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Question 2

i) Where and when was the building built ?

This is the Earth view of  Arles which is in France 

 

 

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This is the detailed image in which part of Arles is the church built.

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                                                         Image 1 : The location of St.Trophime in Arles,France 

 

This Romanesque Masterpiece was envisioned and constructed in the late 11th century and early 12th century in the heart of the Provencal City of Arles , France (Arles Guide 2016).

 

ii)How the context, building period and evolution makes the building historically significant and meaningful?

The building period and evolution 

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                        Image 2 : Pilgrimage route Via Tolosana to Santiago de Compostela

 

                                                        

The 11th and 12th century was a time of immense prosperity in Arles and St.Trophime Cathedral played an important role as one of the four main starting point of a pilgrimage site of the Via Tolosona to Santiago de Compostela (World Monuments fund 2015).

 

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                                                                                                          Image 3: St.Stephan the first Christian martyr

This 5th century Basilica was dedicated to the first Christian martyr, St.Stephan. When the church was complete the construction of the adjoining monastic cloister began in the early 12th century.

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                                                                                                                      Image 4: Bas-relief sculptures

The building itself has depicted from the bible stories thus producing amazing Romanesque bas-relief sculptures and carved capitals which is in the north and east galleries.The Gothic style was later incorporated in the sculpture with scriptural depiction in the south and west galleries in the 14th century.

Based on research it shows that the 11th and 12th century is the peak of Medieval Period where the fall of the Roman empire took a new turn thus bringing a powerful new age which are Christian Church. The Christians have completely different concerns than the Roman empire thus the artwork during that era took a whole new turn.

 

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              Image 5 : The Damned are dragged in chains to hell in the last judgement (symbolic representation)

 

The architecture during that period were less concern on realism instead was more focused on symbolic representation of Christian concepts. All art during that period served to be church decorations to help to set the atmosphere for devotion as well as illustrating Christian stories to illiterate public as seen in image 5. 

 

 

Evolution 

The evolution during the Romanesque to Gothic styles transitioning high Medieval period had influenced the architecture style of the building.

 

The table below shows how there is Romanesque influence in the Church's Plan.

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Most of the sculptures were attached to the wall of the church throughout the Middle ages.The cathedral wall sculptures can be read by the illiterate population .

 

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                          Image 8: Painting from the stories can be found on the entrance of the building

 

As a worshipers before stepping into the Cathedral sculptures of saints and sinners as well as images of angelic beings and the punishment of the damned.This is to implant the importance of holding one's thought to God. The Romanesque style is much more flat and shallow reliefs of the biblical stories where else the Gothic style was more of 3 dimensional and alive looking.

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As a vital ensemble of medieval French sculpture that is still in it's primitive location the workmanship portray the economic ,religious and artistic aspect of Arles in it's Middle Ages (World Monuments Fund 2015).

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 There is a slight Gothic influence on St.Trophime Church which begun in the late 12th century up to the early 13th century which can be seen on the southern, eastern and western galleries of the cloister. They were built in different style because it was preferred by the Popes in Avignon with crossed ribbed vault instead of barrel vaulting. Some of the Gothic features includes the quoins of wise virgins and foolish virgins and the symbols of the Four Evangelists.

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References

CyArk. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://www.cyark.org/projects/saint-trophime/in-depth

Cloister of St. Trophime. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from https://www.wmf.org/project/cloister-st-trophime

Sacred Destinations. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/arles-st-trophime/photos/IMG_9115pl

Church of Saint-Trophime | church, Arles, France | Britannica.com. 2016. Church of Saint-Trophime | church, Arles, France | Britannica.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://global.britannica.com/place/Church-of-Saint-Trophime. [Accessed 26 April 2016].

 The Cathedral of St. Trophime in Arles France. 2016. The Cathedral of St. Trophime in Arles France. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.arles-guide.com/arles_tourism/arles_monuments/cathedral_of_saint_trophime_in_arles. [Accessed 26 April 2016].

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