Archivolt

As demonstrated by Rudolph Conrad, this evolution in the utilisation of church architecture came about simultaneously with the significant advances of categorising, maintaining and sharing large amounts of information that was happening in the twelfth century.

[15] This was significant to the role of the church as both a building and congregational place as during the medieval Romanesque period most people were not able read, so these sculptures were able to depict important events central to the Christian faith and convey ideologies of the church that the public may have otherwise been unable to understand.

[33] These sculptures on the portal and its archivolts depict specific people that were significant to the church and the community it served, both as religious icons, and figures of societal power at the time of its design, such as King Louis VIII, bishops involved with the church,[34] Jesus and several members of his family.

[35] This classification is due to its well preserved Burgundian Romanesque art and its importance as a religious site to Christians in the Middle Ages.

[36] The portal has a rounded arch, classic to the Romanesque style and is densely populated with many different sculptures and mouldings.

The artwork on the Vézelay Abbey’s portal depicts messages and figures such as scenes from the Book of Acts, Christ, Apostles and John the Baptist.

[37] The sculptures and mouldings on the portal’s archivolts display events of the Pentecost, from the Book of Acts, The peripheral figures of the archivolt compartments and the lintel blocks are divided into Jews on the left, led by Peter holding the keys just to the left of Christ, and gentiles on the right, led by Paul seated immediately to the right of Christ.

[39] The arrival of pilgrims and the subsequent increased notoriety led to vast renovations, resulting in its complex and grand artistic style.

[40] The importance of what is happening at the time of a portal’s construction, as well as its church’s intended audience is demonstrated by the design of the portal’s tympanum, which contains a large sculpture of Jesus Christ in its centre, with Magdalene depicted facing Christ at his feet.