Figure 1.18 Detail from the tympanum St Foy de Conques. In the kingdom of hell, the devil is wearing a crown and seated on a throne. He hands out punishment according to the severity of the sins.
the one side but on the other to the terrifying and monstrous mouth of hell.
Various sins are depicted, with some figures representing well-known characters from the area’s local history. A knight is tossed from his horse into the fires. The hanged man is a reference to Judas. One man is roasted on the spit, while above him another is dangled by the legs in punishment for the sin of gluttony (over-eating). Clothing being stripped from the wealthy is also depicted (Fig 1.18).
Several inscriptions in Latin are clearly readable on the tympanum. Some are in rhyme, but a long band at the very bottom of the scene along the whole length reads: ‘O Sinners, if you do not change your ways, know that you will suffer a dreadful fate.’
St Magdalene, Vézelay
The Basilica Church of Vézelay is the largest Romanesque church in France (Fig. 1.19). This Benedictine abbey acquired relics of Mary Magdalene in 1037 and it became a major stop on the Compostela route. It was rebuilt around 1150, after 1,200 pilgrims lost their lives in a fire there.
Figure 1.19 The Basilica Church of St Magdalene overlooks the town of Vézelay.
