Figure 1.14 (left) Original capitals on reconstructed columns from the ambulatory around the choir of the abbey church of Cluny (c. 1088–1130). They represent the eight tones of music, personified as small figures standing in almond-shaped mandorlas.
Figure 1.15 (right) In the third tone, a figure holds a lyre, which rests on his left knee. St Foy de Conques
Originally an abbey, the Church at Conques became a popular stop for pilgrims after it acquired the bones of St Foy (St Faith).
The 12th-century church has a solid geometric exterior appearance with no real ornamentation except for buttresses, which were added later to counteract the outward thrust of the walls. The towers on either side were added in the 19th century (Fig. 1.16).
The Tympanum
Towering over the Western portal, a series of dramatic sculpted images in the tympanum greeted pilgrims as they passed beneath (Fig 1.17).
Portal: The architectural composition surrounding and including the doorways and porches of a church.
This famous Last Judgement scene is full of activity. Christ in Majesty presides over the souls and a large doorway beneath his feet leads to Paradise on
12
Figure 1.16 St Foy de Conques, France. NEW APPRECIATING ART EUROPE AND THE WORLD