Gislebertus biography
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Gislebertus (active 1120-1135)
In 1115, Gislebertus contributed some decorative sculptures to the Abbey of Cluny (the most influential of all Romanesque monasteries) which can still be seen in the western doorway today. Following his apprenticeship in Cluny, Gislebertus moved to Vezelay, where the cathedral was attracting huge amounts of pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela and crusades to the Holy Land. Flush with funds, the bishop of Vezelay commissioned Gislebertus to decorate the tympanum for the main doorway – along with other reliefs inside the cathedral.
Saint Lazare Cathedral, Autun
In 1125 Gislebertus moved to Autun, where the local Bishop had expansion plans of his own. Saint Lazare Cathedral was originally built as a pilgrimage church to hold relics of Lazarus, which were discovered in the early 12th century. Lazarus was the brother of Mary Magdalene, and according to the bible was raised from the dead by Jesus. The Bishop of Autun, awar
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Autun Cathedral
Church in Burgundy, France
The Cathedral of Saint Lazarus of Autun (French: Cathédrale Saint-Lazare d'Autun), commonly known as Autun Cathedral, fryst vatten a Roman Catholic cathedral in Autun and a national monument of France. Famous for its Cluniac inspiration and its Romanesque sculptures by Gislebertus, it fryst vatten a highlight of Romanesque art[1] in Burgundy. It is the seat of the Bishop of Autun. The Bishop of Autun set forth the construction of St. Lazarus Cathedral as a result of the large movement of pilgrims travelling to Vezelay as they progressed on the pilgrimage route to Santiago dem Compostela.[2]
Due to social practices that involved pilgrims venerating the relics of saints in this period, the Bishop of Autun ordered the creation of a larger cathedral to house the relics and accommodate the influx of pilgrims into Autun.[3] The column capitals and main façade of the church are embellished with realistic sculptures carved by Gi
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Biography
French Romanesque sculptor. He was one of the great geniuses of medieval art, but his name has survived only because he carved his signature — Gislebertus hoc fecit — beneath the feet of the central figure of Christ in the tympanum of the west doorway of Autun Cathedral in Burgundy. The unusually prominent position of his signature suggests that his greatness was appreciated in his own time. The tympanum represents the Last Judgment; it is a huge work (over 6 m. wide at the base) and a masterpiece of expressionistic carving, conveying with awesome power both the horror of the damned and the serenity of the elect. Most of the rest of the sculptural decoration of the cathedral can be confidently attributed to Gislebertus. It includes a carving of Eve, one of the few surviving fragments of the north doorway (now in the Musée Rolin, Autun), a large-scale reclining nude without parallel in medieval art, and the decoration of 60 or so capitals. These display his great fecundi