Histoire de l'art et archéologie

The author's archaeological study on the gates of the citadel on Damascus sheds light on a multitude of building stages and restorations of the famous fortress, and on the potential of highly detailed stone-by-stone survey and analysis in building archaeology.

The romanesque abbey church of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, highly renowned for its façade and its ashlar- vaulted staircase, suffered destruction during the religious wars. An archaeological analysis of its well-documented reconstruction sheds light on the limited technical skills of the local masons in charge of the restoration, and on the concept of the new church rebuilt at a reduced scale with rib-vaults inspired by various gothic prototypes.

This paper is a sample of a series of articles published in the Bulletin Monumental IV-2013, which summarize the results of an interdisciplinary research project on the architectural history of the ancient abbey of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard in Southern France. A complete stone-by-stone survey and analysis of both the abbey church and the ancient monastic buildings, archaeological excavations, archival research, analysis of building materials, achaeometrical dating, georadar survey etc. have completely changed the reconstruction of the stages and phases of the building process, and the chronology of the abbey church begun in the last third or quarter of the twelfth century, which had previously been erroneously identified with an earlier church begun in 1116.

Archaeological studies on the gothic refectory of the cistercian abbey of Silvacane (ca. 1275-1300): foundations, building techniques, construction of rib vaults, and other aspects are examined in detail. (co-authors: Andreas Hartmann-Virnich, Nathalie Molina)

Archaeological studies on the gothic refectory of the Cistercian abbey of Silvacane in Provence (ca. 1275-1300): foundations, masonry, and the construction of rib vaults are examined in detail (co-authors Andreas Hartmann-Virnich, Nathalie Molina)

Archaeological studies on the gothic refectory of the Cistercian abbey of Silvacane in Provence (ca. 1275-1300): foundations, masonry, and the construction of rib vaults are examined in detail (co-authors Andreas Hartmann-Virnich, Nathalie Molina)

This article summarizes the results of co-author Heike Hansen's highly detailed stone-by-stone survey and archaeological analysis of the façade of the late romanesque abbey church of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard in Southern France in the context of a global archaeological approach and thorough understanding of the building process of the church in its relationship with the earlier monastic buildings.

An old article on the chronology and sculpture of the Romanesque cloisters of Saint-Trophime at Arles. Recent archaeological research has changed the insight into the building stages of the western aisle, a new synthesis will be available in a few months.

Another old paper on the Romanesque sculpture of the Arles cloisters, which evidences the fundamental problem of attributing sculptures to individual sculptors. A new study after the recent restoration of the cloisters confirms the results of this study and adds information on the variety of delicate details that have come to light after the removal of the black crusts.

The romanesque cathédral of Arles was begun around 1100 with the erection of its eastern parts, probably to the east of the earlier church which was entirely replaced in the 12th century by the Romanesque nave of Saint-Trophime. The transept of the Romanesque church was probably designed to give access to a two-storey building on the south side located inside the episcopal palace, possibly related to the residence of the canons, which was destroyed when the building of the cloisters started around the second quarter of the twelfth century.

Géoarchéologie du Rhône dans le secteur du pont Saint-Bénézet (Avignon, Provence, France) au cours de la seconde moitié du deuxième millénaire apr. J.-C. : étude croisée de géographie historique et des paléoenvironnements Geoarchaeology of the Rhone River in the area of Pont Saint-Bénézet (Avignon, Provence, France) during the second half of the second millennium AD: an integrated historical geography and palaeoenvironmental study

En 1983, la recherche archéologique a repris sur le site de l'ancienne église abbatiale de Cruas dont la particularité était de pouvoir associer la fouille des vestiges conservés dans la nef à l'étude des élévations qui se sont révélées, au cours de la restauration, parfaitement conservées. L'édifice n'avait été jusqu'ici étudié que par des historiens de l'art. Ainsi, l'église abbatiale avait-elle trop souvent été datée à partir du décor archaïsant de sa crypte et de celui, encore fruste, de la tribune, par comparaison avec la sculpture de la travée occidentale. Or, l'étude a prouvé que lorsque les travaux sont réalisés, une crypte de type lombard est installée alors que le plan présente une ordonnance classique à trois nefs, transept saillant, chevet trilobé et arcs à doubles rouleaux. Ce n'était pas la première fois que l'on observait que l'étude stylistique de la sculpture amène à des contradictions sur les monuments et leurs chronologies. L'analyse menée à propos du groupe cathédral Saint-Sauveur d'Aix-en-Provence par Rollins Guild en 1981 (Guild 1987), à laquelle j'avais participé, apporta une méthode architecturale nouvelle. Paul-Albert Février, qui fut l'un de mes professeurs, nous a inculqué, dans ses travaux et dans son enseignement, une grande méfiance vis-à-vis des études existantes qui souvent reposent sur des interprétations erronées des textes. Ainsi en 1987, l'église abbatiale de Cruas devant être totalement échafaudée, j'ai proposé un projet portant sur l'étude des élévations, avec l'appui de Jacques Lasfargues, alors Directeur des Antiquités Historiques de Rhône-Alpes. Le but de cette nouvelle démarche consistait à étudier le bâti à partir des problèmes d'architecture et de construction et non plus à partir de la sculpture.