Medieval Blogpost

In the field of architecture, a tympanum is a decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. In Christian architecture tympanums usually contain religious imagery, when on religious buildings, and are very often the most important location for monumental sculpture on the facade of a building. 

Both tympanums depict the last judgement as described in the gospel of Saint Matthew in the Christian bible. They both have strikingly similar composition as Jesus Christ is the focal point of both scenes. Christ is depicted as a mighty figure seated on his Throne of Majesty, judging the world on judgement day. Also In the centre of both tympanums we witness the weighing of souls, the scale of good and evil. The saved, on Christ's right, are destined for paradise (heaven), whilst the damned, on His left, are bound and led off to Hell.

In classicizing styles, Romanesque architecture tend to have a semi-circular shape just as seen on the Last Judgment tympanums of Sainte-Foy, Conques. Whilst in Gothic architecture they have a more vertical shape, coming to a point at the top just as seen on the Last Judgment tympanums of Notre Dame de Paris. In the Notre Dame tympanum, we can also observe as sculptures follow the direction of the arc contrary to the Sainte-Foy Tympanum which is straight and does not follow the curvature of the arc.

Although they both describe the last judgement as told by St Matthew, they tell a different story. On the Sainte-Foy Tympanum Jesus gives his final teaching before he was crucified. He introduces the concept of heaven and hell and advises us to follow his commandments so as to make it to heaven as oppose to hell. However the Last Judgement of Notre Dame Tympanum shows us the resurrected Christ who serves as a poignant reminder that one's purpose in church is to earn a place among the elect, into heaven. The wounds on Christ’s hands and sides as well as the scene of people being resurrected from the dead to be judged insinuate the second coming of Christ as stated in the book of revelations. Another contrast rests in the detailing of the sculptures. The Notre Dame sculptures are rather more realistic than that of the Sainte-Foy Tympanum. The Notre Dame sculptors focuses more on the expressions on the faces of the characters so as to engage its viewers on a more emotional level as opposed to the Sculptors of Sainte-Foy Tympanum who depends on the graphic depiction of hell in order to instil fear to it viewers.

The contrast in style by sculptors from both eras suggests that Christian art had changed from using fear as a medium of making people obedient to the Christian scriptures. Although the system of belief is the same, the Gothic era reminds us about Jesus’ prophecy in a more subtle, expressive yet effective manner, almost as though to say that the tactics of using fear in the Romanesque era was rather ineffective.