Grenoble Archaeological Museum | Doorways
If there’s one image
that seems – to me at any rate – to encapsulate the whole of the Grenoble
Archaeological Museum, it’s the sight of these two doorways, one inside the
other, with just a little of the richly painted decoration peeking through. The
earlier arched doorway was built in the late 12th to early 13th century and
features painted scenes on the intrados. At the centre, there’s a depiction of
the hand of god – the ‘Dexter Dei’ – with St Peter and his key on the left. St
Michael appears to the right, though only his name and wing-tip are currently
visible behind the remaining stonework. That stonework and later door were
inserted in the 15th century. When I first came here in 2000, only a little of
St Michael was visible. It is clear that part of the restoration of the site
included the decision to reveal more of this amazing paintwork.
 |
| Painted intrados as photographed in 2000 |
One other thing I’d
like to point out is the funerary stele, dated to 521 AD, reused in the
12th/13th century wall. It not only testifies to the long history of burials at
this site, but to the willingness of construction workers to reuse any handy
building material that can find!
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