Doorway from Moutiers-Saint-Jean
Unknown Artist
ca. 1250
Medium
White oolitic limestone with traces of paint
Dimensions
15 ft. 5 in. × 12 ft. 7 in. × 55 in. (469.9 × 383.5 × 139.7 cm) Opening: 110 x 66 in. (379.4 x 167.6 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Architectural-Stone
Culture
French
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cloisters Collection, 1932
Accession Number
32.147
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step through the grand **Doorway from Mout-Saint-Jean**, a stunning architectural sculpture hailing from a Cistercian abbey in Burgundy, France around 1250. Carved from white oolitic limestone—a durable, fine-grained stone quarried locally—this monumental portal stands over 15 feet tall, with an opening wide enough for processions. Traces of original paint reveal it was once vividly colored, a hallmark of High Gothic artistry that brought biblical scenes to life for medieval worshippers. The doorway's intricate reliefs center on the **Coronation of the Virgin**, where Christ crowns Mary amid ...