St. Pierre-de-Moissac's Portal and Its Solomonic Guardians - eScholarship
1996; University of California; Volume: 27; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1557-0290
Autores Tópico(s)Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies
ResumoST. PIERRE-DE-MOISSAC'S P O R T A L A N D ITS SOLOMONIC GUARDIANS* May Oppenheim Talbot T h e Romanesque church o f St. Pierre-de-Moissac, located i n south-central France o n the pilgrimage road called the Via Podiensis, has attracted c o n t i n u o u s art-historical a t t e n t i o n . T w o areas o f this Cluniac abbey have been studied extensively: the famous cloister, dated b y i n s c r i p t i o n t o A . D . 1100, w i t h its w e a l t h o f historiated and s i m p l y decorated capitals; and the grand p o r t a l o n the south side o f the abbey c h u r c h (c. A . D . 1120-30), set i n t o a t h i c k , crenelated t o w e r near the western end. There w i t h i n a deeply recessed entrance p o r c h , the v i s i t o r faces a t r i p a r t i t e representation o f v i g o r o u s l y sculpted reliefs, w h i c h display an elaborate p r o g r a m o f religious ico- nography. A b o v e the portal's heavy l i n t e l sits an i m p o s i n g figure o f a bearded, c r o w n e d C h r i s t , reigning i n eternal majesty i n heaven; the four l i v i n g creatures s u r r o u n d h i m , t w o seraphim stand, one t o either side o f h i m , and the t w e n t y - f o u r elders, each one c r o w n e d as w e l l , l o o k up at h i m w i t h adoration (figs. 1, 2). S u p p o r t i n g the massive *I would like to thank Professor Peter K . Klein; his help and encouragement while I researched this topic were invaluable. L ' A b b e Camille Daux, Pelerinage et confrerie de Saint-Jacque de Compostelle (Paris: H o n o r e Champion, 1898), 100; M. Vidal, Moissac et le chemin de Compostelle France: Musees de Moissac, 1976), v. (Moissac, A n inscribed pillar in the cloister firmly ascribes the construction there to Ansquitil, abbot from A . D . 1CS5-11C5 as well as confirming the date of A . D . 1100, for which, see Jean Dufour, L.i bibliotheque et le H riptorium ile Moissac ( G e n e v e - P a n s : Librairie D r o z , 1972), 153 and pl. 78. T h e dating of the south tower wall and the porch are generally determined by the years of abbot Roger's abbacy, A . D . 1115-31, during which time he directed the completion of the porch. See Dufour, La bibliotheque, 7; and A . Lagreze- Fossat, Etudes historiques sur Moissac, 3 vols. (Paris: Librairie Ancienne et Moderne de J.-B. Dumoulin, 1874), 3:35-8, 113-67. F o r the iconography of the eternal majesty of Christ in this tympanum, based upon Apocalypse 4 and 5, and Isaiah 6, see Peter K . Klein, Programmes eschatologiques, fonction et reception historiques des portails du X l l e siecle: Moissac-Beauheu-Saint- Comitatus 27 (1996): 81-98
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