The tympanum of St Stephen at Bourges cathedral was constructed by 1240, and is above one of the five portals at the west end of the cathedral. The tympanum is made up of three sections. The lowest section depicts Stephen being made one of the seven deacons of the early church. Above that is his martyrdom, and on top of all is an image of Christ as Salvator Mundi.
Architecture
The portal of St Anne on the right of the western façade was built in 1200 and is the earliest of the three portals to be built. The tympanum is actually dated to about 1150 and was once part of the earlier cathedral of St. Stephen whose western façade was once 40 metres to the west of the present Cathedral.
The central doorway was the last of the three portals, of Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris, to be decorated. Work started in about 1230 and consists of Christ in Majesty (showing the marks of the Crucifixion) with the Virgin Mary and St John on either side of him.
This portal of the Virgin, at Notre Dame Paris, was sculpted between 1210 and 1220. The main scene show the Coronation of the Virgin, where Mary is being crowned Queen of heaven by an angel, whilst she sits on the same throne as Jesus. In the lintel below is Mary on her death bed surrounded by Jesus and the twelve aposles, two angels are about to lift her to heaven. In the lower lintel the old testament prophets are holding scrolls prophesying Christ.
25
Apr
2020
The Cathedral of Monreale
Submitted by walwyn
Built in the reign of King William II of Sicily, between 1153-1189, the cathedral of Monreale is one of the last great architectural works of the Norman kings of Sicily.
Gothic tympanum of the Last Judgement dating from about 1230 at Bourges Cathedral, France.
The western facade of the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Amiens contains 3 doorways. A central portal that opens into the nave, and two portals beneath the north and south towers that open into the cathedral's aisles. Above each portal is a tympanum the central one depicting the last Judgement, the northern one the transfer of the relics of St Firmin, and the south portal depicts the Virgin Mary.
The western façade of the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, with its twin towers, was built between 1200 and 1240. With its three portals containing scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, the Last Judgment, and scenes from the life of St. Anne, it is considered one of the finest examples of early Gothic architecture.
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