Leo of Ostia

Primary sources are the closest information we have to 'eye witness' accounts of a distant past. They provide evidence contemporary (or nearly so) to a building's construction, materials, and appearance as well as patrons and craftsmen. Every source contains some historical and/or personal bias that reflects the author's agenda and the cultural attitudes of the society and class in which he or she lived; the values and beliefs of the audience for which the work is intended are also important factors. As can be appreciated from reading these sources related to the historical period and architecture of Jumièges, documents vary enormously in how much they reveal about buildings and how well they may answer the questions we ask.

The sources cited here from the Early Middle Ages are biased in favour of Benedictine monasticism and have an interest in praising religious leaders (mostly male). Nonetheless, in the authors' zeal to recount the pious works of an abbot, bishop, or saint, he often reveals a personal enthusiasm for splendid architecture and its decoration. Scale, craftsmanship, and the number of features (columns, towers, windows, etc.) and arrangement of buildings seem to be of particular interest aside from extolling the patron. Measurements are also often given.

These excerpts from the documentary sources are well known and have often been cited in the context of patrons as active participants in the building process; however, they have not been considered from the standpoint of historic carpentry and the valuable information they relate for the existence of early medieval ceilings.

LEO OF OSTIA, Chronicle of Montecassino, III, trans. Herbert Bloch in E.G. Holt, Literary Sources in Art History . Princeton, 1947.

This chronicle dates to the end of the 11th century and describes the architectural revival of Desiderius, abbot of Montecassino (Italy) from 1058 to 1087. The basilican church and monastic layout (based on Old St. Peter's, Rome) provided an important model for Benedictine monasteries all across Europe. The renowned abbey (largely destroyed by bombs during the Second World War) was established ca 529 and enjoyed enormous prestige in the medieval period, since its founder, Saint Benedict of Nursia, the Œfather of western monasticism', created the Benedictine Rule there about A.D. 534.

Leo describes the new construction of the 11th century at a time when Montecassino's fame and influence was perhaps at its zenith, no doubt because of its capable leadership, Norman patronage and presence in the region, and the zeal fostered by the reform movements of the late 10th and 11th century that endeavoured to disentangle monastic communities from the feudal nobility and to return to the strict observance of the Benedictine Rule.

From the perspective of architecture in wood, it critical to realize that timber as a structural material is capable of much larger single spans with less support than stone. Leo tells us that the basilica had windows at two levels and that those in the clerestory were large. If his dimensions were correct (using the Roman cubitus of 18inches (45.7 cm), the ancient measure of the forearm to the middle finger, the span of the church at Montecassino would have been approximately 65 feet (Cf. von Schlosser's plan reproduced in Braunfels, p. 34). This total width was, of course, divided into multiple spans with aisles and a wider nave, but nonetheless, these dimensions would still have resulted in an ample, single span of about 25 feet for the nave—a suitable average length for a tie beam made from a single tree.

And since the old church had been built on the very top of the mountain, and had been exposed in every direction to the violent buffeting of the winds, and as it had often been hit by lightning, Desiderius decided to destroy the ridge of stone with fire and steel, and to level a space sufficient for the foundations of the basilica, and to make a deep excavation where the foundations should be laid. … He then levelled with great difficulty the space for the entire basilica, except for the sanctuary, procured all the necessary materials, hired highly experienced workmen …

It was one hundred and five cubits long, forty-three cubits wide, and twenty-eight cubits high. On each side he erected on bases ten columns nine cubits high. In the upper part he opened rather large windows: twenty-one in the nave, six long ones and four round ones in the choir, and two in the central apse. He erected the walls of the two aisles to a height of fifteen cubits and provided each aisle with ten windows…

He filled the windows of the nave and choir with plates made of lead and glass and connected with iron; those in the sidewalls of both aisles he made of mica, but of similar gracefulness. After having installed below the timber work the ceiling admirably decorated with various colors and designs, he had all the walls painted a beautiful variety of colors. …

He also had made a wooden pulpit for reading and singing, far more excellent and eminent than the former one.