Page 30 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Provence & The Côte d'Azur

28  INTRODUCING PROVENCE

Architectural Styles in Provence

From the imperial grandeur of Roman constructions to the modern
domestic designs of Le Corbusier, Provence has a magnificent array
of architectural styles. The Middle Ages saw a flourishing of great
Romanesque abbeys and churches and from the 16th to the 18th
centuries, as prosperity increased, châteaux and town houses were
built. With the expansion of towns in the 19th century came an
increase in apartment blocks and public buildings to accommodate
the fast-growing population. Today, successful restoration has taken
place, but often in haste. The demands of tourism have taken their An 18th-century fountain in
toll, particularly on the coast, resulting in some ugly developments. Pernes-les-Fontaines

Roman Architecture Ornate
(20 BC–AD 400) high-relief The triumphal arch of
The quality of Roman archi­ Glanum (see pp144–5) is
tecture is illustrated by the the original entrance to
many extant amphitheatres, the oldest Roman city in
triumphal arches and thermal Provence. Carvings on
baths found across the region, the outer arch show
all built with large blocks of Caesar’s victory over
the Gauls and Greeks.
local limestone.
Doric columns on
second storey Both storeys
have 60 arcades

Nîmes Arènes, built in the 1st century AD (see p136) Nîmes’ well-preserved Maison Carrée (see p136)
Roman Architecture
(11th–12th Centuries) This church entrance
The high point of Provençal architecture Multiple in Seyne (see p182) is
came after the Dark Ages. It was a arches an example of 13th­
combination of Classical order and century Romanesque
perfection, inspired by Roman design Elaborate architecture. The slight
and new styles from northern and religious point of the multiple
southern Europe. This style is charac­ carvings arches hints at a move
away from strict
terized especially in religious buildings Romanesque purity.
by elegant symmetry and simplicity.
Clustered pillar

Decorated capital with
interlaced leaves

Capital from the Abbaye du Thoronet (see p112) The Abbaye de Sénanque, founded in 1148 (see pp168–9)