Vézelay Abbey, France 1150

Vézelay Abbey in France was built of stone by Romanesque architects between approximately 1000 and 1250. As you can see, the material is used to its full potential. Its weight gives a sense of permanence and spiritual awe. But of course, stone is not a particularly tractable material. Consider the labor involved: quarrying, transporting, and carving all required intense physical effort. It was all done by hand, without the aid of modern machinery. This makes the finesse of the sculptural details all the more remarkable. And the program of representation, though biblical in subject, is also deeply social. The central tympanum shows Christ giving his apostles the power to evangelize to the nations. But the whole Abbey reflects the power of collective belief, of many hands and minds contributing to a single purpose. In appreciating this space, we can see beyond the tired distinction between art and craft.