Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines, France) - Notre-Dame
- 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 - Earlier - Phase 1 -
Some part of earlier church remained in the western bays, even to the 1240s.
- Project B - 1150s - Phase 2 - W-n (b)
Bases and start of jambs to W-north door built out of step with centre
- Project B - 1150s - Phase 3 - W-n jambs
North door jambs with capitals and imposts, possibly sculpture.
- Project B - 1150s - Phase 4 - W-c (b)
Central door jambs, and entry on the south with possible connections to earlier church probably retained.
- Project B - 1150s - Phase 5 - W-c jambs
Central door jambs with capitals and imposts and possibly sculpture.
- Project B - 1160s - Phase 6 - church (b)
Entire foundation for piers and walls all around building to top of plinths with start of eastern piers, which was slightly more advanced than the west, and EN stairs.
- Project B - 1170s - Phase 7 - church (a)
Most aisle capitals, arcade arches and aisle vaults over six campaigns from east to west with four campaigns in the arcade arches
- Project B - 1170s - Phase 8 - east (g)
Piers and capitals to eastern gallery.
- Project B - 1170s - Phase 9 - west portals
Completes erection of two western portals before westernmost arcade archescould be erected; possibility that the western sculpture may have been completed earlier and waited for this moment to be erected.
- Project B - 1180s - Phase 10 - nave (g)
Completes eastern gallery, continues into nave gallery to sixth piers, and decided to use flyers as no reduction in apsodal buttress.
- Project B - 1190s - Phase 11 - east (c)
Eastern clerestory capitals, clerestory windows and start of vaults.
- Project B - 1190s - Phase 12 - nave w(g)
Rest of gallery to the west
- Project B - 1200s - Phase 13 - east (v)
Eastern high vaults in two tranches and flyers.
- Project B - 1200s - Phase 14 - west (g)
West bay gallery level with screens and Bronze details
- Project B - 1200s - Phase 15 - west (c)
Western bay clerestory to rose window with Scarlet corbels.
- Project B - 1210s - Phase 16 - west (v)
Completion of vaults over western bays.
- Project B - 1220s - Phase 17 - w towers
West towers in a number of campaigns.
- Project C - 1240s - Phase 18 - s nave (a)5-6
Removal of vestiges of older church that had supported the gallery with building of south nave piers 5-6, and replaced the piers