Early Midieval

Doors with relief panels, commissioned by Bishop Bernward for Saint Michael's, Hildesheim, Germany.

Bernward placed the bronze doors at hte entrance to Saint Michael's fromt he cloister, where the monks would see them each time they walked into the church. The panels of the left door illustrate highlights from the biblical book of Genesis, beginning with the creation of Eve and ending with the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, moving from top to bottom. The right door recounts the life of Christ, reading from bottom up. Together, the doors tell the story of Original Sin and ultimate redemption, showing the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, and the path back to Paradise through the Christian Church. The reliefs on the left correspond with the reliefs on the right, prefiguring the Old Testament with the new.

Upon entering the doors to Saint Michael's , all who come across them are meant to be drawn in to the stories and the events that took place for the coming forth of the church. If I were one to come across these doors, the examination thereof would be quite the experience. With the added intrest in comparing stories, and seeking out similarites, I feel that it encourages thought. With these thoughts, it is hoped that the viewer might be reminded of the accounts recorded, to be encouraged enough to enter in and take upon themselves the salvation provided to them within the wall of the Church.