171							161
                                                                      
                                                                      	              VALENCE CATHEDRAL
                                                                      
                                                                      	adding the effect of the chastened pier, vide Willis,
                                                                      it becomes in effect a tall, light, involved Gothic
                                                                      a[:]isled church:  while its details are for the most part
                                                                      pure Roman the capitals of the nave shafts being imitative
                                                                      of Corinthian cut with an elegance and sharpness altogether
                                                                      unknown in the North.  Then the apse is circular with the
                                                                      Gothic arrangement complete - its plan, as opposite;
                                                                      the two large flanking arches a - b semicircular, the seven
                                                                      small ones: I think narrower than the plan:  and stilted
                                                                      to make them equal, like a Byzantine palace:  Finally on
                                                                      the outside of the apse one at d and 3 two (semi?) cir-
                                                                      cu[y]lar chapels:  supported by piers composed of a
                                                                      pure bold thick shaft with an imitative Corinthian
                                                                      capital ahd complete base, raised on a huge square
                                                                      pedestal and carrying (first I think) a huge abacus
                                                                      continued into a running plinth;  and then - a bit of
                                                                      the top of a buttress - a profile of the arrangement at
                                                                      p 51, 1 (fig 1)  Veron book I never saw ought so barbarous
                                                                      or so curious - but what an exact mixture of the two
                                                                      styles with renaissance faults added.
                                                                      This raising on pedestals has entirely spoiled the bases
                                                                      of the Nave piers which are as fig 1 p 3 Veron book -
                                                                      or rather the circular bases should not expand so much;
                                                                      for there is no proportion nor ease about them they are
                                                                      cramped and

[Version 0.05: May 2008]