Description
Central portal between the narthex and the nave. The right jamb contains the figures of Peter and Paul. Two tall, elongated male figures are sculpted in high relief on the right upper jamb. Peter is on the frame of the door, Paul is at a 90 degree angle, and both are barefoot(?) and wear long, flowing robes with many shallow folds. Both have halos. Peter has a short beard and carries his attribute, keys, in his left hand while he gestures toward Paul with his right hand. Paul has a receding hairline and a long beard which is divided into two points (this is a fairly common way of portraying Paul) He folds a closed book in his left hand and the hem of his mantle in his right.
Note: Saints Peter and Paul figure prominently in the sculpture of Vézelay- in the central inner portal and on several capitals in the nave and narthex. Salet and Feldmen attribute this to the direct ties between Vézelay and the Papacy. Vezeley owed its allegiance directly to the Pope rather than to the Bishop of Autun, and various Popes visited Vézelay when they were in France.
