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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Rob Howe <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >it was common enough in the monastic churches in Romania (particularly the externally-frescoed ones in Southern Bucovina in the NE) which often feature the doom on their EXTERIOR wall at the west end. The fresco of the doom is often placed above the main door to the church, where this is at the west end (eg. Humor, Patrauti). well, that would be analogous to the sculptural programs of churches in the West. and to the lost fresco decoration of some Western churches, as well. >If the main door is elsewhere (eg. at Rasca it is on the south facade) then the doom may be found there, or on the door-less west wall, as at Voronet. The quality of Voronet is particularly noteworthy: > http://www.itcnet.ro/folk_festival/cd/mmedia/rai/v1ma.htm nice example. i don't see any reason why we should dismiss the possibility that some Western churches --especially before the 13th century (just to pick an arbitrary date)-- were not painted on the outside like this one is. just because not a single example has survived (to my uncertain knowledge). i'm thinking particularly of churches in regions where good building stone is hard to find, as in many areas of the Chartrain Beauce and the Perche. many churches there are built of baseball-sized stones of chert or flint, set in a kind of cement/mortar ; being hard to come by, dressed ashlar stone is reserved for, perhaps, portals, window jambs and tops, and interior architectural elements like bases, capitals, imposts.... the exterior (and interior) walls were stuccoed and/or plastered. it is certain that the interior walls were frescoed, and i see no reason to think that the exterior ones were not, as well. the best example i can think of is the late 11th/early 12th c. church of Dangeau, Southwest of Chartres http://www.trekearth.com/images/photos/1107/dangeau.jpg http://perso.club-internet.fr/thruelle/images/ph000069.jpg http://www.francebalade.com/maine/perchgouet.gif (between BROU and Bonneval) the church of Dangeau is a precious and rather rare surviving example of "romanesque" in the region, and has a modest portal with sculpted archivolts --my memory is dim, but there may be scenes of the Last Judgement on those. in any event, just imagining these churches lavishly painted on the exterior is an interesting Mind Game. best from here, christopher ~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Neologism : "Rumsfail (rums' fail), v., 1. To self-destruct, melt-down or implode under the weight of one's own arrogance. 2. To fail spectacularly, particularly in matters of warfare or diplomacy; to plunge into chaos. 3. Absolute, unmitigated disaster of national or international proportions and consequence; policy failure so utterly abject and miserable as to approach the realm of the epic. "Although long considered to be a costly and murderous fiasco, the prisoner abuse scandal revealed the war in Iraq to be nothing short of a rumsfailure." See also: 'Karma'" http://www.freewayblogger.com/weblog.htm ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html