The chancel
In the late 12th century, the original short, flat apse was replaced by a vast sanctuary with a deambulatory and radial chapels, making Pontigny the largest surviving Cistercian church. The still hesitant technique of the nave gives way here to a perfectly conceived Gothic style. In the middle of the first bay, a tile decorated with three fleurs-de-lis marks the site of the tomb of the French queen Adèle de Champagne, mother of Philippe Auguste, who died in 1206.
[To go further]
The quotation
‘Here are those whom God
loves as his children,
and whose Wisdom,
like living stones,
builds himself a temple.
So that nothing can shake
this edifice that God inhabits
and builds at the same time,
they are cut like stones:
above,
when they submit their will
to God's will with humility and prudence;
underneath
when they govern with temperance
the flesh they have subdued;
on the right, when they embrace
the good with justice ;
on the left, by supporting
the wicked with strength’.
Bernard of Clairvaux (+ 1153)
Bernard de Clairvaux, Sermons divers, 98; Sancti Bernardi Opera, vol. VI/1, ed. J. Leclercq and H.-M. Rochais, Rome, 1970, p. 365 (Patrologia Latina, vol. 183, col. 726A).
The picture
Portrait of Queen Adèle de Champagne
Remy Capitain, ed. François de Mézeray, Histoire de France depuis Faramond..., Paris, t. I, 1643, p. 468.
To go further
The vaults in the sanctuary are built on ribbed vaults, all of which rest on a succession of capitals, columns and bases, in accordance with the grammar of the Gothic style. The high windows are crowned with multiple arches, necessitating a multiplication of columns.
Alongside the sober but varied capitals of the nave, those of the chevet seem more refined but more repetitive. The keystone above the roundabout, with its ten ogival branches, evokes an idealised flora.
Glossary
Sanctuary :
the most sacred space in the church where the main altar is located.
Deambulatory :
aisle around the sanctuary, usually semi-circular, giving access to the radial chapels. Synonym of 'ambulatory' when used as a noun.
Radial chapels:
chapels arranged around the sanctuary, generally opening onto the deambulatory.
Adèle de Champagne :
daughter of the Count of Champagne, Queen of France as the third wife of Louis VII, she obtained permission from the Pope to be buried at Pontigny. One or two years before her death, she was welcomed for several days in the abbey, eventhough it was reserved for men: on that occasion, the abbot of Pontigny was almost dismissed.
Keystone :
a cut stone placed at the top of a ribbed vault, or simply a stone arch.
Roundabout :
end of the main nave opposite the entrance, usually polygonal or semicircular.
.
.