While studying for our most recent AP art history test, a fellow classmate of mine and I tried to figure out a way to remember the not so pretty name of this beautiful Romanesque church. After half-heartedly muttering something about a saint saving the south by guarding the temperature, we gave up and hoped that the fact that the test was multiple-choice would increase our odds of success.
More so than its name, however, the church is notable for its hall church plan and its painted nave vault. A hall church is one in which the aisles are approximately the same height as the nave, and when combined with tall windows as in Saint-Savin-Sur-Gartempe, the result is more illumination of the nave. This added light accentuates the biblical paintings found on the nave’s continuous vault. These paintings depict scenes primarily from the Old Testament, specifically the first five books, but throughout the rest of the church New Testament themes reign supreme.
Ultimately, not only the church’s name, but also its plan, illumination, paintings, and style are unique.
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