Merovingian art is the art of the

Merovingian dynasty The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

, which lasted from the 5th century to the 8th century in present-day

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

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and a part of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The advent of the Merovingian dynasty in

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

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 A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

altars An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganism ...

and ecclesiastical furniture. On the other hand, gold work and the new medium of manuscript illumination integrated "barbarian" animal-style decoration, with

Late Antique Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English has ...

motifs, and other contributions from as far as Syria or Ireland to constitute Merovingian art.

Architecture

The unification of the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

kingdom under Clovis I (465–511) and his successors, corresponded with the need for the building of churches, and especially monastery churches, as these were now the power-houses of the Merovingian church. Plans often continued the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

tradition, but also took influences from as far away as Syria and Armenia. In the East, most structures were in timber, but stone was more common for significant buildings in the West and in the southern areas that later fell under Merovingian rule. Most major churches have been rebuilt, usually more than once, but many Merovingian plans have been reconstructed from archaeology. The description in

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Gregory of Tours' ''History of the Franks'' of the basilica of Saint-Martin, built at Tours by

Saint Perpetuus Saint Perpetuus (french: link=no, Saint-Perpetue) (died 30 December 490 AD) was the sixth Bishop of Tours, serving from 460 to 490. Life Born of a senatorial family of the Auvergne, Perpetuus became bishop of Tours around 460. He succeeded his r ...

(bishop 460–490) at the beginning of the period and at the time on the edge of Frankish territory, gives cause to regret the disappearance of this building, one of the most beautiful Merovingian churches, which he says had 120 marble columns, towers at the East end, and several mosaics: "Saint-Martin displayed the vertical emphasis, and the combination of block-units forming a complex internal space and the correspondingly rich external silhouette, which were to be the hallmarks of the Romanesque". A feature of the basilica of Saint-Martin that became a hallmark of Frankish church architecture was the sarcophagus or reliquary of the saint raised to be visible and sited axially behind the altar, sometimes in the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

. There are no Roman precedents for this Frankish innovation. The Saint Peter's church in

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Saint-Denis, St. Gereon in

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, and the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, are described as similarly ornate. Some small buildings remain, especially baptisteries, which fell out of fashion and were spared rebuilding. In Aix-en-Provence,

Riez Riez (; Provençal: ''Riés'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The densely built village sits where two small rivers join—the Auvestre and the Colostre—in a glacially wid ...

and Fréjus, three octagonal baptistries, each covered with a cupola on pillars, are testimony to the influence of oriental architecture (the baptistry of Riez, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, recalls that of St. George, Ezra', Syria). Very different from these Provençal baptistries, except for the quatrefoil one of

Venasque Venasque (; oc, Venasca; la, Vindasca) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The area has many tourist attractions, such as the nearby Mount Vaucluse, a park with several tenn ...

, that of St. Jean at Poitiers (6th century) has the form of a rectangle flanked by three apses. The original building has probably undergone a number of alterations but preserves in its decoration (marble capitals) a Merovingian character. Among the very many crypts, numerous due to the importance of the cult of saints at the time, only those of St. Seurin, Bordeaux, St. Laurent, Grenoble, and the abbey of

Jouarre Jouarre () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Jouarre Abbey It is the site of the Jouarre Abbey, a Merovingian foundation of Abbess Theodochilde or Telchilde, traditionally in 630, ...

(7th century) survive.

Other arts

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.Bede. ''The Lives of the Holy Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow''. Merovingian masons also employed the '' opus gallicum'' extensively and are responsible for bringing it to England and bequeathing it to the

Normans The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...

, who brought it to Italy. Very few Merovingian illuminated manuscripts survive, of which the most richly decorated is the 8th century

Gelasian Sacramentary The so-called Gelasian Sacramentary (Latin: ''Sacramentarium Gelasianum'') is a book of Christian liturgy, containing the priest's part in celebrating the Eucharist. It is the second oldest western liturgical book that has survived: only the Vero ...

in the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

, 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 Luxeuil Abbey (), the ''Abbaye Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul'', was one of the oldest and best-known monasteries in Burgundy, located in what is now the département of Haute-Saône in Franche-Comté, France. History Columbanus It was founded circa 5 ...

, an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

foundation, and later its daughter house at

Corbie Abbey Corbie Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Corbie, Picardy, France, dedicated to Saint Peter. It was founded by Balthild, the widow of Clovis II, who had monks sent from Luxeuil. The Abbey of Corbie became celebrated both for its librar ...

. A large Merovingian art collection in Berlin was taken by Soviet troops to Russia, where it remains to this day.

Gallery

Image:Alpes-de-Haute-Provence - Baptistère de Riez - 02.jpg, Baptistery of Riez Image:Frejus Cathedral Baptistery-edit 2 (sans prêtre).JPG, Baptistery of cathedral Saint-Léonce de Fréjus Image:Venasque baptistery 901.jpg, Baptistery Saint-Jean de Venasque Image:126 Musée archéologique de Grenoble.jpg, Crypt of Saint-Laurent File:Jouarre Crypte Saint Paul110253.JPG, Crypt of Notre-Dame de Jouarre and sarcophagi File:Jouarre Crypte Saint Paul110250.JPG, Crypt of Notre-Dame de Jouarre File:Jouarre Crypte Saint Paul110247.JPG, Capital in the crypt of Notre-Dame de Jouarre

Notes

References

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

: Raphaël Programme. ''The Normans, a European people: The Norman heritage, 10th – 12th century''. Architectural Heritage: Italy — the Molis
§8 Fortifications and castles: Fortifications — The opus gallicum in the fortifications.
2004. *Gilbert, Edward
"Brixworth and the English Basilica."
''The Art Bulletin'', Vol. 47, No. 1. (Mar., 1965), pp 1–20. * Bede. ''Lives of the Holy Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow''.

External links

*
Age of spirituality : late antique and early Christian art, third to seventh century
' from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

was taken from

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