Autun Things to Do

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There once was an elaborated tomb to St. Lazarus and a place to demonstrate his Relics behind the altar.In a remodeling the chancel in 1766, it was decided to destroy the tomb because the Pilgrimage years were long over. The tomb was the work of Brother Martin, a monk who learned his craft with Gislebertus. The statues were of the period around 1146 (which is about the time that the column statues of Chartres and St. Denis were created). Three of the statues are still here in the Musee Rolin across the square. A crucifixion of Christ remnant is on the church altar (Our picture is lost). The head of the fourth statue, Peter, is in the Louvre. The statue of Martha is remarkable in that she is covering her nose with a handkerchief to minimize the stench. The other two statues are Andrew and Mary Magdelaine. Today the Relics of St. Lazarus are under the high altar.

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This tympanum is one of the Last Judgment. It is unlike others of the century in the limberness of the figures and the overlap of the figures between panels suggesting that it was carved in situ and not of preworked blocks that are assembled. There were originally three surrounding arcades . The one that is still totally original i contains a series of medallions depicting the zodiac, labors of the months and the seasons; this is a first use of this concept. A very large Christ in Majesty sits with hands down in a mandorla, supported by four angels. At his feet in the center of the lintel an Angel separates the 38 risen (from 16 coffins) as elect (20) and damned (18, to our right). The figures are not stiff and reflect their attributes so that dismay and suffering or relief is clearly seen. It is here above the damned that the inscription “Gislebertus hoc fecit” is visible above the Angel’s head. In the panels above, on our right, the the scales of Judgment are being worked (with physical competition by both good and evil). On the left the saved ascend by a “narrow gateway” into a three leveled heaven with the Virgin Mary and an Angel at the top and the Apostles below her. It is hard to realize that this is an early 12C creation! Note that the entire door is surrounded by carved columns that are not yet figures. Their capitals will be described in another Tip, easily worth a read. The trumeau of St. Lazarus and his sisters is a 19C creation to replace what was once there.

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The church is very tall and narrow but has wide and tall aisles. This is similar to what will be perfected at Cluny itself. The triforium is blind but has an interesting arcade pattern. The clerestory windows are small and the church is dark. The height is achieved by massive fluted columns. The vaulting was added in the 13C, replacing a wooden roof.

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The building of the church of St. Lazare commenced about 1125 and finished by 1146. It was built to house the relics of the saint and was expected to be an attraction to pilgrim’s starting their journey at Vezelay(which was being rebuilt at the same period). It is a Romanesque Cluniac Benedictine basilica but has been greatly altered over the years. Behind its large protective porch two tall towers were added in the 19C. The nave was vaulted in the 13C and supporting buttresses were added to the North and South walls. At that period it became a cathedral. The crossing tower collapsed and in the 15C Cardinal Rolin (the son of the famous chancellor of Burgundy) had it rebuilt with a tall spire plus a new Gothic choir. (A picture of the choir and spire from the East are shown by Pieter 11 in a Tip and one of the South side by Waalewiener; our pictures of these views are lost ). Under the porch is the Tympanum, a masterpiece of Romanesque Art. Below the tympanum are finely carved doors . The trumeau is of St. Lazarus and his sisters but is a late 19C replacement. The tympanum and lateral capitals will be covered separately.

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Apart from the more famous monuments in the city of Autun, the greatest area to walk around is the area directly around the Cathedral de St. Lazare. While the big church is very impressive, all the small houses around it are maybe even interesting. All around the cathedral, at the heighest point of the hill, you see small houses that are hundreds of years of age, cobbled streets, and some very nice old details like a wooden horse-car, old staircases, red-coloured rooftops and nice old signs on the walls of the shops.

Some nice streets to wander around are the Rue Dufraigne, the Rue aux Maréchaux, the Rue Notre-Dame and the Rue Cocand. As long as you take your time here, you are surely able to find some great picturesque spots and take some great pictures.

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Right outside the Porte d'Arroux, at the other side of the river the Arroux, you will find the old remains of a Roman building of which the function still i not completely clear. What is clear is that it was built somewhere in the 1st century A.D. Only two walls of the 24 metres tall building still stand up, and from a distance it doesn't look spectacular at all.

What is nice however, is the road that leads to the temple. It leads you over very small, picturesque bridges, over the river Arroux, and along the foot of the hill on which Autun is built on, with the Porte d'Arroux standing out clearly.

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All around Autun you can still find the remains of the old Roman walls that surrounded the city. These wall were built in the period after the city was first built by the Romans in the 1st century. Originally it contained four citygates and 54 towers to protects the city. Today you can still see two of the original gates. The Porte d'André in the east of the centre, close to the shopping centre with the same name, and the Porte d'Arroux, in the south of Autun.

The Porte d'Arroux still is the entrance to the city when you are coming from the south. Two lanes of the mainroad lead through the two main arches of the gate, that are topped withh another layer of smaller arches."Back in the days" the road that ended up here as called Via Agrippina. Today a less spectacular named road follows the same route: the D980.

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The centre of the city is the big square Champs de Mars. Unfortunately its main purpose is being a parkinglot for lots and lots of cars, but nevertheless it is a nice square because of the buildings that surround it.

At the eastside of the square you'll see a huge building with impressive gates in front of it and the word "Lycée" above the entrance. This is an old lyceum which even Napoleon himself attended for a few months.

At the southwest side of the square there is another big building which is the townhall of the city. And at the northside you can see a monument for "The children of Autun who fell for their country" during the First World War.

Tip: at the westside of the square it is free to park your car, at the eastside you have to pay for it. Choose your favorite side...