Archivolt

Romanesque portal with rounded archivolts on Saint-Sulpice church in Paris

The complexity of church portals and the subsequent significance of their mouldings and the designs of their archivolts was first observed on a wide scale on Romanesque churches, seen primarily in the eleventh century through to the early thirteenth century.[12][13] The Romanesque period of church architecture is when stone sculpture began to become a common feature of church portals, specifically the use of Christ, on the archivolts and surrounds to signify the beginning of holy space.[14] Romanesque portals and archivolts are most often rounded, as seen in Roman architecture.[15] This was significant to the role of the church as both a building and congregational place as during the medieval Romanesque period most people were not able read, so these sculptures were able to depict important events central to the Christian faith and convey ideologies of the church that the public may have otherwise been unable to understand.[16]

Gothic Portal with pointed archivolts on St Theobald's Church in Thann

Gothic architecture, predominately found between in mid-twelfth century and the sixteenth century[17] was the successor to Romanesque architecture, and is often viewed as the birth of Christian architecture.[18] This is seen in the symbolism of both the artistic and architectural features of Gothic portals and their archivolts. The classic pointed arch of Gothic portals and archivolts is used to direct people’s eyes above, to heaven, a constant reminder of the presence of God and an encouragement to focus on the sacred and heavenly aspects of life, and not the earthly ones.[19][20]

The Saint-Denis Cathedral is a French cathedral, known as one of the founding examples of Gothic Christian architecture,[21] it was designed by Abbott Suger in the twelfth century and constructed during the thirteenth century.[22] While it is generally accepted that the portals on the west facing side of Saint-Denis cathedral have most of the Early Gothic architectural features,[23][24] as claimed by Pamela Blum, there is still some debate about whether the cathedral is more accurately characterised as Gothic or Romanesque[25] due to the multiple restorations that have been done on the Cathedral in varying artistic and architectural styles since it was built.

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  Central Portal on the West Facade of the Saint Denis Cathedral
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  West Facade of the Saint Denis Cathedral

The west-side of the cathedral is home to three church portals, all of which contain archivolts. In 1140 these three portals and the west-end of Saint-Denis Cathedral were consecrated.[26] The archivolts of the Saint-Denis Cathedral are one of the earliest examples of the use of complex sculptures and inscriptions on church entrances as a means of communication in Gothic churches.[27] As the archivolts of Saint-Denis Cathedral were designed in the very early stages of Gothic architecture, there are still instances of features that characterise Romanesque architecture such as the use of drapery[28] in the sculptures of the portal.

Sainte-Anne portal situated on the west facade of the Notre Dame was built in Paris during the twelfth century[29][30] in honour of Sainte-Anne, Mary’s Mother and Jesus Christ’s Grandmother. The portal displays some of the different aspects of Jesus Christ’s life,[31] like his Grandparents Anne (whom the portal is dedicated to) and Joachim, and his parents Mary and Joseph. The archivolts of the Saint-Anne portal are pointed, a classic feature of Gothic archways. The archivolts are lined with several small sculptures of people, these sculptures have been identified as coming from both the twelfth and thirteenth century.[32] Several restorations have been performed on the Saint-Anne archivolts, which was discovered as a result of the slightly varying stylistic features of the archivolts and colour differences in the stone the archivolt is made of.[33] These sculptures on the portal and its archivolts depict specific people that were significant to the church and the community it served, both as religious icons, and figures of societal power at the time of its design, such as King Louis VIII, bishops involved with the church,[34] Jesus and several members of his family.

• Detail on the Archivolts of Sainte-Anne Portal
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The Vézelay Abbey was built in France in the ninth century on a hill in the village of Vézelay by Benedictine Monks and became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979.[35] This classification is due to its well preserved Burgundian Romanesque art and its importance as a religious site to Christians in the Middle Ages.[36] The portal has a rounded arch, classic to the Romanesque style and is densely populated with many different sculptures and mouldings. The artwork on the Vézelay Abbey’s portal depicts messages and figures such as scenes from the Book of Acts, Christ, Apostles and John the Baptist.[37] The sculptures and mouldings on the portal’s archivolts display events of the Pentecost, from the Book of Acts,

The peripheral figures of the archivolt compartments and the lintel blocks are divided into Jews on the left, led by Peter holding the keys just to the left of Christ, and gentiles on the right, led by Paul seated immediately to the right of Christ. That the gentile audience of the passage is frequently enjoined to enter the Church in a state of peace is also visualized, through the depiction of the leading (gentile) figure on the right lintel relinquishing his sword blade-downward, in an emphatically pacifist gesture.[38]

— Peter Low (2012)

The Benedictine Monks that founded the Vézelay Abbey claimed that the remains of Mary Magdalene were found there, which made it a site of significant religious importance and consequently it became a popular site for pilgrims.[39] The arrival of pilgrims and the subsequent increased notoriety led to vast renovations, resulting in its complex and grand artistic style.[40] The importance of what is happening at the time of a portal’s construction, as well as its church’s intended audience is demonstrated by the design of the portal’s tympanum, which contains a large sculpture of Jesus Christ in its centre, with Magdalene depicted facing Christ at his feet.[41] This highlights the significance of the Abbey’s purpose as a pilgrimage site to its design.

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  A Portal of the Vézelay Abbey
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  Facade of the Vézelay Abbey