France, St. Germiny-des-Pres Oratoire 806 - A History of Romanesque Architecture 300 - 1300 (sitios de interés)

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This marker is part of an illustrated Survey of Romanesque Architecture, 300 to 1300 AD. To see and read all comments you have to download the post to your hard disk.

France, St. Germiny-des-Pres, Theodulf's private Oratory, 806.
The small, plain church here incorporates at its east end one of the few surviving buildings from the Carolingian Renaissance, a tiny, perfectly formed church in the shape of a Greek cross. It was built in 806 as a private oratory for Theodulf, who was one of Charlemagne's counsellors as well as bishop of Orléans and abbot of St-Benoît. Theodulf was a Visigoth, while the chapel itself is a typically Carolingian design (Aachen), its unique mosaic in the dome of the eastern chapel points to Andalusian influences.



The mosaic
Photo by by JMZ2007, Panoramio (here slightly digitally lightened by RWFG)

JMZ wites (private communication): "The writing in silver letters under the mosaïc say in Latin: "Behold the Holy Oracle and Cherubims and contemplate the shining Arc of the Covenant with God. Then, seeing this, I beg you to join the name of Theodulf to your prayers to the Master of Thunder." The origin of this motive is not clear and we lack written evidence, archeological findings of fragments of other mosaics nearby suggest that the decorative program of this chapel was related to the Temple of king Solomon. Theodulf was of Wisigothic descent. He may have had more likely links with Mozarabic artists or Sefardic Jews of the Ummayad 'Al-Andalus' emirate of Cordoba in Spain than with the remote Byzantine East, but that's simply a supposition of mine."

The uniqueness of this mosaic lies in its subject: the Old Testament Ark of the Jewish Covenant (Josh. 3:6; Hebrews 9:4) ! - even the 2 angels were included in the composition. - does not seem to exist anywhere else - obviously not in Jewish synagogues nor ib Christian churches. It with JMZ a Jewish connection to Al-Andalus - that far north!

Mapa del lugar de interés France, St. Germiny-des-Pres Oratoire 806

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