Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

< Back to Table of Contents These two little terracotta oil lamps date to the late 3rd to early 4th centuries. I’m probably offending the gods of archaeology somewhere by describing them as ‘cute’, but they so are!  Anyone following this series of posts will be aware that I have a near-pathological fascination with artefacts from periods that are rather underrepresented in Ireland. It is true that these lamps closely fit this pattern, but in this instance my fascination is more that they have survived on a site that was repeatedly dug and redug for graves, while buildings were expanded, remodelled, and demolished for more than 1000 years. These two little lamps have survived all this with barely a scratch  (relatively speaking ... baring a few fractures & a bit of light restoration ...)  … they’re just gorgeous …

< Back to Table of Contents Many of the posts in this series concentrate on artefacts and features I know well and have seen on several visits to these musea. This large iron cross, however, is a recent addition to the exhibition (or, I’ve utterly failed to notice it before). It was constructed from wrought iron in the 15 th  century and decorated the summit of Saint-Laurent’s bell tower. It consists of a vertical shaft that was split into two to form the horizontal beam. The ends of the horizontal beam and the top of the cross shaft are each decorated with arrangements of three leaves. The leaves have turned-up edges and enclose lily flowers. The use of threes symbolises the Christian trinity, while the lily is commonly used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary, the annunciation, or the resurrection. The museum’s information card adds that the leaves and lilies may have been added in 1646, when the tower was rebuilt. The dolphin-shaped wind wane appears to be an original feat...

< Back to Table of Contents I recently posted about a rather wonderful collection of Romanesque capitals from Saint-Laurent. They are gorgeous pieces, demonstrating the very best of the craftsman’s art. They, like this little carving of an abbot or bishop, date to the 12th century, but the two couldn’t be more different. This figure, holding a crook in his right hand, is remarkably crude and inelegantly executed by comparison … but it is endlessly charming and I love it anyway! He was discovered in 1851 set into the east end of the church. Later in the same century the carving was repurposed as a modillion (or cornice bracket). Thankfully, the decision was made to create a replica and this delicate carving was brought indoors in 1997.

< Back to Table ofContents I don’t really have much to say about this collection of 12th century sandstone capitals other than to note that they are absolutely gorgeous. They were originally from several different Romanesque features of the church, before being disassembled and reused elsewhere. They have been found during various conservation works and during the course of the excavations here. I just adore their variety and freshness – even after the best part of 900 years – and the thought that if they bring a smile to my face now, they probably did exactly the same for those who saw them when they were first carved.

< Back to Table of Contents This inscribed slab of carrara marble dates to the late 6th to early 7th century and was discovered in 1920 in the Saint-Ferjus cemetery in La Tronche, Grenoble. The cemetery is only about 1km to the east of Saint-Laurent and the slab is close in date to the carving of the capitals in the Saint-Oyand crypt . Although the decoration here is incised and that of the capitals is executed in false relief, there is a similarity in the decorative choices. Here we see a two-handled vessel, or cantharus, sprouting swags of luxuriant foliage. On each side there is a bird of some description, looking over its shoulder. While the intention must have been to create a symmetrical composition, the vine on the right swoops noticeably lower than the one on the left, sufficient for a leaf to touch one of the birds. The composition, down to the noticeable lack of symmetry, are reminiscent of the 2nd century parakeet mosaic in the Musee del’Ancien Eveche . While the...

< Back to Table of Contents Without doubt, the jewel of the Grenoble Archaeological Museum is the Saint-Oyand crypt. It was built as a funerary church in the early 6th century. The remarkable set of 20 columns and capitals are not from this early period, dating to about a century later. The columns are in Vimine, a conglomerate stone found near Bordeaux and a white marble/limestone from Savoy. The decorated capitals are carved on a white marble/limestone from Beau de Provence. The decorative items used include foliage, lambs, doves, griffins, and other symbols common to carving of the period. All I can say is that I was, once again, completely taken by these capitals and spent much time and energy photographing them. For this I make no apology! Interior of crypt photographed in 2000

< Back to Table of Contents If there’s one image that seems – to me at any rate – to encapsulate the whole of the Grenoble Archaeological Museum, it’s the sight of these two doorways, one inside the other, with just a little of the richly painted decoration peeking through. The earlier arched doorway was built in the late 12th to early 13th century and features painted scenes on the intrados. At the centre, there’s a depiction of the hand of god – the ‘Dexter Dei’ – with St Peter and his key on the left. St Michael appears to the right, though only his name and wing-tip are currently visible behind the remaining stonework. That stonework and later door were inserted in the 15th century. When I first came here in 2000, only a little of St Michael was visible. It is clear that part of the restoration of the site included the decision to reveal more of this amazing paintwork. Painted intrados as photographed in 2000 One other thing I’d like to point out is the funera...

< Back to Table ofContents The excavations at Saint-Laurent recovered substantial portions of a smashed terracotta statue of a Madonna and child. In archaeological terms, it’s not particularly old, only dating to around 1860 to 1880, but I’m simply taken by the post-excavation dedication to carefully putting as much as possible back together.

< Back to Table of Contents In recent posts, I’ve concentrated on some of the treasures on display at the Musee de l'Ancien Eveche, but now I want to turn my attention to the wonderful Grenoble Archaeological Museum. If one were to be pedantic, I’m sure the case could be made that the museum is slightly miss-titled – it’s not so much a museum dedicated to the archaeology of Grenoble, but to the historic church site of Saint-Laurent. However, it’s just as true to say that the archaeology of Saint-Laurent is in no small part, the archaeology of Grenoble too. The church as it survives today is a intricate set of building phases and burial activity. However, the core upstanding structure is Romanesque (12th century) and the burials stretch back to the Gallo-Roman period (4th century). So far, so good! But what really sets Saint-Laurent apart from … well, pretty much anything else … is that fact that it has a surviving Merovingian crypt from the 6th century. Coming from I...

< Back to Table of Contents I have long adored this pair of Romanesque capitals and they form a personal highlight of every visit to this museum. They are carved from a local sandstone known as molasse, and date to the 11th century. They come from a church, now destroyed, in Bocsozel, a small town about 40km to the north-west of Grenoble. As capitals, they would have sat on top of pilasters or columns of some description within the church. The museum's information card doesn't comment as to whether or not there were further carved capitals in the  Bocsozel church. If these were the only two, it's likely they were part of a chancel arch and, thus, in full view of the congregation. One capital is interpreted by the museum as Daniel in the Lion’s Den. Daniel was a Hebrew during the period of the Babylonian Captivity and was sentenced to Death by Lion (Pantheracide? … though that would be the other way around …). Surprisingly, he didn’t get mauled and eaten and...