![]() ![]() ![]() The interior of Autun Cathedral is austerely Romanesque and rather dark. Unfortunately is difficult to get much of a view of the west front, as it is backed right up against other buildings, but a roomy view of the north side can be had from an attractive plaza with a fountain and outdoor cafés. The west towers were rebuilt in the 19th century, based on the Romanesque style of Paray-le-Monial. Walk uphill around to the back for a fine view of the tower and mostly Gothic east end. The Gothic spire dates from the 15th century. The Cathedral of St-Lazare has a ground-plan in the form of a Latin cross, with an aisled nave, a plain transept and a three-stage choir with a semicircular end. In 1837, an Autun clergyman began chipping away the plaster over the main portal and was surprised to find the almost perfectly preserved original tympanum underneath. This saved them from certain destruction a few decades later, when the tomb of Lazarus and the north tympanum (which had not been plastered over) were smashed to bits by revolutionaries. It was returned to its proper place in 1948. It survived in a local collection before being given to the Musée Rolin in 1895. Christ's head kept protruding out of the plaster so they hacked it off and cast it aside. In 1766, the canons decided the portal sculptures were mediocre and out of date and accordingly covered them with a thick layer of plaster and painted a more contemporary design over it. The magnificent sculptures survived the French Revolution thanks to local clergy who, ironically, did not like them at all. But the main core of the church and its magnificent sculptures remain firmly Romanesque. ![]() We know his name because, unusually, he signed his work - an inscription in the tympanum says Gislebertus hoc fecit, "Gislebertus made this."Ī variety of Gothic additions were made to the church, including the great spire (raised by Cardinal Rolin), after a fire in the 15th century. The church was decorated with sculptures and carvings by Gislebertus, who is widely regarded as one of the great Romanesque sculptors. The church was consecrated by Pope Innocent II in 1130. Lazarus was built between 11 on a grand scale in the hopes the Autun would become a major pilgrimage destination (and money maker) like nearby Vézelay, where Lazarus' sister Mary was claimed to be. Another traditional tomb of Lazarus is in Larnaca, Cyprus. Marseilles still claims to have his head. He was martyred there and Autun eventually obtained his relics. How did this Palestinian saint end up in France? Legend has it that Lazarus and his sister Mary Magdalene sailed to Provence, where Lazarus became the first bishop of Marseilles. His traditional tomb (when he died the first time and was raised) can still be visited in Bethany, near Jerusalem. Lazarus was the brother of Mary Magdalene and the man whom Jesus raised from the dead (John 11:38-44). Autun Cathedral was built as a great pilgrimage church (not originally a cathedral) to hold the relics of Lazarus, which were discovered in Autun in the early 12th century. ![]()
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