Moissac - West Side - W08MS64

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  Moissac
West Side
W08MS64

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The Raising of Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus is a frequently represented theme in cloisters, since most of them also served as burial places. It is not known if burials also took place in the cloister at Moissac, but it is probable that burial processions passed through the wings of the cloister.
On the east side of the capital Christ listens to the prayer of Martha and Mary, who both kneel before him. Behind them, half hidden, stands one of the disciples. The two sisters of the recently deceased Lazarus recognize the Son of God in Christ and believe in his power to raise their brother from death (Jn 11:1-45). On the west side Christ is standing in the same posture before Lazarus, who is rising from his grave, his body still enveloped by the criss-crossed bands of his shroud. A figure stands behind Lazarus, presumably a disciple; his hands are raised – perhaps in prayer? On the south side another disciple (or a Jew?) points to the scene with the index finger of his raised right hand.
The gestures of the simple, cylindrically shaped figures are stereotypical, but powerfully expressive. Their garments, a mix between tunic and mantle, show the long curving folds over the stomach, consisting of a small convex line between two grooves, that conform to the drapery style developed in Saint-Sernin in Toulouse.
The narrow oblique grooves, which emphasize the arms of the volutes, recur on no less than twelve further capitals.
A tripartite band runs round the impost block. The bevelled impost frieze below is decorated with large centrally-veined flower heads, overlapping pointed sepals.

raising-of-Lazarus Lazarus Martha Mary shroud burial Saint-Sernin Toulouse