Cathedral saint-Lazare in Autun is one of the most important Romanesque churches in France. Dating from the mid-12th century with some later Gothic additions, it is famous for its splendid sculptures by the Romanesque master sculptor Gislebertus. Saint-Lazare held relics of Lazarus, who was the man who Jesus raised from the dead. these were discovered in Autun in the early 12th century. The church was built on a grand scale shortly afterwards in the hopes that it would become a major pilgrimage destination. The Bishop of Autun was inspired by classical Roman decoration, which is not surprising considering the amount of important Roman remains at Autun. Gothic additions were made to the exterior, including the spire, after a fire in the 15th …show more content…
This was to change, however, when the nobility in France began to appreciate them as works of art and to display Roman statues in their own castles. Sculptors at Cluny were the first to pick up on this and use art on architecture. For the first time since the Roman Empire, the human figure appeared in Western art and the idea soon spread to other pilgrim churches. Teaching the word of god Architectural sculpture gave the church a new and powerful medium for teaching the word of god. Most people were illiterate, but now they could read the stories of Jesus and the saints over and over in the form of sculpture on the churches. Some Romanesque facades were modelled on Roman triumphal arches and had life size figures of saints on either side of the door. Many however had chilling images of god the father in dramatic Last Judgement scenes sculpted on a monumental scale and placed on the great tympanum over the doors for pilgrims to see as they entered the church. Death and the …show more content…
At the time of deep religious faith, a medieval believer entering the house of God was faced with the most terrible images that imagination could conjure up of the end of the world and a God of vengeance sitting in judgement. The grotesque images of devils, demons and tormented souls were intended to create a fear of Hell in people’s minds and serve as a reminded to them to be prepared for death at all times by repenting their sins. Abstract imagery Romanesque art was quite abstract. Realism was completely avoided not only in the case of demons and other fantastic creatures, but also in the representation of the human figure. No attempt was made to portray God or the saints in the natural way. Instead they were blocky, dignified and unreal or depicted as strange, elongated beings in a swirl of limbs and drapery. Saint-Lazare in Autun Pilgrims were traveling all over Europe during this period to visit the relics, the relics were very important, it was believed that they could heal the sick and that they could shorten their time in purgatory if they prayed to these relics. The whole church was built to house the relics of Lazarus. This church is about rebirth and hope after death, this is the subject of the last
Another example of Christian iconography is The Transfiguration. It is located in the Church of Saint Catherine’s monaster...
St. Christopher was a man who was big and strong, he was in search to serve the most powerful person on the planet. He served a king but later realized that the devil was more powerful than the king, he looked for the devil but learned that Christ was more powerful than the Devil, so he searched for Christ. On his journey he meet a hermit who thought him all about Christ. The hermit said that to find Christ he would need to spend his life praying and fasting but Christopher objected. The hermit gave him a second option, he could find another way to please Christ. Christopher decided to work at a nearby river to help people cross. The river was very dangerous and many had drowned. One day a little boy appeared asking for help to cross the river. As they were crossing the river the boy kept getting heavier and the current of the water was growing stronger; Christopher started to struggle. When they finally reached the land Christopher asked the boy for an explanation as to why he got heavier. The boy explained that he is The Christ and when St. Christopher was carrying him, he was also carrying the weight of the world. The painting even shows Christopher’s posture and expression of exhaustion; his line of sight leads toward the land and it almost looks like he is relieved of finally reaching the other side. St. Christopher was said to be a very large man, sometimes he is referred
After walking inside and trying to first experience, the church, and all its beauty and ornateness, I began examining the floor plan and elevations of the cathedral. Grace Cathedral was build in a gothic style, which it represents in its architecture inside and out. There were three huge rose windows. One at the very top of the main entrance and one on either end of the transept. There wer...
This cathedral was built during the Medieval Period for the worshipers of God. To this day pilgrims come to see the pure, Gothic cathedral. The massive cathedral seems to loom overhead as if a symbol of God watching over the worshippers that visit. The earlier church burned in 1194, it was rebuilt and has gained a much more appreciated and admirable character distinction, statuary, and stained glass. The distinct character of the thirteenth century was captured, through the “Age of Faith” period. The architecture is Gothic which was very popular in the 1200s. Gothic architects created a frame of support with columns and arches so that the walls no longer need to support the ceilings, but are freed up to hold windows. The Gothic structure allows for plenty of windows. Chartres has a significant collection of medieval stained glass, with over 150 early thirteenth century windows. The windows allowed sunlight to enter the dark, Gothic cathedral in order to highlight the story of Christ through the stained glass windows told throughout history to pilgrims alike. These windows create a spiritual and promising place for thought and prayer. Stained glass was used to help teach the stories of Christ to people that were illiterate during the medieval times. While most worshippers of that day were illiterate, comprehending the symbolism of the story of Christ in each of the windows was vital and gave meaning towards adversity during the medieval ages, as they struggled through their dark and dreary lives, which were filled with hopefulness, while viewing the story through the stained glass windows. The windows are also...
Over the last millennium, a striking Cathedral devoted to St. Paul has been a precious jewel for the city of London. It sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London. The present St Paul 's Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. Regularly as the Cathedral is at the centre of many nation-wide events, innovations have been examined, and drastic new thoughts have found expression under the iconic dome. Bearing in mind all those occasions, it is certain that they would have left behind some physical evidence as well as reverberations in the imperceptible retention of the Cathedral itself.
As I walked into the first gallery, I saw a wood sculpture that stood in the center of the room. This carving depicted “the crucified Christ, flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist with Angels holding instruments of the Passion”. It was painted oak and very appealing to the eye. It stood approximately 15 feet in the air. The origin of this sculpture is unknown, but it was found in a Belgium church. This kind of sculpture usually stood at the entrance or at the center of the alter in the church facing the congregation. This image of the suffering Christ relates to the Christian ideas of suffering and Christ’s salvation of all mankind.
Ziggy Marley once said, “God is like the sun. When the sun shines, it shines for everyone. God is for everyone.” In the same way, Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis so that sunlight would flood throughout the building and symbolize the power of God inviting visitors into the cathedral. The Basilica of St. Denis was an artistic response to the rise of the Catholic Church’s power for it was modeled to be a physical representation of heaven, which the church heavily preached upon. (Thesis) As the basilica represented the shift from Romanesque architecture to Gothic, Abbot Suger introduced new techniques that transformed cathedrals to look more spacious and “heavenly”. (Map Statement #1-Art History) By allowing sunlight to come through the large windows, Abbot Suger instilled the Neo-Platonic idea that the sun was the physical representation of God. (Map Statement #2 –Philosophy) Also, at that time, the church was rising in power, so the new structural style of the basilica brought more converts and eventually more power to the church. (Map Statement #3 –Social Institutions) [Insert Literature Map Statement] The Basilica of St. Denis was built so that worshippers would be in awe of the “heaven-like” setting, which would cause more people to declare their faith to God and to the church.
The full power of Donatello first appeared in two marble statues, “St. Mark” and “St. George” which were completed in 1415. “St. George” has been replaced and is now in the Bargello. For the first time the human body is rendered as a functional organism. The same qualities came in the series of five prophet statues that Donatello did beginning in 1416. The statues were of beardless and bearded prophets as well as a group of Abraham and Isaac in 1416-1421 and also the “Zuccone” and “Jeremiah”. “Zuccone” is famous as the finest of the campanile statues and one of the artist’s masterpieces. Donatello invented his own bold new mode of relief in his marble panel “St. George Killi...
The religion of Roman Catholicism draws a prominent image of life after death. To begin, the Roman Catholic Church believes in the grant of eternal life among their believers. The death of a person simply puts an end to their mortal life; the soul itself is eternal. Everlasting life is determined by the person, through their acceptance or refusal of the Lord’s divine grace (Catholic Church 1021). Although the Church mainly speaks of the Final Judgment, Christ’s second coming, the...
The Christian Church was absolutely instrumental in the art of the Renaissance. It was the driving force behind every inspiration; without the Church, there would have been no art. The Church was the only institution powerful enough to be able to support the commissions of all of the artwork, and it was the only institution, in which people had enough faith and devotion to spend so much of their time and money creating pieces that—although beautiful—were not necessities. The role of religion in art actually began during the Byzantine era. During this time, all artwork was religious in nature, and most of it was done in a consistently similar style so that figures from the Bible could be easily recognized by everyone and so that people had a consistent view of religious matters. Art during this time was largely iconic, meant to inspire the awe of God in the viewer. Along with various versions of the crucifix, one of the most popular images of the Byzantine style was The Pantokrator, an image of Jesus Christ as shown from above. An example of one of these pieces was done in the twelfth century in the abbey church of Monreale in the city of Palermo. Jesus is a monumental figure that takes up much of the space across the apse of the Church. One of his hands forms a mudra as the other holds the scripture. His fully frontal and direct stance along with the glimmering gold background serves to strike awe and fear into the viewer. Clearly this piece was done with the intent to impress the value and mightiness of religion first and attention to the detail and technique of the art second.
They were almost like a fortress. Romanesque cathedrals had few windows as a result of their thick walls, so the churches were very dark. In a sense, this echoed the life that was outside of these sanctuaries’ walls during the Middle Ages. Some Romanesque characteristics in architecture were stone barrel vaulting or groin vaulting, thick and heavy pillars, small windows so less natural light, round arches, multiple towers, wooden roofs, and painted decorations, like frescoes, throughout the interior.... ...
Whether or not we notice it, Art is always around. It can come in the form of a beautiful painting in the Smithsonian Museum, a sculpture by Michelangelo, or as graffiti on the wall. Whatever the form, art is always present. Additionally, art is not new; for as long as there have been people, there has been art. Though rare, early Christian art manages to express, in picture form, a story from the bible. One piece, which was actual a mural painted in the fourth century, on walls of the mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Raveena, Italy, depicts Christ teaching his apostles. Just a few miles away in a Vatican City museum is a statue from the third century which also depicts Christ as the Good Shepherd.
Le Mont Saint Michel is a rocky cone shaped island or islet located just off the North West coast of France in the gulf of Saint Malo. It is home to one of France’s greatest tourist attractions named Le Mereille, this brilliant eleventh century gothic style church is often simply called Mont St Michel. What transforms this fairly typical gothic church into one of the most striking buildings of the world, and the destination of so many visitors over the course of the past twelve centuries, is its magnificent, almost arrogant location.
Art is important to religion in many different ways. Perhaps none has analyzed how art and religion have influenced and affected each other through the ages. Pictures painted of past events that help to bring back the feeling and importance of the past have been forgotten by some. To the one’s that haven’t forgotten are able to see the event’s as the bible says they happened. Not only can you see the events, but it also allows the younger students of the church to understand the events. The use of images of God became widespread after the second century. This religious art has defiantly been around for centuries and plays an important role to the history of religion as well as the future.
Another aspect of Gothic architecture, that was heavily influenced by religion, is the implementation and utilization of the rose window. It depicts the final judgement of man and is part of the Gothic tradition in which biblical and historical stories were portrayed in stained glass and sculpture. At a time when most of the population was illiterate, these embellishments made biblical scripture available to everyone. [Pevsner, Nikolaus. 1963. An Outline of European Architecture. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books.]