La Lande-de-Goult (canton of Carrouges, Orne) Priory chapel of St Michel

    The former priory of La Lande-de-Goult was a dependency of the abbey of Lonlay at least from the mid-12 century, after the donation of this property by Hugues de Gournay.
The current format dates back to the 18th century apart from the Romanesque porch from the 12th century, in meticulously laid limestone on the east facade.
The most interesting parts of this porch are the capitals, in fine limestone carrying the archivolts. Five of these, whose decoration is reminiscent of the illuminated manuscripts of the 11th century, are linked to the style of the limestone capitals of the abbey of Lonlay and originate from the same workshop.
There are two decorative themes: the first represents animals facing each other or interlaced (birds, lions and dragons), originating from a bestiary with oriental elements and purely decorative. The second, represented by two capitals, relates to hunting scenes.
Capitals narrating a story are rare in Normandy, and show great mastery combining very confident graphical representation and the sense of movement in a burgeoning plant decoration. Comparisons could be made with the iconography of illuminated manuscripts or even the Bayeux Tapestry.

Bibliography

- L'art roman dans l'Orne, Art de Basse-Normandie, n° 66, été 1975, p. 31
- Baylé, Maylis. Les origines et les premiers développements de la sculpture romane en Normandie, Art de Basse-Normandie, n° 110bis, 1992, p. 86-93
- Grodecki, Louis. "Le prieuré de Goult", Congrès archéologique de France, CXIe session, 1953, p. 350-355
- Musset, Lucien. "Pour réhabiliter la sculpture romane en Normandie. II Les chapiteaux du prieuré de Goult", Art de Basse-Normandie, n° 16, hiver 1959-1960, p. 14-17
- Musset, Lucien. Normandie romane, 1. Basse-Normandie,Zodiaque, La Pierre-qui-Vire, 1967, p. 293-294
- Les siècles romans en Basse-Normandie, Art de Basse-Normandie, n° 92, Printemps 1985, p. 132