The study focuses on some original parts of the second building of Gyulafehérvár cathedral which are now missing, such as its original sanctuary, which was demolished soon after completion and replaced by another. Also discussed are a...
moreThe study focuses on some original parts of the second building of Gyulafehérvár cathedral which are now missing,
such as its original sanctuary, which was demolished soon after completion and replaced by another. Also discussed are a
number of carvings used in a secondary or tertiary setting, as spolia, originally made around 1200 or at the beginning of the 13th
century, and then removed from their original context. Fragments of chevron-decorated carvings can be arranged along an arch
that, because of its size, can only be identified with the transverse arch of the original apse of the sanctuary. The transverse arch
on the face of the Gyulafehérvár apse, built around 1200, was – as far as we know today – the largest structural element in Central
Europe decorated with a “Norman” chevron ornament. From the exterior decoration of the original apse a surprisingly large
number of richly decorated details still survive. The entablature high on top of the polygonal apse of the present-day sanctuary
is richly decorated with figures and other motifs in high relief. The placement of these carvings is clearly secondary. Obviously
pieces from the entablature of the 12th-century apse were re-used in the 13th-century Gothic apse (and later when it was rebuilt in
the 18th century). The thematic focus of the Gyulafehérvár cornice also relates to the figural decoration of the capitals inside the
sanctuary. In addition to this series, about a dozen or so other figural carvings from this same period adorn the church. The two
reliefs depicting St. Michael, both found in secondary placement high on the outside wall of the sanctuary, are the most important
of these carvings.
