Autun

Autun, founded in Roman times, became an episcopal city of Burgundy. Its church of Saint-Lazare was built in the early twelfth century to receive pilgrims drawn by the relics of Lazarus. The Romanesque building and its richly carved portals gave the cult a magnificent setting, while the older church of Saint-Nazaire stood nearby.

For centuries the two churches shared cathedral functions: Saint-Lazare served from Easter to All Saints’ Day and Saint-Nazaire through the winter months. Pilgrims came to honour Lazarus, whose relics had been identified with those of the man raised by Christ. In 1766 the canons remodelled the choir of Saint-Lazare, removing the saint's medieval tomb to make room for a monumental new decoration in marble and carved, gilded wood.