Pilgrimage and the Cult of Saints in Romanesque Europe

Church of Sainte-Foy, Conques, France, ca. 1050 - 1120

What is the story behind St.Foy and the significance of her relics

She was killed for refusing to give in to the romans, Her remains ended up at Conques through holy theft: martyred in nearby town relics left there, monk travelled there, joined the monastery, promoted then stole the relics and took them to Conques, granted many miracles and claimed she wanted to be there

what is significant about the Church of Sainte-Foy

newly built to hold the relics and account for an increase in visitors

describe the structure of the Church of Sainte-Foy and its significance

basilica plan, has transept which allows for more people to move toward where the relics are, nave, 2 side aisles, radiating chapels: store relics and allows closer contact to saints an with ambulatory it wont get crowded, barrel vaulted ceilings: thick piers and stone walls

Church of Sainte-Foy, Conques, France, ca. 1050 - 1120  Last Judgment  

Describe the Last Judgment of the Church of Sainte-Foy and its significance

Moment at the end of time when people will be judged, hierarchal levels, toward bottom there is an array of tortures and demons, Christ at center with demon and angel with a scale, heaven and hell on either side, pilgrims would find things comforting as well: the heaven side is portrayed as a romanesque church with Sainte -Foy on throne

Reliquary of Sainte-Foy, Conques, France, ca. 1000

describe the overall significance of the Reliquary of Sainte-Foy

statue is a cumulative piece: things donated were melted down and added, she would sometimes appear as a young girl, sometimes as her statue=show how the statues are supposed to visually show the heavenly, represents her and her soul

describe the appearance of the Reliquary and its significance

looks more like a man than a young girl=didn’t care much about realism, care more about the richness of the piece, made of gold, covered in gems, wearing crown and earrings, Foy was playful and sometimes greedy: she would request people to give her gold when they visited her

Last Judgment, Saint-Lazare, Autun, France, ca. 1120 - 35

describe the composition of the Last Judgment at Saint Lazare

huge central carving of Christ, figures elongated and flattened, scale with angel and demon: human soul in the scale; demons trying to cheat again, seen as the fierce battle being played out for every soul, people emerging from their tombs: some concerned, 2 people have bags=sign of pilgrimage

describe the significance of the Last Judgment at Saint Lazare

Christ is differentiated from humans, people wanted to do as much as possible to get to heaven with pilgrimage being one of the best things to do

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 11^th- 12^th centuries

what is the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

The tomb of Saint James

Describe the environment around the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and its significance

lots of climbing necessary to get to tomb, as sun goes away lots of fog and mist=adds to power of the site and the otherworldliness

Describe the composition of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and its significance

Romanesque, ambulatory, rounded arches, rounded ceiling, thick stone walls, overload of sculpture=impactful after long journey, image of christ activated by journey, painted, surrounded by people with instruments=more naturalistic =could be recreated and played, project from building, 3D bodies, almost as if they could come to life and play

Describe the composition of the St.James sculpture and its significance

directly under Christ, on the personal level, people being received by him, he conveys their prayers to Christ, there is a hand print within the pillar where millions of people have placed their hand, the man who oversaw this design added himself on the pillar facing St.James=forever praying to him

describe the significance of the end of the pilgrimage to St.James tomb

before leaving they would buy a souvenir, it became an important emblem and they were buried with it, During the “Last Judgement” they would be recognized as pilgrims because of the souvenir

Saint

a person who has achieved a high degree of holiness and is worshipped after death by Christians

Martyrdom

dying for one’s religion

Pilgrimage

a journey to a shrine or holy place

Relic

a part of a saint’s body or something that has come into contact with a saint

Reliquary

a container for relics

Romanesque

an artistic and architectural style named for its similarities to Roman art

Radiating chapels

chapels that project outwards allowing for circumambulation around the east end of a church 

Last Judgment

moment at the end of time at which the dead are resurrected and judged, resulting in salvation for some and damnation for others