Merovingian Religious Architecture
Pascale Chevalier
For nearly 270 years, between the end of Roman Empire and advent Carolingian dynasty, Merovingian territories experienced an intense flowering religious construction, which recent archaeology has documented with increasing detail. This chapter sheds light on new research discoveries; however, rather than reviewing all sites studies churches contemporary sources mentioning them, it gives some clues reflections about so-called architecture broad vision architectural form that was expressed in quite simple but majestic designs. These structures, constructed stone (or wood), reveal a society progressively Christianized under leadership bishops, clerics, monks, as well by sovereigns. Without any break classical antiquity, centuries fit into continuous legacy transformed monumental landscape both cities countryside. The various forms Christian monuments fifth to eighth century thus illustrate this heritage, sometimes through extreme simplification antique patterns enrichment aesthetic brought arrival immigrant populations. Within changing world, buildings appear have been catalyst for cultural exchanges places visibility gathering, witnesses building fever period. Our understanding Gaul is gradually becoming more accurate. We now know amount establishment, planning, sizes, construction techniques, ornamentation, liturgical functional content these structures. were so varied size use, extensive artistic plurality.