This monographic study of the former Cluniac church at Paray-le-Monial (Saône-et-Loire) in southern Burgundy examines the architecture of the church and its relation to local, regional and international architectural currents of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. This work sheds new light on its construction history. Most importantly, its close analysis of Paray's masonry and sculpture reveals that the church was constructed in two phases. The earliest phase is shown to have been begun ca 1120 and is related to the latest work in the nave of the third abbey church at Cluny. On the basis of masonry technique and capital types, the second phase is shown to date to the late twelfth and the early thirteenth centuries. The sparse documentary evidence for Paray from this period is found to support these dates for the two phases. This study also shows that the predominant capital type at Paray was used both at Cluny and at the Cistercian abbey at Fontenay and that the marginal use of figural sculpture at Paray reflects contemporary discussion concerning the appropriateness of images in monastic contexts.
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mkerr@reed.edu