Round or Square? The Axial Towers of the Abbey Church of Saint-Riquier
Virginia Jansen
Illustrating the important Carolingian monastery of Saint-Riquier, seventeenth-century engravings after a destroyed eleventh-century miniature portray axial towers former abbey church as round. Yet few contemporaneous illustrations, numerous texts, and common construction practices indicate that similar were rectangular. Did engravers miscopy medieval illustration? If not, did render buildings realistically enough for historian to draw conclusions about architecture from it? Evidence recent excavations has demonstrated reliability copied portrayal if used with discrimination calibrated other evidence. Furthermore, detail in prints hints depiction could be reinterpreted: accordance examples, probably square. When historians seek reconstruct what would an exceptional element monument, histo...
Gesta