Portal of the Cathedral of Autun, between 1130 and 1140
Photo © Marc Gil
Although heavily damaged, the episode depicted on this face of the capital is identifiable thanks to the balance that Michael holds in his hand. He uses it to judge the actions of the deceased to determine if they are allowed to enter Paradise.
This iconography became widespread from the 10th century in Romanesque art and can be found on the tympanum of some major church portals, such as that of the Saint-Lazare Cathedral in Autun, created between 1130 and 1140.
While in tradition this episode occupies a marginal place, as seen in Autun, within larger compositions dedicated to the Apocalypse, the iconography chosen in Châlons gives Saint Michael a central place in the work.
This is a relatively modern choice for its time, which later gained popularity in Gothic art and continued until the end of the Middle Ages, for example, in the center of the Last Judgment Altarpiece painted between 1443 and 1452 by Rogier van der Weyden and kept at the Hospices de Beaune.
