I duchi di Normandia e i centri del loro potere

William "Longsword"

Jumièges Abbey, 12th c.
Stone
Jumièges, Departement de Seine-Maritime, Inv. 76OM5649 / JUM1946000121

According to local tradition, this stone head from Jumièges can be identified with an important patron of the abbey: William “Longsword”, Rollo’s son. Around 940 he rebuilt the abbey, which had been destroyed by Vikings (841). However, as he was murdered in 941 and his son and successor Richard I preferred other building projects, it took a good 100 years before the new building was completed. Today Jumièges is preserved as an impressive ruin.

The heads of Normandy

Template for the roundels: London, The British Library,
Royal 14 B VI, fol. 5 | Avranches, BM, ms. 210, fol. 23v
Graphic editing: Homann Güner Blum, Visuelle Kommunikation

Please turn these rotating panels and learn more about important representatives of the Norman ducal house from Rollo to William “the Conqueror “and Matilda of Flanders.

William „the Conqueror“

Jumièges Abbey, 14th c.
Stone
Jumièges, Departement de Seine-Maritime, Inv. 76OM5559 / JUM19460005930

This stone head is said to portray William “the Conqueror” (d. 1087), and the crown refers to his kingship. William, like his homonymous ancestor, was a generous patron of the abbey of Jumièges. In 1067, he attended the consecration of the newly built and imposing abbey church. It is interesting to note the long time between the production of the two portrait heads shown here (12th and 14th centuries). This testifies to the importance of the memory of the dukes and the close ties to them.

Rouen: la capitale dei primi Normanni

Rouen fu il nucleo e il primo importante centro di quella che più avanti verrà chiamata Normandia. L'arcivescovo di Rouen, Franco, ricoprì un ruolo importante nell'impedire il saccheggio della città da parte dei Vichinghi cappeggiati da Rollone. Fu anche grazie alla mediazione dell’arcivescovo che Rollone, concluse gli accordi con il re dei Franchi occidentali che posero le fondamenta per la creazione della Normandia. Fu sempre Franco a battezzare Rollone, il quale sviluppò il proprio dominio attorno a Rouen. Sotto Rollone questa città si ingrandì notevolmente e fu proprio qui, nella cattedrale di Rouen, che l’avo dei duchi normanni venne sepolto dopo la sua morte.

Nella foto dietro al pannello: Il monastero di St.-Ouen a Rouen.

Dudo of Saint-Quentin: "Historia Normannorum"

Canterbury, St. Augustine’s Abbey, shortly after 1100
Parchment
Cambridge, The Parker Library, Corpus Christi College, MS 276, fol. 55r

Dudo of Saint-Quentin wrote the first Norman history, which was called Historia Normannorum. It was commissioned by Duke Richard I (d. 996) and had a lasting impact on the narrative of Norman origins and identity. The Normans are portrayed in a positive light and represented as exemplary rulers in Normandy. Their successful integration into the Frankish kingdom is emphasised as well as their piousness. The copy shown here was made in Canterbury and is a witness to the cultural interconnections between Normandy and England.

Floor slab from Rouen Cathedral

Rouen, Cathedral, 11th c.
Grey and black marble
Rouen, Musée des Antiquités, Inv. 63.8.1

This floor fragment once decorated the choir of Rouen Cathedral. It is made from black and grey marble in opus sectile, a mosaic technique that dates back to antiquity. This is evidence of great artisanship, as this technique involved the use and a precise and regular arrangement of expensive marble in complex geometric patterns. The bishops and princes thus spared no expense or effort to decorate their cathedral.

(1) Grave slab for Archdeacon Hugo

Rouen, Saint-Ouen Abbey, 16th September 1057
Lead
Rouen, Musée des Antiquités, Inv. 1833.15

This tomb slab was discovered inside a stone sarcophagus during excavations in the abbey church of Saint-Ouen (1882–84). Its inscription commemorates the archdeacon Hugo (d. 1057), who was buried there. The inscription was carved into the lead plate in irregular letters with a pointed tool. The scribe obviously miscalculated the space available and had to attach the last line seamlessly to the previous one.

(2) Crosier of an abbess

Rouen, 1st half of 12th c.
Bronze
Rouen, Musée des Antiquités, Inv. 64.2.2

This abbess’s croisier is a symbol of her dignity and power. It once belonged to the abbess of Saint-Armand in Rouen. This abbey had been richly endowed by Matilda, the wife of William “the Conqueror”. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Saint-Armand acquired further possessions on both sides of the English Channel. The croisier is decorated with plant tendrils growing around a depiction of a lion. The latter alludes to the role of the abbess as a guardian of her “flock”: her community.

(1–5) Five coins of the Fécamp treasure

Rouen (1); Normandy (2); Chartres (3); England (4), Chinon (5), 10th c.
Silver
Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Inv. 1968.1018.1134 (FEO-1133) (1);
Inv. 1968.1018.5700 (FEO-5699) (2); Inv. 1968.1018.6536 (FEO-6535) (3);
Inv. 1968.1018.8459 (FEO-8458) (4); Inv. 1968.1018.6476 (FEO-6475) (5)

The discovery of the so-called Treasure of Fécamp in 1963 was a great sensation. More than 8,500 coins of the 10th century were found which had been minted in 58 different places. The treasure allowed new insights into Norman economy and made it possible to make completely new, general and comprehensive statements about Norman coinage. The majority of the coins (6,000 specimens) were produced by the Rouen mint. The rulers of Normandy thus had succeeded in establishing their own currency and removing old coins from circulation.

(6) Reliquary cross from the abbey treasure of Sainte-Trinités of Fécamp

England or Normandy (?), beginning of 11th c.
Walrus ivory
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Inv. OA 11961

This reliquary cross made of walrus ivory with a depiction of Christ is an outstanding example of the influence of Anglo-Saxon art on the continent. It is also an example of the lively cultural exchange between Normandy and England before the Norman Conquest of 1066. The design of Christ’s hair and the folds of his garments refer to the “School of Winchester”. Unusual for the time is the strongly pronounced relief of the cross. Whether it was made in Normandy or imported from England to be added to the abbey treasury in Fécamp remains unclear.

Capital from the surroundings of the ducal palace

Fécamp, beginning of 13th c.
Limestone
Fécamp, Les Pêcheries, Musée de Fécamp, Inv. FEC 6163.27 (formerly: V6: 3545)

This Gothic bud capital was discovered during excavations in Fécamp (1974–1983) and was long considered a part of the palace built by the Dukes of Normandy. However, the capital’s stylistic affinity with western parts of the monastery church, which was built after 1200, suggests that it dates after 1200. The capital thus testifies not only to the great political importance of Fécamp under Richard I and Richard II, but also to the fact that the monastery later developed into a centre independent of the ruler.

Grave slab of Abbot William of Ros

Fécamp, Sainte-Trinité abbey, 26th march 1107
Lead
Fécamp, Les Pêcheries, Musée de Fécamp, Inv. FEC 5009

This carefully crafted tomb slab is attributed to the third abbot of Sainte-Trinité in Fécamp: William of Ros (d. 1107). His career – he was cantor and archdeacon in Bayeux, monk of the Abbaye aux Hommes in Caen and abbot in Fécamp – shows that he must have been close to the dukes of Normandy and the kings of England. He witnessed numerous charters of William “the Conqueror” and of his sons Robert Curthose and William II “Rufus”.

Donation of Richards II to Sainte-Trinité of Fécamp

Fécamp, Sainte-Trinité abbey, 30th may 1006
Parchment
Fécamp, Palais Bénédictine, Inv. 3 R005 (Engel n° 1 bis)

This document is exceptional in more than one respect: it shows the close connection between Duke Richard II and his chosen capital, Fécamp, and it was long considered to be the oldest ducal document which had survived in the original. Recently, however, it was suspected that the document is in fact a copy from 1050–1080, to which a clause was added. The core of the content, however, did not change: Richard II completed the construction of the monastery in Fécamp begun by his father and richly endowed it. Both Richard II and Richard I were buried in the abbey church.

Wheel of fortune

Would you like to know what your life might have been like in the Middle Ages? Try your luck and find out with the help of the “Wheel of fortune”, which lot fate will assign you. First, discover whether you are born a man or a woman (or whether you get to choose) by turning the wheel in the centre and then go left or right. The second wheel will then assign you to your social status or profession. Find related objects in the compartments in front of the wheels.

Saint Anthony cross

Jumièges abbey, middle of 11th c.
Walrus ivory
Rouen, Musée des Antiquités, Inv. R.90.96

A Tau or Anthony cross is a cross in the shape of a T. The elaborate piece of walrus ivory shown here once was attached to an abbot’s croisier as the crossbeam of a Tau cross. It has rounded instead of angular ends. The decoration of the front side shows an abbot with book and staff, the back a siren with a bare breast. Together, both sides symbolise good and evil. Fantastic creatures framed by plant tendrils flank the two figures on both sides. The artist that carved this magnificent piece was clearly influenced by the “School of Winchester”.

(1) Capital with traces of fire

Saint-Pierre de Jumièges, Beginning of 9th c.
Stone
Rouen, Musée des Antiquités, Inv. D. 2004.2.2

(2) Capital from the reconstructed abbey church of Jumièges

Jumièges, middle of 11th c.
Limestone
Rouen, Musée des Antiquités, Inv. D.2004.2.3

These two capitals represent a piece of the architectural history of Jumièges abbey: the left one (1) dates to the time before the Viking raid (24th May 841) which left the monastery destroyed. It even shows burn marks which date back to this event. The capital on the right (2) was created later, when the Norman dukes chose to rebuilt the abbey church from 1040 onwards replacing it with a magnificent building. Both capitals are decorated with plant ornamentation. Due to its antique style, the first (1) can be assigned to the Carolingian period. The second capital (2) is typical of Romanesque sculpture and is adorned on its entire body with decorative elements.

William of Jumièges: "Gesta Normannorum Ducum"

Saint-Évroult abbey, 1st quarter 12th c.
Parchment
Rouen, Collections Bibliothèque municipale de Rouen, ms. Y14, fol. 116r

Like many other authors of historical works on the Normans, William of Jumièges used the Historia of Dudo of Saint-Quentin for his own Gesta Normannorum. However, he did this with a critical eye and revised as well as shortened more implausible and narrative passages or omitted them altogether. Nonetheless, his rather sober narrative is conceived as a “success story” of the Normans and is centred on William “the Conqueror”. This is reflected also in the decoration of the initial P on the page shown here: the chronicler solemnly consigns his work to the enthroned king. The manuscript shown here is interesting in another respect as well: it was copied by another important historian of the Middle Ages, Orderic Vitalis, the author of the Historia Eclesiastica.

Funerary disc: Martin of Furmendi

Mont-Saint-Michel, 1191
+ HIC . REQUIESCIT . DOM . MARTIN . DE . FURME[N]DEIO . ABBAS . HUJ[US] . LOCI = Here rests Lord Martin of Furmendi Abbot of this place
Lead
Le-Mont-Saint-Michel, Abbaye du Mont-Saint- Michel, Inv. MSM1875000105

This funerary disc was found inside the tomb of Martin of Furmendi (d. 1191). Martin was the abbot of the flourishing Mont-Saint-Michel between 1186 and 1191. The disc was originally placed under his head when the abbot was laid to rest. The inscription provides information about the identity of the deceased. Besides the inscription, the disc is also decorated with a hand in a gesture of blessing over a Greek cross in its centre. An alpha is engraved in the lower left field and an omega in the lower right. These symbols represent the beginning and the end.

Chronicle of Robert of Torigni

Mont-Saint-Michel, 12th c.
Parchment
Avranches, Bibliothèque patrimoniale d'Avranches, ms. 159, fol. 170v

Robert of Torigni (d. 1189) was abbot of Mont-Saint-Michel for over three decades. In this function, he was involved in clerical and secular matters and played an important political role. He maintained close contacts with France and England and wrote a chronicle. It covers the period from 1115–1186. Shown here is an ornate initial L: it depicts Mont-Saint-Michel and refers to the right of free election of abbots as well as independence towards the dukes.

Bayeux: potente sede vescovile

Bayeux fu distrutta dai Vichinghi di Rollone alla fine del IX secolo e successivamente ricostruita. Bayeux fu un'importante sede episcopale e sotto ai duchi Riccardo I o Riccardo II venne fatto costruire un castello normanno. Lo storico Dudone di Saint-Quentin riferisce che Riccardo I fu mandato a Bayeux dal padre per imparare la lingua danese. A quanto pare erano bastate solamente due generazioni a dimenticare la lingua degli antenati Oggi Bayeux è conosciuta soprattutto per il famoso "Arazzo di Bayeux" e per il suo probabile patrono: il vescovo Odone. Odone era il fratellastro di Guglielmo il Conquistatore e partecipò alla conquista dell’Inghilterra. In seguito divenne conte di Kent e uno dei più ricchi proprietari terrieri d'Inghilterra. Nel 1077 consacrò la nuova cattedrale, dove venne conservato per lungo tempo l’Arazzo di Bayeux.

Nella foto dietro al pannello: La cripta della Cattedrale di Bayeux.

Capital with biblical scenes

Saint-Georges of Boscherville, 1157-1211 (around 1170?)
Limestone
Rouen, Musée des Antiquités, Inv. 139.38 (A)

The sculpture of the Saint-Georges Abbey’s chapter house in Boscherville represents the artistic renewal under Henry I (d. 1135). The capital shown here is decorated with large-scale scenes from the childhood of Christ. On the one hand, influences of late West Frankish Romanesque sculpture can be identified. On the other hand, the elongated figures with detailed robes are clearly in a tradition with comparable English and Northern French works.

Reliquary casket of the former Saint-Évroult Abbey

Abbey of Saint-Évroult, 12th c.
Wrought silver
Sées, Musée départemental d'art religieux, Inv. 998.193.1.2

The reliquary of traditional form presents itself as a sarcophagus shrine with a gabled roof and with silver elements for decoration. An enthroned depiction of Christ (Majestas Dominis), the Archangel Michael in battle with the dragon, as well as apostles and abbots are figurative decoration. Stylistically, the casket is an expression of the interweaving and artistic exchange between the Anglo-Norman territory and the Rhine-Moselle region between the 11th and the beginning of the 13th century.

Antefix cross

Caen, Abbaye aux Dames, end 11th/beginning 12th c.
Limestone
Caen, Musée de Normandie, Inv. DSAN.83.1218.2

The Abbaye aux Dames in Caen, founded by Matilda of Flanders (d. 1083), is considered a jewel of Romanesque architecture. The sculpture is richer than that of the Abbaye aux Hommes, which was built almost simultaneously. An outstanding example is the antefix cross shown here. With a mixture of virtuosity and simplicity it is very captivating. The wickerwork consists of an endless loop which perfectly trails around a cross.

Two stone reliefs of the church Sainte-Paix

Caen, Sainte-Paix, 2nd h. 11th c.
Limestone
Caen, Musée de Normandie, Inv. DSAN.83.1218.33 (1); Inv. DSAN.83.1218.32 (2)

The foundation of the church Sainte-Paix ('Holy Peace') is connected to the pacification of Normandy (c. 1050) by Duke William 'the Conqueror'. One of the two reliefs (1) can be associated with divine peace: it shows a blessing Christ in the pose of a judge teaching divine law. In contrast, the other relief (2) shows a man fighting a beast with an axe. Its meaning is less clear and perhaps more profane.

Caen: la capitale di Guglielmo

Guglielmo il Conquistatore (†1087), nato a Falaise, fece di Caen la sua nuova capitale. Egli trasformò questo luogo in un centro di potere e fece costruire un imponente castello. Ai suoi due lati lui e la moglie Matilde di Fiandra (†1083) fondarono due importanti abbazie: Sainte-Trinité (Abbaye aux Dames) e Saint-Étienne (Abbaye aux Hommes). In questo modo dimostrarono la loro fede e placarono il Papa, che in precedenza aveva vietato il loro matrimonio per consanguineità.

Nella foto dietro al pannello: Il castello di Caen; a sinistra: l’abbazia della Sainte-Trinite; a destra: l’abbazia di Saint-Étienne.

Weapon parts: (1) Arrowhead with triangular blade; (2-3) Two crossbow bolts; (4) Crossbow tensioning hooks

Motte of Rubercy (Calvados), 2nd h. 12th c.
Iron
Caen, Musée de Normandie,
Inv. D.87.1.36 (1); Inv. D.87.1.40 (2); Inv. D.87.1.41 (3); Inv. D.87.1.42 (4)

Medieval weapon finds mostly are arrowheads and crossbow bolts.
These were produced in larger quantities and were less valuable than heavy weapons which were stored more carefully and often reused or melted down. The motte of Rubercy proved to be a rich site. The weapons shown here were used in many ways: for guarding, hunting, target shooting and other games. Crossbow bolts had a more compact shape than arrowheads and a thick square tip.

(5) Graffito of a fortress

Castle of Caen, 12th/13th c.
Limestone
Caen, Musée de Normandie, Inv. D.98.3.1

The graffito depicts a fortified wooden castle with a gate tower on a steep hill,
a so-called motte. It is accessible over a bridge (right), on the left side a crane seems to be lifting a piece of wood. This possibly may be the architect's drawing of a building site. In any case, it provides important information about the building type “motte”, which otherwise is tangible only archaeologically and through depictions on the Bayeux Tapestry. As the location of the find was in the "Salle à la Reine" in Caen, it can be suggested that this graffito depicts Caen castle.

Decorated corbel with face

Abbaye aux Hommes, Caen, end of 11th century.
Limestone
Caen, Musée de Normandie, Inv. DSAN.83.1218.26

The Abbaye aux Hommes was founded by William "the Conqueror" and is one of the highlights of Norman architecture. Its architectural decoration takes up a tradition of sculpture that was widespread in Normandy: the decoration of the ledges and corbels with monstrously designed figures. These alternate with purely geometric patterns. The corbel shown here is decorated with a grotesque face with a long nose and a distorted mouth.

Fécamp: la residenza preferita dei duchi Riccardo I e II

Già Guglielmo Lungaspada (†942), il figlio di Rollone, fece costruire una residenza a Fécamp, dando così al luogo un'importanza politica. Sotto al figlio Riccardo I (†996) fu ricostruita l'abbazia della Sainte-Trinité, che era stata distrutta dai Vichinghi nell'841. Ciò rese Fécamp un centro non solo politico ma anche spirituale. L'abbazia attirò molti studiosi del luogo ma anche stranieri e servì come luogo di sepoltura ducale per Riccardo e suo figlio. Riccardo II (†1026) diede ancora più rilievo alla città: a lui si deve l'ampliamento del palazzo e del monastero. Dopo Rouen, era Fécamp la seconda capitale del ducato di Normandia. Anche per Guglielmo il Conquistatore Fécamp ricopriva un ruolo importante. Dopo la conquista dell'Inghilterra il duca e nuovo re festeggiò la sua vittoria non solamente a Rouen, ma anche a Fécamp e nella sua terza capitale: Caen.

Nella foto dietro al pannello: I resti del palazzo ducale di Fécamp

The Norman monasteries and their importance

Production: Ralph Gellwitzki Animation und Videodesign

In the Middle Ages, monasteries not only had a religious function, but were also important institutions in society, for politics, for the control of territory and for economy as well as for education and science. The Normans were important builders and patrons of churches and religious houses. Learn more about selected Norman monasteries: their architecture, their scriptoria, their networking and much more.