6.4 Demon's Delight: More French Romanesque Sculpture

More Tympanum Reliefs-- Themes of Judgment Day & the Crusades

Gislebertus (sculptor), Last Judgment, Saint-Lazare, Autun, France, ca. 1120-1135. Marble; 21' wide.

“The church clergy of the Romanesque era, in order to get people in the church, made the most of medieval Christians believing that hellacious (literally) torments awaited them if they were sinful. There wasn't any scene more terrifying than that of Judgment Day, when it's believed that Christ returns post-resurrection to judge everyone--living or dead--whether they'd be chosen to get into heaven or damned to hell forever._

a large Christ, the most important figure, was placed centrally with hierarchical emphasis.

-He's placed in a mandorla, an almond-shaped nimbus that's like a halo, signifying his divine status. A heavenly city is behind him.

The left side (image detail above) shows those who've passed; an angel lifts someone up to heaven. 

On the right (image detail above), well....things aren't looking good. These are the condemned.

-The "weighing of souls" is taking place in those sack-like scales with angels trying to intervene but the demons seem to be winning--grabbing souls with their clawed hands, cackling with gaping mouths and swooping in with their lizard-like bodies.

-The register below is made up of the souls of the dead awaiting judgment. Some of the central figures carry either a cross or shell which would be recognized as symbols that these were pilgrims to Jerusalem or Santiago de Compostela, respectively--major points for getting them into heaven!

"Zig-Zag" Christ Electrifies His Apostles/ruyền Năng Lượng Mạnh Mẽ Cho Các Tông Đồ

-Another tympanum for another Romanesque church, La Madeleine, in Vezelay (France) shows Christ discharging his apostles to spread the word of Christianity to the far ends of the earth in a tympanum that describes the Pentecost and Mission of the Apostles. His angular legs and body remind me of a backwards "Z,

-In an era when the Crusades were a major effort launched in waves by kings such as King Richard the Lionhearted of England and King Philip Augustus of France, La Madeleine church served as the launching point for these armed pilgramages aimed to reclaim iconic sites and lands from Muslim control, fueled by their righteousness often cloaked in militaristic goals, and known for its violence and xenophobia.

• Miraculous rays of light extend from Christ's fingers to the Apostles.

• Some art historians:

  • Mission to the Apostles.

  • Others: Pentecost.

  • Holy Spirit gives the Apostles the ability to speak many languages and convert the peoples of the Earth.

Mission of the Apostles

..

Peoples of the World

• Tympanum represents the peoples of the Earth.

• Reflects the strangeness of the world beyond Christian borders.

• Early 12th century:

  • Europeans knew very little about the outside world.

  • First Crusaders returned with marvelous stories.

• Imagined peoples:

  • Huge ears that could wrap around themselves.

  • Small people needing ladders to climb onto horses.

• Reveals the ignorance and fear of unknown lands.

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