The Capitals of St. Lazare at Autun

This study deals with the relationship of the capitals of St. Lazare in Autun, to the Last Judgment portal of that church. I began with a comprehensive iconographic analysis of the capitals, later restricting the scope of the argument to those historiated capitals which were iconographically unconventional. These capitals appeared unusual in three ways: (1) In their treatment of the physical antithesis between pious and impious personages, and between demons and sinners, (2) In the depiction of nude figures where they do not usually occur, and (3) In the emphasis on the sepulchral significance of certain scenes. Through these iconographic manipulations of the pictorial tradition, the sculptor aligned the capitals with the Last Judgment by producing a visual analogy between them. Within the scope of the orientation of the church toward the cult of death, it also became evident that the specific liturgical references of the capitals related them on a functional level both with the Last Judgment, and with the enactment of the liturgy of death. Furthermore, the topographical arrangement of the capitals also linked them with the portal. Although the capitals seem to have been placed at random, most of the ones on the north side of the nave coincide with the good side of the tympanum and of the lintel, while those on the south correspond to the bad side. The capitals thus function as an extension of the Last Judgment portal on a visual, topographical, as well as functional level. Together the portal and the capitals proclaim that the cult of death is the only means to salvation. The church of St. Lazare was built by Bishop Etienne de Bage as part of an overall attempt to consolidate his power in the town and in the diocese. By convincing the population that the cult of death was necessary for salvation, the Bishop may have also wished to assert other aspects of his administration. Proclamation of the right of intercession on behalf of the population was a form of spiritual control which translated into social control in a town where the Bishop was both secular and ecclesiastical overlord.