Page:History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 1.djvu/535

 Bk. II. Ch. V. BURGUNDY. 503 provement on the vault at Cluny, though it cuts the roof too much up into divisions. Perhaps its greatest defect is its want of lieight, being only 60 ft. in the centre, while the total width is 86 ft. from Avail to wall. But the details of the whole are so elegant as in a great lueasure to redeem these faults. The narthex, or ante church, resembles that at Cluny both in its importance and in l)eing somewhat more modern than the church itself. ! At Vezelay (Woodcut No. 370) it dates from the beginning of the 12th century, while the nave seems wholly to belong to the 11th. It is an extremely instructive example of the progress of vaulting. 371. East End, St. Menoux. (From Allier, " L'ancien Bourtonnais.") It has the bold transverse ribs, and the plain intersecting vaults, which are here, in accordance with the Southern practice, abutted by the arches of the galleries. In the walls of the galleries are M'indows large enough to admit a considerable amount of light. But the vaults are here fast losing their original purpose. The arched construction supports the solid external roof over the side-aisles, but the central vault is covered by a wooden roof, so that the stone vault has become a mere ceiling, leaving only one easy step towards the completion of the plan of Gothic roofing. This step Avas to collect the vaults of the side galleries into a mass over each pier, and use them as flying but- tresses, and to emi)loy wooden roofs everywhere, wholly independent of the vaults which they covered.