less than a mile from this roman gate in the nearby town of autun stands autun cathedral.ike paray-le-monial, the cathedral is a perfect example of the influence of classical roman architecture on the romanesque architect. we can see the classical forms everywhere here-- the fluted pilasters crowned at the top by corinthian capitals. and in the middle story of the building, this characteristic composition of round arches separated by flat pilasters and closed by a horizontal cornice. these forms come straight from the local roman precedent here in tun, thpont d'arroux. the romanesque style spread right across europe. in 1066, it crossed the english channel with the norman conquest of england. the normans stroyed most of the main anglo-saxon churches, replacing them with ones built in the french romanesque or, as it is known in britain, the norman style. and it would be in england that somof the most daring and original innovations were made in medieval architecture. durham cathedral, even by the standards of norman architecture in england, is a colossal building. durham ca

unlike the tming and crowded tympanum of saint-lazare at autun, whose subject was the last judgment in all its terrifying detail, here, we have the promise of salvation and a serenity and a majesty and above all, an approachable humanity that anites thsculpture here. we see in them the very embodiment of the mid-12th century humanism that is so prevalent in the school of chartres at this very time. one exciting thing at chartres is you can move from the west front to the north transept and change completely the sense of style in the sculpture. there's a change in the attitude towards the human body. these figures are now freer and seem to move. they have animated facial expressions. the drapery falls around the bodies and reveals it in its contours. we've got old testament kings and prophets. all of these emphasize salvation through sacrifice. abraham, for instance, is preparing to sacrifice his son isaac, as god commanded him. he looks up at the angel, who orders him to substitute the ram. both the north and south transept portals belong to the new cathedral, built after the 1194 fire