Friday, December 27, 2013

A Splendid Party Tent at Saint-Denys:1389

The abbey was reserved for housing the queen, noble ladies, officers of the court and princes of the blood; the house could not, without demolishing some buildings or without disturbing divine service and diligent religious devotions, find a large enough location for the celebration of royal feasts. They called for those skilled at cutting wood and building with squared timber, and ordered a hall constructed in the main courtyard of the abbey, more than sixty-four paces long and twelve wide. The heights were doubly covered: within with linen parti-colored white and green, without with white linen sewn together hanging from the peak of the roof and extending to the sides of courtyard walls, so that it seemed like a royal hall.

Bellaguet, L., and Amable-Guillaume-Prosper Brugière Barante. 1839. Chronique du religieux de Saint-Denys: contenant le règne de Charles VI, de 1380 à 1422. Paris: L'imprimerie de Crapelet. Vol. 1, pp. 586-588 Translation Will Mclean 2013

No comments: