Monasticon Benedictinum

Name of text:

Monasticon Benedictinum

Author of text:
Date of text: ca. 1633
Date of person in text:
Name of structure in text: La Daurade
Type of structure in text: Mausoleum/church
Date of structure in text fifth-sixth century
Century of structure 1: 5 AD
Century of structure 2: 6 AD
Country in text: France
Region in text:
City in text: Toulouse
Specific place of mosaic in text: Niches in walls
Description of mosaic in text:

12 niches of upper storey starting at NW corner and proceeding to E window: 1. slaughter of the innocents, green meadow, gold background; 2. Herod wearing red and purple garments, silver circle round head, gold background; 3. one of the Magi, green meadow on gold background; 4. VM, Anne and Christ, 3 partridges in golden squares; 5. one of the Magi; 6. one of the Magi wearing garment with roses and fishes; 7. and 8. contain large window; 9. fierce man, Herod; 10. praying shepherd with lamb; 11. and 12. contain window.


10 niches of upper storey starting at SW corner and proceeding to E window: 1. one of the Magi with gift; 2. one of the Magi with gift; one of Magi with gift, Christ child on VM’s lap; 4. contains window; 5. VM holding Christ child, her vestments in blue and purple; 6. shepherd with sheep pointing at star; 7. and 8. contain large window; VM on throne, holding golden cross; 10. Christ child in manger with ass and ox.


22 niches of middle storey, starting at NW corner and moving clockwise towards SW corner:  1. Esdras [Ezra] standing in meditation with book; 2. Abimelech with silver pallium; 3. Philip; 4. Simon; 5. Andrew; 6. Luke with book; 7. John with golden book; 8. Peter with keys; 9. angel Uriel; 10. angel Michael holding multi-coloured globe;  11. Christ Pantokrator, at his feet ‘The Black Virgin’; 12. VM; 13. angel Gabriel holding three greenish globes; 14. angel Raphael holding three greenish globes; 15. Paul holding large red book with gold ribbons; 16. Matthew with book; 17. Mark with golden book; 18. Bartholomew; 19. Thomas; 20. James; 21. Isaiah; 22. Ezekiel, gold ground on green meadow.


21 niches of lower storey starting at NW corner and moving clockwise towards E and SW: 1. and 2. space for chapel; 3. Jude; 4. Levi; 5. Simeon; 6. Jacob; 7. Enoch; 8. Elias; 9. Isaac; 10. Abraham; 11, 12 and 13 obscured by main altar; 14. Joel; 15. doorway with Abdias and another prophet in the arch; 16. Ananias; 17. angel Gabriel; 18. Azarias; 19. Mizael; 20. Benjamin; 21. Joseph.


Upper region above the capitals of the 22 jasper columns; 22 parrots. 


Between the columns; six or eight peacocks.


Lower row of niches; eight or ten bursts of angels.

Mosaic date in text: 6 AD
Tesserae silver mentioned in text? Yes
Tesserae gold mentioned in text? Yes
Colour descriptions in text: blue
purple
green
red
Bibliography:

Monasticon Benedictinum, Paris, Biblioteque Nationale, Ms. Lat. 12680, fols. 231-35, ed. Abbé Degert in Bulletin de la Societé archéologique du midi de France (1905), pp. 209-15, trans. by Caecilia Davis-Weyer, Early Medieval Art: 300-1150 (Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1986), pp. 59-66
Mackie, G., ‘La Daurade: a Royal Mausoleum’, in Cahiers Archéologique, 42 (1994), 17-34
Woodruff, Helen, ‘The Iconography and Date of the Mosaics of La Daurade’, The Art Bulletin, 13.1 (1931), 80-104

URLs:
Comments: Toulouse Museum holds a few mosaic cubes.

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