Bury, Saint-Lucien

Building Data for Bury, Saint-Lucien

Type: Abbey
Affiliation: Augustinian
Region: Picardie
Department: Oise
Coords: 49.313, 2.3440
Surveyed: 1977, 1980-83, 2003, 2014

Map

Virtual Tour

Studies

These draft studies have been written as if all carvings were by an individual whereas they can equally be analysed as template modes employed by a number of carvers. The more personal approach was necessitated by the complexity of the data. The drafts will be reconsidered after I have added the rib vault material to the database.

The Gripple Master and Angers

Facet Master

Timeline and building units for Bury, Saint-Lucien

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A 'building unit' is an arbitrary unit of work based on bulk billing techniques used by quantity surveyors. The unit is small enough to provide realistic figures in the small churches without becoming too huge in the large. Six units would pay for one small vaulted bay in an aisle about 3 metres square, or a small first-floor gallery. Such a bay would consist of an external wall with a small window, half of two columns about 3 meters tall, the floor and footings under them and the vault and roof overhead.

		65	85	30		45	36	54	48	23
1050		1100s	1110s	1120s		1200s	1210s	1220s	1230s	1240s	1250

Phases for Bury, Saint-Lucien

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The building sequence is based on my on-site analysis of the construction history, using the techniques developed on the cathedral of Chartres called toichology, and described in a number of publications. The analysis of some of the smaller churches are more approximate than I would like, and need further analysis.
I have used 'phase' rather than 'campaign' to to identify a contiguous zone with similar elements. A campaign would be defined by recognisable breaks and construction joints in the fabric: there may be a number of phases within a campaign. One benefit is that separate programs by subcontractors, such as carvers, may be isolated, which is particularly useful in complex sections, such as portals.
Every phase has been assigned to a decade, so there may be more than one phase in a decade.
While this is certainly imperfect, it will allow us to explore all the data, including costs, across time. This is an on-going process, so as the data continues to be analyzed, the chronology and costing analysis will be further refined, and the synopsis updated.
Clicking on any of the decade graphics will display all buildings that had work being done during that decade.


	Phase 1 - Earlier - apse Remnants of the earlier apse exist in the large shafts on western piers of the crossing; this was not for ribs; also from the earlier building I include the north wall by entry to aisle and beyond to parts of the outer north and south aisle walls.


	Phase 2 - 1100 [1105] - n nave (a) - 30 Units All nave bases were set out together with the west to suit the height of the old choir; capitals placed first in the northern bays with the chevron arches and the rib vaults on the first bay with their caryatid figures.


	Phase 3 - 1100 [1108] - s nave (a) - 35 Units Continued the work into the southern aisle


	Phase 4 - 1110 [1110] - S-s portal - 10 Units South portal


	Phase 5 - 1110 [1114] - w nave (a) - 45 Units West and south aisle vaults completed with the west door; began the circular stairs in south-west corner;


	Phase 6 - 1110 [1116] - e nave (c) - 30 Units Raised the clerestory walls that were higher in the east and started the high vaults in the first piers


	Phase 7 - 1120 [1126] - w nave (c) - 30 Units Continued to construct the nave clerestory with all capitals and vaults, there was some delay to the western end; spire over stairs probably at this time;


	Phase 8 - 1200 - east (b) - 45 Units In the east all the outer wall bases were set out together; there was a steady flow of construction in many small campaigns over the next fifty years;