The Plans of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse and Amiens Cathedral:
Saint-Sernin, Toulouse: In its general features, the plan is similar to other pilgrimage churches such as Ste.-Foy in Conques, St.- Martial in Limoges, St.-Martin in Tours, and St.-James in Santiago de Compostela. A cruciform plan, includes a five-aisled nave with a central vessel and two side aisles on each side (perhaps based on Old Saint Peters or Cluny III). A strongly projecting transept is also aisled with two chapels off the eastern side of each arm. To the east of the transept is the choir that includes an ambulatory and five radiating chapels. The aisles in the nave, transept, and choir (ambulatory) permit the pilgrim to circumambulate the entire church without entering the central vessel. The eastern portions of the choir are constructed above a crypt. Because of the more complex arrangement of spaces, the portion east of the transept in the Romanesque period is referred to as the choir rather than apse, the term used to describe the semicircular space east of an Early Christian or Byzantine transept or nave. The transept crossing piers and western nave piers are enlarged to support towers. Portals are found on the transept terminals (the Porte Royale and the Porte des Comptes); the eighth bay of the nave (the Porte Miègeville), and the western entrance. Regular rectangular bays form the length of the nave, transept and choir and the plan proportions (the square bays of the aisles and the rectangular bays of the central vessel) are based on square schematism derived from the square of the transept crossing. Square schematism results in great regularity and harmony of spatial proportions. (Note: In a good ground plan dotted or broken lines usually indicated groin vaults whereas a solid line indicates ribbed vaults).Amiens Cathedral. This cathedral has a Chartrain plan (similar to Chartres and Reims) with a three-aisled nave (central vessel and two side aisles), an aisled projecting transept placed halfway between the nave and choir, and a choir with a single ambularoty and seven radiating chapels. The space between aisles, transepts, choir and nave is more fluid and integrated than in the compartmentalized plan of Saint-Sernin. There are triple portals on west facade and single portals on transepts arms. A very narrow bay at west end of nave supports thin rectangular western towers. The plan indicates vault types (unbroken line indicates ribbed vaults with a star vault over the crossing (includes lierne and tierceron ribs). Bays are rectangular but square schematism is not present.
