Refers to the culture, period, and style ushered in by the conquest of Gaul by Clovis of the Merovingian dynasty in 486 CE. In architecture the style is characterized by the employment, in modest and simplified form, of the earlier Late Antique and Early Christian styles, often emphasizing decorative effects and geometric patterns. The style in manuscript illumination is related to Lombard art and perhaps to Coptic textiles, and is characterized by small, ornamental figures, animals, birds, fish and abstract shapes, reminiscent of Germanic metalwork.

Source:Art & Architecture Thesaurus

http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300019512