Who put the 'Rome' in Romanesque?

We just spent a week in Dijon and toured a lot of the surrounding region. Now it just so happens that Burgundy is world-famous, not only for its wine but also for its Romanesque architecture. I visited elaborate cathedrals, little chapels, abandoned ruins (like the two above), isolated abbeys and pilgrimmage churches, all in the Romanesque style and all built about 1000 years ago.  Bruce, par contre, was usually in the cafe next door, waiting (pretty patiently) for me to rejoin him in the 21st century. 

So for the next few weeks, I'll be writing about the history and architecture of the most remarkable of these churches – Tournus, Vezelay and the Abbey at Fontenay. But before I talk about these churches individually I’d like to explain a little about the evolution of Romanesque architecture, how it got its name and some of its particular characteristics. (Please note that you should be able to click on any picture to enlarge it...)

Le Moulin du Grand Puy (or the Windmill on the Big Hill)

The restored mill and miller's house.

The best thing  (and I do mean the VERY best thing) about France is that on any drive in the country you will stumble upon a charming village, an historic building, or a spectacular landscape that you were completely unprepared for. It happens every time we leave Bordeaux. Before we know it, we’ve turned off the main route and are following a sign that says something like “medieval bridge” or “11^th century church”. Or, as in the case of the Moulin de Puy, a small, nondescript sign that simply said “windmill”.

We followed the easily missed arrow up a narrow winding road, never sure that we were headed in the right direction, until we reached the top of a low hill. And there, sure enough, was a beautiful little windmill glowing orange in the late afternoon sun.

Art Deco Bordeaux

Any discussion of Art Deco architecture makes me think of iconic American buildings like Radio City Music Hall, the Chrysler Building or the hotels of Miami’s South Beach. The style, with its streamlined forms, edgy geometries and flashy chrome details, perfectly epitomizes the modern spirit of 1920s America.

But the truth is that the Art Deco style is French. It was introduced to the world in 1925 at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industrials Modernes, a state-sponsored exhibition held in Paris. Designed to reassert France’s role as the world leader in the sale of luxury goods, the exposition, originally scheduled for 1915, was postponed because of the war. So by the time the doors opened this innovative new style had been maturing for ten years.

Gustave Eiffel in Bordeaux

In my last two blogs I talked about Bordeaux's first bridge, le Pont de Pierre, and the city's recently inaugurated Pont Chaban-Delmas. Today's post finishes that topic.

Until the construction of Bordeaux's second bridge there was no direct rail service from Paris to the region south of the Garonne. All of the railcars coming from the north had to be ferried across the river to Bordeaux's St. Jean Station before continuing on to Bayonne and the fashionable resorts that were springing up along the Atlantic coast. Each ferry had to wait for low tide before squeezing carefully through the arches of the Pont de Pierre, adding hours to every voyage and inconveniencing travelers in much the same way that the lack of a bridge had delayed Napoleon half a century earlier.

But in 1860 the two banks of the Garonne were permanently connected by a cast iron bridge, finally enabling rail passengers to travel easily from Paris to Bordeaux and further south.  The construction of this bridge was the first project of Gustav Eiffel, the 26-year old railroad employee who oversaw its completion.

Le Pont de Pierre - Bordeaux's First Bridge

A 19th century engraving of the Pont de Pierre. 

Throughout Bordeaux's long history there wasn't much need for a permanent river crossing. The city's development was confined to the left bank of the Garonne River where the deep water allowed large ships to dock. In contrast, the right bank remained largely agricultural -- planted with grape vines -- until the mid-19th century. For hundreds of years barges and rafts were the only means of transportation from one side to the other.

That was the situation when Napoleon arrived at Bordeaux in 1807 on his way to war in Spain. Lack of a permanent structure meant that his 350,000 troops had to be ferried across the Garonne. Now wait -- before you read any further just think about that for a minute. A city of men, horses, tents, provisions, livestock, military supplies, and all of the artillery necessary for waging a war, loaded onto wooden barges, carried across the turbulent Garonne, and unloaded on the opposite bank. This must have been an enormous undertaking, and although I haven't found any description of how it was accomplished, or how long it took, I'm willing to bet that the feisty little Emperor wasn't too happy with the situation. It's not surprising that he ordered the immediate construction of a permanent river crossing.

Bordeaux: Surf Cité

This weekend Bordeaux enters the record books with the opening of the largest lift bridge in Europe, the Pont Chaban-Delmas (visible on the left above, along with the Pont de Pierre and the Passerelle Eiffel, center and right). Fireworks, concerts and a parade are just a few of the activities planned to celebrate the city's newest river crossing. Named for Jacques Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux's mayor from 1947 until 1995 (yes, that's right, nearly 50 years in office! The football stadium is also named for him, but it's going to be torn down soon, which explains why they decided to name the bridge after him) the structure is 1,400 feet long, has four lanes for cars and buses and two lanes for pedestrians and bicycles. Two pairs of slender pylons contain the enormous pulleys and cables that lift the center deck 320 feet in the air, high enough to allow even large cruise ships to enter the port.

Aerial view of Pont Chaban-Delmas

This New Years Day, when construction was nearly finished, the span was opened to pedestrians for a few hours in the early afternoon. Bruce and I joined 40,000 of our neighbors in a stroll from one side of the river to the other that had all the joyful exuberance of a carnival. Entire families made the short trek, laughed, drank champagne and posed for pictures. We even came home with blue ribbons that proclaimed, "I CROSSED THE BRIDGE 1/1/2013."

Le Pont Chaban-Delmas on New Year's Day 2013

Barcelona's Old City

In my last post I raved so much about Gaudi’s exuberant architecture that it seems only fair to give the Old City it’s due this week. I was really surprised by the older quarters of the city (Ciutat Vella in Catalan) primarily because I hadn’t expected so much to remain. What I hadn't realized was that the entire city of Barcelona had been confined within high stone walls until 1859. This undoubtedly accounts for the cohesiveness of the Old City where there are blocks and blocks of narrow, twisty streets lined with three and four story, balconied buildings. Some have lavishly painted facades, others are decorated with Gothic details, and all are nearly impossible to photograph. This contrast between the old quarter and the (relatively) new areas makes Barcelona a fascinating study in architectural styles.