmoutier – it was in the Merovingian period that we witnessed an early development of monasteries. In the north of France, it was the Irish monk Colomban , with his disciples, who played an important role after the founding of Luxeuil Abbey . One can also mention the abbey of Condat created around 425 by Saint Romain. To the south are strong personalities like Jean Cassien at the origin of the abbey of Saint – Victor of Marseilles and Saint Honorat with the abbey of Lérins where Saint Césaire withdrew towards 490. In Italy, it is saint Benoît who goes to found the monastery of Subiaco and that of Monte Cassino and to lay down the first rules of the Benedictine order . These abbeys will gradually spread in France many monasteries. Gradually the classical late-antique culture that Sidoine Apollinaire learned, Venance Fortunat , the family of Gregory of Tours , will be replaced by the Christian culture taught inside the monasteries and with the bishops.
Goldsmithery
Goldsmithing is an art symbolizing Merovingian power. Chilperic I, Eloi, key figures of this dynastic period practiced the goldsmith’s craft themselves. Under the Merovingian reign, the profession of goldsmith is for them a real job and not just a hobby. The jewels are usually made from precious metals. The more a prince accumulates and the more he shows a real sign of power in economic terms, since they are precious metals but also in terms of know-how. Goldsmithing is an area demonstrating a certain know-how. This material wealth and the power it emanates can echo ancient beliefs: the Germans, like the Greeks and Romans, believed in many deities like blacksmiths. Eloi is also manager of the treasure of Clotaire II showing that with a quantity of gold planned for an object, he succeeds in doing two. This barbaric art is a testimony of a Merovingian genius.
Goldsmiths play an important role in Merovingian society. Like every warrior, they have the option of being buried with their toolboxes. With the rarefaction of gold in Gaul, artisans are forced to combine other materials. The techniques evolve like “damassage” which combines damask motifs (chevrons, sinusoid), the use of the watermark or the “partitioning” (assembly of colored stones surrounded by thin walls of gold.) These objects are real testimonies of the Merovingian history One can guess thanks to them that the great invasions have not isolated Gaul in a near-dead economy revived by the Carolingians.The origin of these materials, the style used, shows that the Merovingians lived in a world where exchanges were intense.
Historical literature
Little is known about this Merovingian dynasty because few of their contemporaries have become historians. Thanks to Gregory of the Tours, one has several pieces of information until 591. It is at the same time actor since it is in the action of the events that it relates, but he is also writer counting in these works the events of his time. Moreover, it remains very rigorous, it advances the facts only after being able to verify the authenticity of its sources. As a result, the information he leaves is valuable, particularly for the period from 575 to 591.
The “frédégaires” also retrace part of this Merovingian historic period in addition to Gregory of Tours. The “frédégaires” refers to all the authors of a short chronicle retracing the events between the reign of Dagobert and the end of the Merovingian dynasty. According to some current historians, the author of the first part of the chronicle (591 to 660) would be of Burgundian origin but would have lived in Austrasia around 658-660. On the other hand, we do not know the name of this author. The identity of the author who wrote the rest of the column is even more uncertain. He is called “monk of Laon” but we have no precise information about him.
The second continuator is him on the other hand more known. He lived in Austrasia and reports the facts from 736 to 751. It is the count Childebrand, brother of Charles Martel. The last author of this series of chronicles is the son of Childebrand: Nibelung who will report the events until 768, under the reign of Pépin le Bref. We have very few stories about the end of the Merovingians when Charles Martel, then his son Pépin le Bref, ousts the last Merovingians. The only one we have over this period is attributed to Martel’s brother. There is therefore a problem of subjectivity. It is a specialist of this book who holds this thesis by saying that Childebrand “erased” part of the history of the characters whose memory would have been embarrassing for the new ruling dynasty.
Other arts
Arrived in the seventh century, the capabilities of Merovingian craftsmen had to be well known because they were imported to England to reintroduce the knowledge of creation of stained glass, and Merovingian masons were used to build English churches. The Merovingian masons also frequently used the gallicum opus and are responsible for its importation into England and its transmission to the Normans , who in turn brought it to Sicily.
Very rare Merovingian illuminated manuscripts have survived, among them one of the finest dated 8th century, the Gelasian Sacramentary preserved in the Vatican Library, which presents geometric and animal decorations, less complex than those of the The insular art of the British Isles, but like these derives from metalworking with influences from late antiquity and the proximity of the East. The main centers were Luxeuil Abbey , an Irish foundation, and its daughter house at Corbie Abbey .
By the 7th century, the abilities of Merovingian craftsmen must have been well regarded, as they were brought to England to re-introduce glass making skills, and Merovingian stonemasons were used to build English churches. Merovingian masons also employed the opus gallicum extensively and are responsible for bringing it to England and bequeathing it to the Normans, who brought it to Italy.
Very few Merovingian illuminated manuscripts survive, of which the most richly decorated is the 8th century Gelasian Sacramentary in the Vatican Library, which has geometric and animal decoration, less complex than that of the Insular art of the British Isles, but like it derived from metalwork motifs, with some influence from Late Antiquity and the Near-East. The principal centres were the Abbey of Luxeuil, an Irish foundation, and later its daughter house at Corbie Abbey.
A large Merovingian art collection in Berlin was taken by Soviet Occupiers to Russia, where it remains to this day.
Source From Wikipedia