Day 4 - The Romanesque Portal

The Romanesque Portal consistently has the same seven elements, although each cathedral treats their decoration differently, and over time the carving becomes more complex and relief carving goes from shallow to deep.  The styles of the images move away from classical Greek and Roman sculpture and range from crude, to stylistic and even grotesque.

The parts of a Romanesque Portal are:  1. Door jams on either side; 2. Trumeau is the center post that holds up the 3. Lintel or the horizontal beam above that strengthens and holds up the archway; 4. Tympanum is the semi-circular lunette or area under the arch which is adorned with relief sculptures; 5. Voussoirs are wedge shaped blocks that make up the arch or 6. Archivolts or arch framing the Tympanum.

According to the text, the clergy felt that the portal to the cathedral was the beginning of a path to salvation. (reference: http://books.google.com/books?id=mBrvazPDFoYC&pg=PT349&lpg=PT349&dq=the+romanesque+portal&source=bl&ots=KCHJoKaiOB&sig=ns4TZZal-wlLKKHIFXKYZWJI-EA&hl=en&ei=j049TZLqMY7ksQOP64nVAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=the%20romanesque%20portal&f=false.)

The seven elements of a Romanesque portal

West Portal of St. Lazare at Autun: Tympanum: Last Judgment; archivolts: signs of the zodiac and labors of the months