Page:History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 1.djvu/488

 456 FRENCH ARCHITECTURE. Part II. There is another church of the Carlovingian era at Orange, and one at Nimes, probably belonging to the 9th or 10th century ; both how- ever very much injured by alterations and repairs. In the now deserted city of Vaison there are two churches, so classical in their style, that we are not sur^irised at M. Laborde, ^ and the French antiquaries in general, classing them as remains of the classical period. In any other country on this side of the Alps such an inference would be in- evitable ; but here another code of criticism must be applied to them. The oldest, the chapel of St. Quinide, belongs probably to the 9th or 315. Apse of Church at Alet. (From Taylor and Nodier, " Voyages dans I'Ancienne France.") 10th century. It is small, but remarkably elegant and classical in the style of its architecture. The apse is the most singular as well as the most ancient part of the church, and is formed in a manner of which no other example is found anywhere else, so far as I know. Exter- nally it is two sides of a square, internally a semi-circle ; at each angle of the exterior and in each face is a pilaster, fairly imitated from the Corinthian order, and supporting an entablature that might very well mislead a Northern antiquary into the error of supposing it was a Pagan temple. The cathedral, though larger, is more Gothic both in plan and 1 Laborde, "Monuments de la France," vol. i. p. 92. plates cxv. and cxvi