Eglise de la Major
ChurchHidden Treasure
Eglise de la Major, located in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.6776, 4.6328
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00081134
In the heart of Romanesque Arles, the Church of La Major displays its cul-de-four apse and sculpted capitals with striking Provençal sobriety. A 12th-century jewel listed as a Historic Monument.
History
Nestling in the dense urban fabric of old Arles, the Eglise de la Major is one of the most intimate and authentic examples of 12th-century Romanesque architecture in Provence. Far from the great cathedrals that monopolise the attention of visitors, it offers a direct, almost confidential encounter with a medieval spirituality engraved in the local limestone - the luminous blonde stone that characterises the great religious sites of the Rhône Valley. What makes the Major unique is precisely its human scale. Designed according to the Romanesque basilica plan, with one nave or a single nave flanked by aisles, it has a remarkable stylistic coherence, the result of a relatively homogeneous construction project, without the Gothic or Baroque alterations that disfigure so many comparable buildings. The medieval architects rigorously applied the canons of the Rhodanian Romanesque school: round arches, massive volumes, filtered and ascetic light. The visit is both an archaeological and a sensitive experience. The capitals, featuring stylised plant motifs and anthropomorphic figures, are a veritable manual of Romanesque sculpture, accessible to the untrained eye. The natural acoustics of the barrel vault create an atmosphere of contemplation that modern buildings struggle to reproduce. Here, visitors realise that the space itself is a theological discourse. The Arles setting adds to the richness of the visit. In just a few square kilometres, Arles concentrates an exceptional palimpsest - Roman amphitheatre, UNESCO-listed Saint-Trophime cloister, Alyscamps necropolis - in which the Church of La Major is a discreet but essential link. It is a reminder that in the Middle Ages, the city was a major spiritual and commercial crossroads, and a major stopover on the road to Santiago de Compostela.
Architecture
The church of La Major belongs fully to the Provençal Romanesque school, an architectural movement that flourished in Provence between the end of the 11th and the end of the 12th centuries, combining the local ancient heritage - omnipresent in a city like Arles - with the contributions of Lombard architecture passed on by itinerant monks and pilgrims. The plan is that of a church with a single nave or three naves separated by massive columns or pillars, covered by a barrel vault or semicircular vault depending on the bay. The semicircular apse, with its round-headed roof, is the focal point of the interior composition and concentrates the light from the deeply splayed round-headed windows. The materials used are typical of buildings on the Rhône: local shell limestone, known as "pierre d'Arles" or Fontvieille stone, cut into regular blocks of large coursing that give the walls their typical solidity and luminous blondness. The gutter walls, more than a metre thick and reinforced by flat buttresses, bear witness to a high level of technical mastery, making it possible to span significant spans without resorting to buttresses, unknown in Provençal Romanesque architecture. The capitals are the most elaborate decorative feature of the building. Carved into the limestone with a precision that betrays the skill of expert hands, they combine interlacing plant motifs, acanthus leaves inherited from ancient Corinthian vocabulary and animal or human figures with Christian symbolic meanings. The exterior displays the sobriety characteristic of Provençal Romanesque architecture: few ornaments on the façade, narrow windows and a cornice with sculpted modillions running below the roofline.
Related Figures
Frédéric Mistral — poète fondateur du Félibrige, infatigable défenseur du patrimoine provençal dont les édifices romans d'ArlesSaint Trophime d'Arles — premier évêque légendaire d'Arles dont l'influence spirituelle irrigue toute la vie religieuse médiévale de la citéProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques qui, au XIXe siècle, recensa et protégea les édifices romans de ProvenceViollet-le-Duc — théoricien et restaurateur dont la doctrine influença la conservation des édifices romans provençaux au XIXe siècleRaimond V de Toulouse — comte de Provence au XIIe siècle, protecteur des chantiers religieux dans la région arlésienneL'archevêque d'Arles — prélat du XIIe siècle sous la juridiction duquel fut vraisemblablement conduite la construction de l'édifice
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Eglise de la Major located?
Eglise de la Major is located in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Eglise de la Major built?
Eglise de la Major dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Eglise de la Major open to visitors?
Eglise de la Major is currently closed to visitors.