Death and cathedral chapters in Burgundy in the XIIIth-XVth centuries

Throughout the last three centuries of the Middle Ages, the cathedral chapters of Autun and Chalon-sur-Saone attempted to define their policy with regard to death by taking into account the particular situation of their episcopal city, including the topography, the balances that had been established between the different social and political organizations, and the long-standing privileges that the different religious institutions enjoyed. The supporting rites for the dying would continue to play a defining role in the cities of Autun and Chalon-sur-Saone. This was not the case for commemoration services, burials, and places of burial. The cathedral of Autun became an episcopal necropolis in the XIIth century, whereas the cathedral of Chalon had to wait until the end of the XVth century and the beginning of the XVIth century in order to become one too.