Back of the south aisle
At the far end of the south aisle, if you nearly stand against against the wall, the most characteristic view of Pontigny is revealed, enlightening both the grandeur and serenity of the place. The refined architecture is punctuated by a succession of double-roll arches and columns, inviting you to stroll in meditation.
In the afternoon, when spots of sunlight shine through the deliberately colourless stained glass windows, they seem to bring the stones to life, gliding slowly from pillar to pillar. [To go further]
The quotation
“It is not by changing place
that we must approach,
but by successive lights
which are not corporeal
but spiritual...
Let the soul therefore seek the light
by following the light... ”
Bernard de Clairvaux (+ 1153)
Bernard de Clairvaux, 31st sermon on the Song of Songs, 3: Sancti Bernardi Opera, I, Rome, 1957, p. 221 (Patrologia Latina, t. 183, col. 941 C-D); transl. after François Cali, L'ordre cistercien, Paris, 1972, xxxvii.
The picture
Sunny south aisle
To go further
Like the transept, the aisles are cross-vaulted, but from the first bay onwards, these vaults are built higher than originally planned. Subsequent bays adopt a tighter rhythm. The windows are no longer round-arched, as in the transept, but are now pointed-arched; the stained glass is no longer positioned sidewards, but in the middle of the wall, without any risk for the solidity of the structure, it does reflect a desire for lightness and light.
Glossary
Double-roll arch :
arch separating two bays, perpendicular to the eaves wall.
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