Donnemarie-en-Montois (Seine-et-Marne, France) - La Nativité
- Disclaimer
The dating found here is based on the work of John James, and is meant on this site to serve as a starting point. James' dating is derived from a system that uses his interpretation of the development of capitals over time as the basis for chronology, among other factors. His goal is to refine the dating to within years rather than decades. I have not fully embraced James' methodology, and will be developing this page from its current state to one which is admittedly more conservative. The relative expenditure values found in the Timeline are also based on James' work, and I believe these to be reasonably reliable. They are intended only to give a sense of the amount of work involved in each decade.
I have added the idea of the "project" as a way of separating work in buildings. In my mind, a "project" is a discrete section of work in a building that resulted from the one-time acquisition of funding. "Projects" are generally separated by at least a decade where no work was being done. It is my view that it would have been unwise to start a "project" that could not be finished and protected from the elements, and as such a "project" usually involved a wing or multiple wings of a building, from floor to roof. Rural churches, which could only secure small amounts of funding at irregular intervals, often were the result of many small projects, while the great churches, which benefitted from relatively consistent funding, may have involved only a few large projects.
I have added the idea of the "project" as a way of separating work in buildings. In my mind, a "project" is a discrete section of work in a building that resulted from the one-time acquisition of funding. "Projects" are generally separated by at least a decade where no work was being done. It is my view that it would have been unwise to start a "project" that could not be finished and protected from the elements, and as such a "project" usually involved a wing or multiple wings of a building, from floor to roof. Rural churches, which could only secure small amounts of funding at irregular intervals, often were the result of many small projects, while the great churches, which benefitted from relatively consistent funding, may have involved only a few large projects.
- Timeline with Relative Expenditure (if available, in building units)
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- Project A - 1160s - Phase 1 - tower base, 1
Tower base and level 1 to internal string. This included the base to the south chapel, as the rest was removed with the earlier church.
- Project B - 1180s - Phase 2 - east
Complex construction sequence in the choir, and presume from the complexity that there were elements of the original church in the way that delayed the bases for the walls and piers; at least five campaigns from the lower courses.
- Project B - 1180s - Phase 3 - east (a)
Aisle capitals, arches and vaults
- Project B - 1180s - Phase 4 - east (g)
Gallery and possibly apse window capitals and arches that may have been one campaign from gallery to clerestory walkway.
- Project B - 1180s - Phase 5 - east (c)
Clerestory walkway and the rose window, capitals and start of vaults where the imposts and capitals suggest four campaigns around these bays; there are connections to St-Germer-de-Fly and the tall clerestory of Soissons cathedral.
- Project C - 1210s - Phase 6 - nave (a)
Nave aisles in a large number of campaigns; there are five different designs for the plinths of piers and walls, and in the west built the foundations and lower courses for west front, hidden as the present road has been built up, originally not as high, probably with steps at north end.
- Project C - 1210s - Phase 7 - west portals
West wall and portal sculpture.
- Project C - 1210s - Phase 8 - nave (t)
Nave triforium and eastern clerestory working from east to west.
- Project C - 1220s - Phase 9 - nave (c,v)
Complete nave clerestory and high vaults.