carved oak choirstalls given by Abbot André de Chanac (r. 1378–1420). The 15th-
century wall painting of the Dance of Death (6 feet by 86 feet) is an important
representation of this popular Late Gothic theme. Its three panels show Death inviting the
powerful, the bourgeois, and the peasantry to dance. Only two wings remain of the 14th-
century Gothic cloister that abutted the south aisle of the church.
In the Middle Ages, Chaise-Dieu was a thriving artistic center that sent architects and
sculptors far afield. The monastery was sacked by Huguenots in 1562 during the Wars of
Religion, beginning a long period of decline, culminating in the desecrations of the
Revolution.
William W.Kibler/William W.Clark
Erlande-Brandenberg, Alain. “L’abbatiale de la Chaise-Dieu.” Congrès archéologique (Velay) 133
(1975):720–55.
CHÂLONS-SUR-MARNE
. Although there are text references to earlier Carolingian and Romanesque buildings, the
oldest parts of the present cathedral of Saint-Étienne at Châlons-sur-Marne (Marne) are
part of the crypt and the north tower flanking the chevet, which should be dated ca. 1150.
The tower contains some of the earliest stained glass in Champagne. Repairs to the old
building began in 1205 and were financed by income from the relic of St. Stephen
acquired in 1204. Serious construction, begun probably after a fire in 1230, proceeded
slowly; the north transept and porch were in progress 1260–65. Construction of the choir
began in 1285 but was finished only in the later 17th century, following partial
construction of the nave in the 15th and erection of the classical façade early in the 17th.
The confused building history has been admirably analyzed by Ravaux.
In contrast to the cathedral, the important parish church of Notre-Dame-en-Vaux is a
remarkably homogeneous construction of the later 12th century. The lower parts of the
transept and the two chevet towers are close in style to the cathedral tower and probably
survived the collapse of the old church in 1157. Through the 1160s and 1170s, donations
to the fabric financed construction of the lower nave and aisles, although the upper parts
and the four-story chevet must have been constructed only after lengthy disputes of
income and finances were settled in 1187. The chevet of Notre-Dame and the two upper
stories of the nave are closely modeled on the new chevet of Saint-Remi in Reims. In
spite of destruction to the exterior and heavy-handed restorations to the interior, Notre-
Dame preserves a series of elegant, crisply carved foliate capitals that predict the
marvelously inventive architectural decoration of the cloister. Fragments of the 12th-
century cloister were excavated, and the site was turned into a museum to display them.
The number and diversity of subjects in the statue columns and historiated capitals make
this one of the most important sculptural discoveries of the century. Five major styles
have been discerned, yet the placement marks indicate that the whole project was
constructed simultaneously.
Two other parish churches in Châlons merit mention: Saint-Jean and Saint-Alpin, both
of which existed by 1028. Saint-Jean has later 1 1th-century aisles, which were vaulted in
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