The crypt of Dijon cathedral is the remnant of an early 11th-century building.

What is it about?

There is sculpture scattered on many small capitals; the two biggest carved capitals are just to the west of the burial place of the patron saint. The ceremonies and seasonal use of the whole original building have largely been reconstructed by earlier workers, especially Carolyn M. Malone, so that we know that the crypt was used for the veneration of the patron-martyr Benigne and several other named saints from the early history of the region; contemporary burials from the monastic community, and perhaps secular burials too, would also have taken place in the crypt. One passage of scripture read at most if not all funeral masses describes how, at the end of the world, trumpets will sound and Christ will come down again from heaven, and return there taking living believers and the resurrected dead with him. God's plan is complete, Mankind is redeemed. It is a scene of turmoil and movement as souls are reunited with bodies, Christ appears (disguised as an eagle and as a centaur), death is defeated and all rise heavenward. Over the circular space to the east of the two capitals was a chimney-like tower with an open top; this rose through all levels of the building, and would have completed the dramatic analogy of rising. The text which is suggested as being illustrated is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

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Why is it important?

This combination of a basic biblical text concealed in extraordinary sculpture is a striking and early example of a technique that was used for the ensuing age of Romanesque sculpture: for all its apparently wild fancy, a central orthodox message was being illustrated.

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