The cathedrale of St. Lazarus at Autun, a strategic city even in Roman times, was built between 1120 and 1146. Conceived as a shrine for the relics of Lazarus, close friend of Jesus and brother of Martha and Mary of the Gospels, the new building was intended to make Autun a great pilgrimage site, rivaling that of Vezelay. Each of these cities boasted famous biblical relics - Autun those of Lazarus, Vezelay those of Mary Magdalen. Autun did achieve fame, but never managed to eclipse its rival, which maintained its primary position as a starting point for the Burgundian-Limousine road to Compostella.