About

The cloister of the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame-en-Vaux housed a unique collection of finely crafted column-statues depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Erected around 1170–1180, these sculptures served the canons as aids for contemplation and instruction. Although emblematic of the early Gothic style, this artistic trend was short-lived and soon abandoned in the wake of subsequent liturgical reforms.

This five-column pillar is richly decorated and features two figures with halos, one of whom may be identifiable by his tau-shaped staff. This would likely be the patriarch Jacob from the Book of Genesis.

The other figure, wearing a ribbed cap, is not identified, but this style of clothing, attributed to priests, is found on many statues from this period. Assuming that the male figure beside Jacob is indeed him, this statue could represent the priest Ezra, who was tasked with re-establishing the exiled Jews on their land and restoring the Temple of Jerusalem.

The shafts of the columns are adorned with toruses and fluting, a feature that is very rare in medieval sculpture. This five-column pillar appears to be the only one to have received this treatment among the other column-statues in the cloister.

Historical Background

Severely lacking funds for the upkeep of their cloister in the 18th century, the monks proceeded with the demolition of the cloister between 1759 and 1766. The cloister was destroyed, and the grounds were rebuilt using the debris for the foundations. The cloister and its sculptures would fall into obscurity for two centuries, escaping the destruction of the Revolutionary period. Rediscovered in fragments during excavations by Léon Pressouyre between 1963 and 1976, it was reassembled and supplemented with plaster reinforcements.

State of Preservation

The statue is highly fragmented, with many parts missing. The best-preserved figure is that of the man with the ribbed cap, whose hands and part of his scroll are the only missing elements. The man with the cane is much more fragmented: his arm and the lower part of his face are missing and have been restored with metaline by Léon Pressouyre. One of the faces of the richly decorated capital, featuring acanthus leaves, is also lost.