Architecture: Gothic and Renaissance - T. Roger Smith

Fig. 31.—Church at Fontevrault. (Begun 1125.)

The south of France was occupied by people speaking what are now known as the Romance dialects, and some writers have adopted the name as descriptive of the peculiarities of the architecture of these districts. The Romance provinces clung tenaciously to their early forms of art, so that pointed architecture was not established in the south of France till half a century, and in some places nearly a whole century, later than in the north.

On the other hand, the Frankish part of the country was the cradle of Gothic. The transition from round to pointed architecture first took place in the royal domain, of which Paris was the centre, and it may be assumed that the new style was already existing when in 1140 Abbot Suger laid the foundations of the choir of the church of St. Denis, about forty years before the commencement of the eastern arm of our own Canterbury.

De Caumont, who in his “Abécédaire” did for French architecture somewhat the same work of analysis and scientific arrangement which Rickman performed for English, has adopted the following classification:—

Romanesque Architecture. Architecture Romane.	Primitive.	5th to 10th century.
	Primordiale.	5th to 10th century.

	Second.	End of 10th to commencement of 12th century.
	Secondaire.	End of 10th to commencement of 12th century.

	Third or Transition	12th century.
	Tertiaire ou de Transition.	12th century.

Pointed Architecture. Architecture ogivale.	First.	13th century.
	Primitive.	13th century.

	Second.	14th century.
	Secondaire.	14th century.

	Third.	15th century.
	Tertiaire.	15th century.