Page:A history of architecture on the comparative method for the student, craftsman, and amateur.djvu/304

 FRENCH ROMANESQUE. ' How reverend is the face of this tall pile, Whose ancient pillars rear their marble heads To bear aloft its arched and ponderous roof, By its own weight made steadfast and immovable Looking tranquillity. It strikes an awe And terror on the aching sight." — CoNGREVE. I. INFLUENCES. i. Geographical. — Fiance is practically on the high road between the south and north of Europe, and the relative position of each district influenced the various prevailing types of archi- tecture. When Rome was a great power it was by way of Provence and the Rhone Valley that civilization spread ; hence the strong classical element which is there prevalent. The trade with Venice and the East introduced to the district of Perigueux a version of the Byzantine style in stone. ii. Geological. — France is exceedingly rich in building materials, especially stone, of which most of the towns are built. The soft, fine-grained stone of Caen, used throughout Normandy, was also exported to England. In the volcanic district of Auvergne walling was executed in a curious inlay of colored material. iii. Climate. — In France there are three climates — (a.) the north resembles that of the south of England ; (b.) the west on the Atlantic coasts is warmer, owing to the Gulf Stream and warm S.W. winds ; (c.) the south, on the Mediterranean, with a landscape almost African in its aspect, is sub-tropical, iv. Religion. — Christianity, when introduced, took a strong hold in the Rhone Valley, Lyons contributing martyrs to the cause. In this district the most interesting event was the rise of the Cistercians (page 219), the severity of whose rules as to church building, caused a reaction from the decorative character of the later Romanesque, as in the facades of S. Gilles, and of S. Trophime, Aries. Attention was then concentrated upon