Autun Cathedral

Autun's most important building is the Cathedral of St-Lazare, one of the finest examples of Cluniac architecture, built between 1120 and 1130. It has a ground-plan in the form of a Latin cross, an aisled nave, a plain transept and a three-stage choir with a semicircular end. The spire was built by Cardinal Rolin in the 15th C.

In the tympanum of the Romanesque main doorway is a superb Last Judgment by a sculptor named as Gislebertus. The medallions round the tympanum and the capitals of the three columns are also masterpieces of medieval sculpture.

The cathedral contains a profusion of figural capitals. Some of these have been replaced by copies, the originals of which are displayed in the chapterhouse. The chapels are also richly decorated; the third one on the left contains a "Martyrdom of St Symphorien" by Ingres (1834).