Southern French Gothic, or Meridional Gothic (), is a specific and militant style of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

developed in the

South of France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

, especially in the

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

region. It arose in the early 13th century following the victory of the

Catholic church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

over the

Cathars Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...

, as the church sought to re-establish its authority in the region. As a result, church buildings typically present features drawn from military architecture. Taking into account the Cathars' criticism of the Catholic Church, Southern French Gothic is simpler and less ornate than northern French Gothic, and further differs in that the construction material is typically brick rather than stone. Over time, the style came to influence secular buildings as well as churches and spread beyond the area where

Catharism Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...

had flourished.

Origins

During the rise of

, the luxury of the Roman Catholic Church faced constant criticism by the Cathar ecclesiastics. After the political eradication of the Cathar aristocracy during the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade (), also known as the Cathar Crusade (1209–1229), was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, what is now southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted pri ...

(1209–1229), the clergy of southern France understood that after having won the war, it was necessary for them to win back the minds of the populace. The ideology of

Medieval Inquisition The Medieval Inquisition was a series of Inquisitions (Catholic Church bodies charged with suppressing heresy) from around 1184, including the Episcopal Inquisition (1184–1230s) and later the Papal Inquisition (1230s). The Medieval Inquisition ...

was reflected in the adoption of a more austere and uncluttered architectural style.fr:La cathédrale Sainte-Cécile, page 6 It is quite interesting to note that the same criticisms were made again a few centuries later with the rise of

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, and that the reaction then adopted by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

was completely different since it gave rise to the exuberant decorative richness of the

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

Geographical area

Southern French Gothic, as its name suggests, is found in the southern part of France, mainly in the regions where Catharism had developed, and which were subjected to religious and military repression from the North. The reconquest by the Catholic hierarchy gave rise to the construction or reconstruction of many religious buildings, but also of secular ones. The regions concerned are therefore the current ''départements'' of the Haute-Garonne (

), the Tarn (

Albi Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...

), the Tarn-et-Garonne (

Montauban Montauban (, ; ) is a commune in the southern French department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Oc ...

), the Ariège, the Gers, the Aude, the Pyrénées-Orientales, the Hérault, with instances in neighboring ''départements'' as well.

Characteristics

Southern French Gothic is characterized by the austerity of the constructions, such as the use of solid

buttresses A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act a ...

rather than

flying buttresses The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of a ramping arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, to convey to the ground the lateral forces that push a wall out ...

, while the openings are few and narrow.

Romanesque architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...

persisted for longer in the south of France than in the north, and the transition to Gothic was gradual. Many of the buildings in the Southern Gothic style are thus built with a single nave, and roof-frames resting on diaphragm arches cover them.

Brick construction

In an area poor in stone, the typical construction material was brick, whose use in the Southern French Gothic of the regions of Toulouse, Montauban and Albi became one of its distinguishing marks. The builders used techniques adapted to this material, such as the miter arches typical of this style. Brick lends itself to geometric decorative compositions, and consequently, there are few sculptures integrated into the architecture. Depending on the type of clay used, the bricks can be molded or rounded by abrasion. Some buildings use stone sparingly to create color contrasts. Neighboring regions were coming under this influence but dominated by stone construction often adopted the same architectural vocabulary.

Single nave

After the Cathar episode, one goal of the Catholic Church was the recovery of the faithful through preaching (hence the foundation by Dominique de Guzmán of the order of the Friars Preachers). To this end, the preference was for the single

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, which promotes acoustics and places all the faithful under the gaze of the preacher. The nave is lined with side chapels, lodged between the buttresses, and surmounted by large windows that illuminate it. The very first example of Southern French Gothic architecture is the nave of the

Toulouse Cathedral Toulouse Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in the city of Toulouse, France. The cathedral is a Monument historique, national monument, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Toulouse. It has been listed since 1862 ...

, built from 1210 to 1220 and probably the widest nave in Western Europe at its completion (19 metres wide), from which architectural research will then follow in the city's mendicant convents. However, the presence of a single nave is not necessarily related to this desire but may be connected to other considerations such as a single pre-existing nave. Conversely, the vast nave of the Jacobins of Toulouse is divided by a row of pillars but is nevertheless a single entity. There, the grafting of a single

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

of polygonal plan on a church with two vessels gave birth to a starry vault whose complex organization anticipated more than a century on the

Flamboyant Flamboyant () is a lavishly-decorated style of Gothic architecture that appeared in France and Spain in the 15th century, and lasted until the mid-sixteenth century and the beginning of the Renaissance.Encyclopedia Britannica, "Flamboyant style ...

Gothic. Tradition refers to this masterpiece as "palm tree", because the veins gush out of the smooth shaft of the column like palm trees. Another jewel of Southern French Gothic, the cathedral of Albi took two centuries to build, from 1282 to 1480, but it was to be completed by 1390. Its unusual dimensions for a Southern French Gothic building (interior length: 100 metres, interior width: 30 metres, height of the vaults: 30 metres) and its slightly later completion make it a ''unicum'' within its family. In opposition to the party developed for the Jacobins and in the rest of the region, the master of Albi preferred to reinforce the overall unity of the construction, minimising breaks in the plan, reducing the horizontal division of the volume and softening the rhythm of the ship's bays. The architect of Albi had the skill to place the buttresses inside the wall, giving them a cylindrical shape towards the outside. File:Nef de la cathédrale Saint-Etienne de Toulouse.jpg, Nave of the

File:Albi Cathedral Nave Wikimedia Commons.jpg,

Albi Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Cecilia of Albi ( French: ''Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi''), also known as Albi Cathedral, is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Albi. First built in the aftermath of the Albigensian Crusade, the grim exterior res ...

File:Frontignan St-Paul nef.JPG, Church of Saint-Paul, Frontignan File:Lodeve7616.JPG, Lodève Cathedral File:Lectoure, Eglise Saint-Gervais-PM 19263.jpg, Lectoure Cathedral File:Nef-jacobins-toulouse.jpg,

Church of the Jacobins The Church of the Jacobins is a deconsecrated Roman Catholic church located in Toulouse, France. It is a large brick building whose construction started in 1230, and whose architecture influenced the development of the ''Gothique méridional'' (S ...

File:Palmier des Jacobins.JPG, The Palm Tree of the Jacobins church, 28 meters high (Toulouse, 1292)

Bell tower

The bell towers can be of all types, but two forms stand out: the "Toulouse" bell tower and the wall belfry.

Octagonal "Toulouse" bell tower

In the Toulouse region, the typical bell tower appeared in the Romanesque period, with an octagonal floor plan and stories progressively decreasing in size. In the transition to Gothic, only the shape of the bays changed. Bell towers are usually surmounted by a spire, but a certain number of these are missing, either because they have been destroyed, or because the construction was interrupted. The first and typical example is the bell tower of Saint-Sernin of Toulouse, enhanced in the Gothic period with miter arches succeeding circa 1270 the Romanesque arched windows, but there are also ogival bays. Basilique Saint-Sernin de Toulouse nef et transept sud, clocher.jpg,

Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse The Basilica of Saint-Sernin ( Occitan: ''Basilica de Sant Sarnin'') is a church in Toulouse, France, the former abbey church of the Abbey of Saint-Sernin or St Saturnin. Apart from the church, none of the abbey buildings remain. The current chu ...

File:Toulouse - Clocher des Jacobins.jpg,

, Toulouse File:Église des Cordeliers de Toulouse.JPG, Church of the Cordeliers, Toulouse File:Mirepoix - Ancienne cathédrale - Clocher.JPG, Mirepoix Cathedral Saint-Félix-Lauragais - Eglise saint-Felix vue des remparts.jpg, Church of Saint-Félix, Saint-Félix-Lauragais, built of stone Cathédrale de la Nativité-de-Marie de Rieux (beffroi).jpg, Rieux Cathedral Pamiers - Cathédrale Saint-Antonin -2.JPG,

Pamiers Cathedral Pamiers Cathedral (French language, French: ''Cathédrale Saint-Antonin de Pamiers'') is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church located in the town of Pamiers, France. The cathedral is a national monument. It is the cathedra, ecclesiastical ...

Église Saint-Pierre de Blagnac - Le clocher.jpg, Church of Saint-Pierre, Blagnac Lombez_-_Cathédrale_-7.jpg, Lombez Cathedral Montauban_-_L'église_St_Jacques.jpg, Church of Saint-Jacques, Montauban Beaumont-de-Lomagne_-_Eglise_Notre-Dame_de_l'Assomption_-_Clocher.jpg, Church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, Beaumont-de-Lomagne Montesquieu-Volvestre - panoramio.jpg, Church Saint-Victor, Montesquieu-Volvestre, with a rare example of a 16-sided bell tower

Wall belfry

The other form of the bell tower, more common in smaller buildings, is the wall belfry, also frequently characterized by miter arches, and often resembling fortifications in having elements such as battlements and machicolations. Here again the first model was a church in

: Notre-Dame du Taur. File:31 - Eglise Notre-Dame du Taur - Facade.jpg, Church of Notre-Dame du Taur,

File:Eglise st-paul 1.jpg, Church of Saint-Paul, Auterive File:France-Villefranche de Lauragais-clocher-mur.jpg, Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, Villefranche-de-Lauragais Montgiscard FacadeEglise ClocherMur.JPG, Church of Saint-André, Montgiscard Eglise miremont.jpg, Church of Saint-Eutrope, Miremont Eglise Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Pibrac Clocher.jpg, Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Pibrac

Fortification elements

Defensive elements such as

battlement A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...

machicolation In architecture, a machicolation () is an opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement through which defenders could target attackers who had reached the base of the defensive wall. A smaller related structure that only protects key ...

s, walkways, and

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

s are frequent in Southern Gothic churches. Most of the time, except in cases where the church is included in a defensive system, these elements have only a decorative and especially a symbolic role, tending to assert the power of the Church. At the church of Notre-Dame de Simorre, it was the 19th-century architect and conservationist

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author, famous for his restoration of the most prominent medieval landmarks in France. His major restoration projects included Notre-Dame de Paris, ...

who added battlements and watchtowers to the top of the buttresses. File:Musée des Augustin Clocher.jpg, Machicolations, former church of the Augustins, Toulouse (Lavaur) Cathédrale Saint-Alain - Exposition Sud.jpg, Machico- lations, Church of Saint-Alain, Lavaur File:Simorre - Eglise Notre-Dame -2.jpg, Battlements and watchtowers, Église Notre-Dame, Simorre File:Eglise Saint-Nicolas de Toulouse.jpg, Saint Nicolas Church, Toulouse

Secular buildings

The term "Southern French Gothic" is applied mainly to buildings of worship, churches, and cathedrals. The same architectural principles of sobriety of construction, absence or limitation of carved decoration, massive appearance, and defensive elements can, however, be found in buildings used for other purposes. Examples in Toulouse include mansions and the Saint-Raymond College; in Albi, the Berbie Palace, etc.

Gallery

Eglise vue aérienne.jpg, Church of Saint-Germain, Alairac Gers Condom Cathedral of Saint-Pierre outside 01.jpg, Cathedral of Saint-Pierre, Condom Montagnac (34) St-André.jpg, Church of Saint-André, Montagnac (

Hérault Hérault (; , ) is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault (river), Hérault River, its Prefectures in France, prefecture is M ...

) (Lavaur) Cathédrale Saint-Alain - Exposition Nord-Ouest.jpg, Lavaur Cathedral Cloître et clocher des Jacobins.jpg, The cloister of the Jacobins convent (

) Toulouse - Jacobins et ND du Taur.jpg, Notre-Dame du Taur (left) and the church of the Jacobins in Toulouse Albi_Sainte-Cécile.JPG,

Toulouse - clochers de St Sernin et ND du Taur.jpg, The bell towers of ND du Taur (on the right, seen by the edge) and Saint-Sernin (in the center), models of the bell towers of southern French Gothic.

References

Citations

General Bibliography

* Collectif, ''Cahiers de Fanjeaux'', No. 9, ''La naissance et l’essor du gothique méridional au XIIIs'', Toulouse, 1974. * Marcel Durliat, « L’architecture gothique méridionale au XIIIs », ''École antique de Nîmes'', Bulletin annuel, Nouvelle série, No. 8-9, Nîmes, 1973–1974, . * Yvette Carbonell-Lamothe, « Un gothique méridional ? », ''Midi'', No. 2, 1987, .

Specialized books

* Jean-Louis Biget et Henri Pradalier, « L’art cistercien dans le Midi Toulousain », ''Cahiers de Fanjeaux'', No. 21, Toulouse, 1986, . * La cathédrale Sainte-Cécile, 1998, * Henri Pradalier, « L’art médiéval dans le Midi Toulousain », ''Congrès archéologique de France. Monuments en Toulousain et Comminges (1996)'', 154e session, Société française d'archéologie, Paris, 2002, . * Henri Pradalier, « Les rapports entre l’architecture civile et religieuse de Languedoc et d’Avignon sous les pontificats de Jean XXII et Benoît XII », ''Cahiers de Fanjeaux'', 1991, . * Maurice Prin, « Les Jacobins », ''Congrès archéologique de France. Monuments en Toulousain et Comminges (1996)'', 154e session, Société française d'archéologie, Paris, 2002, . * Maurice Prin et Jean Dieuzaide, ''Les Jacobins de Toulouse. Regard et description'', éd. Les Amis des Archives de la Haute-Garonne, Toulouse, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Southern French Gothic Gothic architecture Architectural history Architectural styles European architecture * Medieval French architecture Catholic architecture 13th-century architecture 14th-century architecture 15th-century architecture