Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Self-Guided Tour:
Like aRoman triumphal arch,thechurchfacade trumpets the
promise of Judgment Day. The tympanum (the semicircular area above the door) is filled
with Christian symbolism. Christ sits in majesty, surrounded by symbols of the four evan-
gelists: Matthew (the winged man), Mark (the winged lion), Luke (the ox), and John (the
eagle). The 12 apostles are lined up below Jesus. It's Judgment Day...some are saved and
others aren't. Notice the condemned (on the right)—a chain gang doing a sad bunny-hop
overthefiresofhell.Forthem,thetunetrumpetedbythethreeangelsaboveChristisnota
happy one. Below the chain gang, St. Stephen is being stoned to death, with his soul leav-
ing through his mouth and instantly being welcomed by angels. Ride the exquisite detail
back to a simpler age. In an illiterate medieval world, long before the vivid images of our
Technicolor time, this was a neon billboard over the town square.
Interior:
Just inside the door on the right, a chart locates the interior highlights and
helps explain the carvings you just saw on the tympanum.
Tour the church counterclockwise. The tall 12th-century Romanesque nave is dec-
orated by a set of tapestries showing scenes from the life of Mary (17th century, from
