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Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Storia delle arti e conservazione dei beni artistici Tesi di Laurea The church of Saint-Pierre in Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne Landscape, Architecture, Sculpture, and Precious Objects through the Experience of the Medieval Pilgrim Relatore esterno Ch. Prof. Ivan Foletti Relatore interno Ch. Prof. Stefano Riccioni Correlatrice Ch.ma Prof.ssa Chiara Piva Laureando Nicolas Samaretz 848018 Anno Accademico 2018 / 2019 Abstract Oggetto della presente tesi è la chiesa di Saint-Pierre a Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, costruita nel XII secolo nel Limosino meridionale. Grazie alla sua vicinanza con le vie di pellegrinaggio giacobine, la struttura viene indagata non solo come associata ad un monastero a dipendenza cluniacense e ad una comunità urbana agli albori del proprio sviluppo, ma soprattutto come polo di attrazione della venerazione dei pellegrini, quali co-protagonisti nell'utilizzo della chiesa. Si è cercato, quindi, di comprendere come l'elemento del pellegrinaggio abbia caratterizzato ed influenzato la ricostruzione e la fruizione della chiesa di Beaulieu, sia nelle sue architetture che nel portale scolpito, e del suo tesoro. Object of the present thesis is the church of Saint-Pierre in Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, built in the twelfth century in the southern Limousin. Due to its closeness to the pilgrimage routes crossing France, the church has been analysed not only as part of a Cluniac monastery and of a newly born urban community, but mostly as an attractive pole for pilgrims, co-protagonists in its usage. It has been investigated how pilgrimage could have influenced the reconstruction and the fruition of the Beaulieu church, both in its architecture, sculpted portal and treasury. 1 Acknowledgement The present study is the result of the time spent working and researching on the topic. For me it would not be possible to accomplish this result without the support and help of many, which I would like to thank here. First my family, whose support has been far beyond the mere economic sphere, and which allowed me to travel, study and write keeping focused on my work, helping me also in controlling my writings. With them my friends and colleagues have the right to be mentioned, for their constant and sincere affection and help, on the personal as well as academical level. For what concerns this work specifically, I would like to express a particular gratitude to Luca Caprioti for sharing his time with me discussing the possible relationship of pilgrims and the church in Beaulieu, and to Cassandre Lejosne who patiently proofread my chapters, with professional and friendly notes that enriched my work and improved my English. I am particularly grateful also to the persons working and studying in the Center for Early Medieval Studies in Brno, who have welcomed me into an informal environment, and yet full of academical inputs which have stimulated my research and enriched it with their personal experiences. A mention should be made also of Frédéric Le Hec who shared with me his deep knowledge about the town of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne and its history, and of Élise Haddad who willingly shared with me her PhD thesis which fresh and updated study served as fundamental starting point for my own work. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude towards the professors that accepted to support my work, namely professor Stefano Riccioni, but mostly professor Ivan Foletti, whose constant help and patience, along with his enthusiasm and trust, have gone far beyond his duty. To all of them and many others who contributed creating this study, goes my deepest gratitude. 2 Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 5 I. Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne: the status questionis .............................................................................. 8 I. 1. From the earliest sources to the Second World War .......................................................... 8 I. 2. From the end of the Second World War to the last studies ............................................. 15 I. 3. Conclusions and considerations: open issues ..................................................................... 35 II. The Church of Saint-Pierre at Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne .......................................................... 37 II. 1. Restorations of the Church from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-first Centuries .......... 37 II. 2. The Architectural Setting .................................................................................................. 38 II. 3. The Sculptural Decoration ................................................................................................. 40 II. 3. 1. The Southern Portal ...................................................................................................... 41 II. 3. 2. The Inner Decoration .................................................................................................... 50 II. 4. Dating the Church .............................................................................................................. 52 II. 4. 1. The Origin of Beaulieu Monastic Complex .................................................................. 52 II. 4. 2. Lack of Documents and Written Sources ..................................................................... 53 II. 4. 3. Architectural Comparisons ........................................................................................... 54 II. 4. 4. Sculptural Comparisons ................................................................................................ 61 II. 5. Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 71 III. Pilgrims and Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne ...................................................................................... 72 III. 1. Approaching Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne ............................................................................. 72 III. 1. 1. Beaulieu in its Environment ........................................................................................ 72 III. 1. 2. Beaulieu and the Network of the Routes of Pilgrimage .............................................. 73 III. 1. 3. Reaching Beaulieu: The Landscape ............................................................................. 75 III. 1. 4. The Town and the Monastery between Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries ................. 78 III. 2. The Sculpted Portal ‘in use’ ............................................................................................. 83 III. 2. 1. Liminal Space: Waiting at the Threshold .................................................................... 85 III. 2. 2. Opening the Doors: Purification to Enter the Sacred Space ........................................ 90 III. 2. 3. The Portal Activated by the Liturgy ............................................................................ 93 III. 3. Use of the Inner Space of the Church ............................................................................. 96 III. 3. 1. Within the Church: Attempting a Reconstruction ....................................................... 96 III. 3. 2. Hypothesis of Usage: The Pilgrim inside the Church ............................................... 101 III. 4. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 106 IV. The Treasury of Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne .............................................................................. 108 IV. 1. Heritage of the Treasury ................................................................................................ 108 IV. 1. 1. Written Sources ......................................................................................................... 109 3 IV. 1. 2. Remaining Objects .................................................................................................... 111 IV. 2. Attractiveness and Functions: The Treasury and the Pilgrims .................................. 115 IV. 2. 1. Display within the Church and Veneration by the Pilgrims ...................................... 115 IV. 2. 2. Objects in Performance: The Example of the Virgin of Beaulieu ............................. 119 IV. 3. Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 123 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................... 124 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 128 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................... 134 Sitography ...................................................................................................................................... 146 Manuscripts .................................................................................................................................... 147 Documents ...................................................................................................................................... 147 Index of Illustrations

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