Page:History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 1.djvu/550

 518 FRENCH ARCHITECTURE. Paiit II. of the vaults of the central nme were made the same width as those of the side-aisles, whatever their span might be, and every compart- ment or bay was a conii)lete design in itself, without reference to those next to it on either side. The arrangement in elevation of the internal compartments of the nave of this church will be understood from Woodcut No. 382, where it will be seen that the aisles are low, and above them runs a great gallery, a feature common in Italy, but rare in Germany. Its intro- duction may have arisen either from a desire for increased accommo- dation, or merely to obtain height, as it is evident that an arch the whole height of the side-aisles and gallery would be singularly narrow and awkward. This was one of those difficulties which were only o-ot over by the introduction of the pointed arch ; but which, when- evci- attempted in the circular style, led to very disagreeable and stilted effects. It may, however, have been suggested by the abutting gallei-ies we find so frequently used in Southern churches. Be this as it may, the two stories of the aisles fill up the height far more pleas- ingly than could be done by one, and bring an abutment up to the erv s])rinQ:ing of the main vault of the nave. The worst feature in this elevation is the clerestory, where the difficulties of the vault- ing introduced a lojvsided arrangement very destructive of true architectural effect, and onlv excusable here from the inherent diffi- culties of a first attemi)t. During the twenty or thirty years that elapsed between the building of St. Stephen's church and that of the Abbaye aux Dames, immense progress seems to have been made towards the new style, as will be seen from the annexed elevation of one compartment of the nave of the latter. The great gallery is omitted, the side-aisles made higher, the piers lighter and more ornamental. The tri- forium is a mere i)assage under the upper windows, and so managed as not to intercept their light from any part of the church. Even the vaulting, though in some parts hexa])artite, in others shows a great approach to the quadripartite vaulting of the subsequent age ; tills, however, is obtained by bringing down the main vault to the level of the side vault, ^"Lme^.^cIerTFivufpu^dr and not by raising the side arches to the level of the central, as was afterwards done. The greatest change is in the richness and elegance of the details, which