bishop of Metz. The oldest part of the structure is the crypt. Two superimposed chapels in
the chevet are 11th-century. The flat Romanesque east end, with rectangular side chapels
and transept, was reconstructed in the 12th century. The choir, transept, and east bay of
the nave are Romanesque but with later rib vaulting; the rest of the nave and side aisle are
13th-century Gothic in the style of neighboring Champagne. The choir, crossing, tower,
and first bay of the nave are decorated with Lombard arcading. The portal of the north
façade contains a sculpted tympanum showing Christ with his hand raised in blessing.
William W.Kibler/William W.Clark
Blanchereau, Jules. “Neuwiller.” Congrès archéologique (Metz, Strasbourg, Colmar) 83
(1920):251–75.
NEVERS
. One of several stations called Novidium by the Romans, Nevers (Nièvre) became a
bishopric under Clovis (506). Later, it was the capital of the Nivernais, the countship of
which was held by several eminent families, including the dukes of Burgundy and the
house of Clèves.
The cathedral, Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Juliette, represents every period of medieval
French architecture. The building is unusual in having an apse at both its east and its west
ends. Of the original Romanesque structure (begun ca. 1028), only the west apse and
transept remain. Devastated by a fire in the early 13th century, the nave was
reconstructed in the Gothic style of the Île-de-France. In the trefoil-arched triforium,
colonnettes rest on lively carved human figures. The chevet, with choir, ambulatory, and
seven radiating chapels, was rebuilt after another fire in the early 14th century. At the
same time, work was begun on the tower. The church was consecrated in 1331 and
finished in the 15th and 16th centuries with the addition of Flamboyant lateral chapels,
the southern portal, and the completion of the tower.
The Romanesque church of Saint-Étienne, begun under Count Guillaume I of Nevers,
became a Cluniac priory in 1068. Constructed mostly between 1083 and 1097,
The Encyclopedia 1251