Representations of Eve and the Church at Autun

This paper examines the representation of Eve on the lintel fragment from La Cathédral Saint-Lazare d’Autun, France. Eve is depicted naked, crawling on her belly through the Garden of Eden, with one hand reaching out for the fruit of the Tree of Life and the other shielding her face in a gesture of shame. Parishioners and pilgrims to the church mimic these movements as crawl down the aisle of the church to ask for penance. Public displays of humility and shame were common practice in acting for penance in the medieval church. Lazarus of Bethany, the patron saint of the cathedral, is said to have been raised from the dead after four days by Jesus. Lazarus of Bethany was canonized as the patron saint of lepers in the Middle Ages, and Saint Lazare d’Autun became a common stop along the pilgrimage route where pilgrims asked for forgiveness and healing. This unusual use of Eve as a symbol of shame calls into question the views of women at the time that the lintel fragment was made in the 12th century. Eve’s undulating movements are subtly sexual in nature and reminiscent of the movements of a serpent. The suggestion that she is serpent-like aligns her with the devil and solidifies her connection to the fall of man