Autun, 2011

We first visited Autun in 1979, probably en route to the Cote d'Or. I remember visiting the Roman amphitheater at Autun, but not much more. This time we camped across the lake from the amphitheater (in the city's free camperstop) but came to Autun to see its 11-12th century cathedral and in particular the reliefs that adorn it.

But first, another random Burgundy chateau from the road

At Autun, another hemmed-in city cathedral, difficult to get

any full view

As I said, it's mostly the reliefs that are of interest, 12th

century; this the west door tympanum, a Last Judgment

Hellish detail (Heaven is so boring)

Interior; great light and color, not huge, but very old

Very old windows

I love these older buildings; you can look up

and nearly everything you see is architectural,

and there is little mystery in how everything

fits and hangs together

The reliefs at Autun are some of the earliest intact in

Medieval Europe; here, Simon Magi falls as Paul and Peter

(keys) and Satan look on with satisfaction (we last saw

Simon Magi in a 12th century mosaic in Palermo)

A few other examples: Cain killing Abel

Judas hanging (with devilish assistance)

An angel tells the three kings that mum's the word with

Herod

Amazingly, the reliefs apparently all are by the same hand;

and, most amazingly, we know his name: "Gislebertus hoc

fecit"--"Gislebertus made this"--the first time in the Middle

Ages that an artist signed his work

View of Autun from the cathedral

Autun was founded by Augustus; here the remains of one of

the Roman gates

But before Romans, there were Gallic Celts; here is the ruin

of the so-called Temple of Janus, an apparent Celtic temple