FROM PAGE TO STONE: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE APOCALYPSE AT THE ABBEY OF SAINT-BENOIT-SUR-LOIRE, ITS INSPIRATION AND INFLUENCE By JENNACA SKYE TAIPALUS A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2018 © 2018 Jennaca Skye Taipalus To Charlie ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank everyone who has played a role in my academic achievements. First of all, my mother for her unwavering support and love. Karen, who has been my constant advocate, and my friends and cohort, whose help and friendship has been invaluable and made this experience something that I will always value. Finally, I would like to thank my committee chair Dr. Ashely Jones for her support, insights, and time, as I pursued my interests in the Romanesque, and Dr. Ross for her feedback which has been integral in the formation of this thesis. And lastly, my interest in the Romanesque and apocalyptic art in general was sparked by Dr. Scott Brown who I will be eternally grateful for. His excitement for the subject was infectious and inspired me to continue my education. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................................6 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................7 Apocalyptic Commentary .........................................................................................................8 Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire Today .................................................................................................14 2 FLEURY ABBEY ..................................................................................................................18 The Abbey ..............................................................................................................................18 An Intellectual Center .............................................................................................................19 Gauzlin ....................................................................................................................................20 Bell Tower and its Sculptural Inspiration ...............................................................................24 Tower Layout ..........................................................................................................................26 3 FROM PAGE TO STONE .....................................................................................................29 Apocalyptic Cycle ..................................................................................................................29 Textual Influences ..................................................................................................................30 Space .......................................................................................................................................36 4 AFTER FLEURY ...................................................................................................................44 Fleury’s Influence ...................................................................................................................44 Pilgrims Guide ........................................................................................................................46 Later Structures and Light ......................................................................................................49 5 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................54 APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................................58 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................................................59 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .........................................................................................................62 5 Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts FROM PAGE TO STONE: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE APOCALYPSE AT THE ABBEY OF SAINT-BENOIT-SUR-LOIRE, ITS INSPIRATION AND INFLUENCE By Jennaca Skye Taipalus December 2018 Chair: Ashley Jones Major: Art History Situated between Aquitaine, Burgundy, and Neustrie, on the bank of the Loire River stands the Abbey of Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire. Construction on the abbey we know today began sometime in the late 10th century. The bell or porch tower, also known as Gauzlin Tower, boasts an unusual sculptural program, the like of which has little precedence. This thesis looks at the construction and sculptural program of Gauzlin tower in relation to apocalyptic fears surrounding the millennium as well as the abbey’s position on pilgrimage routes. As the year 1000 approached it brought with it many fears as it was believed that it would bring with it not only a new millennium, but the beginning of the apocalypse as described in John’s Revelation. The vibrant manuscripts produced at the time were filled with colorful images and whole pages were dedicated to prominent scenes in Revelation. One such manuscript, known as the Trier Apocalypse, may have informed the sculptors of the Gauzlin Tower. By adapting imagery from manuscripts, the sculptors at the abbey were able to create a unique structure and delineate meaning through the placement of well-known images. This thesis examines these similarities and contends that Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire is an important point in the development of apocalyptic representation as it jumps from the page to stone. 6 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Situated between Aquitaine, Burgundy, and Neustrie on the bank of the Loire River stands the Abbey of Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire. The large structure juts up from the relatively flat landscape creating an impressive profile against the sky that can be seen from a great distance. Portions of the Abbey date from as early as the ninth century but there is evidence that a structure of this sort has stood there for longer than that. Saint-Benoit-sur-Loire gets its name from the relics of St Benedict that are housed at the abbey, but before that, it was known as Fleury Abbey and that will be the name to which it is referred for the rest of this thesis. Fleury Abbey boasts an unusual and impressive sculptural program that is housed in an area of the church, called Gauzlin tower, which is in itself unusual as there is very little precedence for a structure of this sort. This thesis will look at Gauzlin tower and its sculptural program and examine what may have influenced such an unusual structure and the impact it may have had on the construction of future sites. The first introductory Chapter will take a look at early textual and visual apocalyptic traditions as they developed out of the late antique and into the middle ages. Books such as the Trier Apocalypse prove to be very interesting when compared to the capitals found at Fleury. Chapter two discusses Fleury’s position in the kingdom and its power and influence not only as a monastery but as a center for learning, one that had connections to the king. It will also examine the construction of the Abbey as we see it today. The capital cycle in Gauzlin tower fills most of Chapter three, taking a close look at the composition of the capitals and comparing them to textual sources from the time and examine their location within the tower itself. And finally, Chapter four will look at possible influences that would have inspired the builders of Fleury and the possible consequence it may have had on 7 future structures. Through all of this, Fleury Abbey appears to be a site situated at the cusp of a new sculptural tradition that would be fully realized in the later Gothic. Apocalyptic Commentary Apocalyptic concerns are deeply rooted in many societies, this is especially true for the western Christianized world. Such concerns, found in both the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament and John's Book of Revelation in the New Testament, provided abundant material for contemplation and examination in the first millennium CE. The book of Revelation, in particular, was subject to exegetical examination in the medieval Latin West, which resulted in a multitude of commentaries produced by various thinkers. Authors such as the Venerable Bede, Beatus, Ambrosius Autpertus, Alcuin, Haymo, and Berengaudus,1 were all writing before and during the reign of the Carolingians.2 Their texts included their own interpretations built on many of the themes and concerns of earlier authors and church fathers. Before the commentaries produced during the period of the Carolingians, the major themes found in apocalyptic thought dealt with the Antichrist, the myth of the duration of the 1000 year kingdom, and the Sibylline Oracles, all of which were the main concerns from about the year 100 to 600.3 Furthermore, earlier apocalypticism of the classical period also worked its way into later medieval themes and imagery regarding the end of the world.4 As the year 1000 grew near and fears of the end increased, John’s Revelation was thrown into the spotlight, inspiring new written and visual exegetical works that aimed to understand