The Christ is surrounded by His Apostles. On His right, S. Peter, with a
cross and two keys, tramples under foot Simon the magician. Next to S.
Peter comes S. Andrew, his brother, clasping the cross of his martyrdom
to his breast, and, beneath his feet, the proconsul who condemned him to
death; S. Philip, with a sword, and, beneath, the King of Hierapolis,
who crucified him; S. Thomas, with the sword of his martyrdom, standing
upon the Indian King who gave him to the priests to be cut in twain; and
similarly with swords, and trampling on their persecutors, S. Matthew
and S. Simon. Opposite are S. Paul and the beardless John, the former
holding and pointing to the sword of his martyrdom, and trampling down
Nero, the latter with the (broken) palm of his martyrdom and the book of
his Gospel, and, beneath him, Aristodemus, priest of Diana, offering to
him a vase of poisonous snakes; S. James, the brother of John, comes
next, and, below him, is Herod Agrippa, who put him to the sword; then
S. James the Less, and the Jew who slew him with a club, S. Bartholomew
and S. Jude and their persecutors beneath. All these statues are of
great beauty and in the grand manner, varied in pose and movement, and
correct in design.
Above them, in the tympanum of the bay, is Christ enthroned as the
Judge, on the great and dreadful day of the Lord, the Virgin and S. John
on either side of Him intercede for sinners, and around Him six angels
bear the instruments of the Passion. Below are two scenes--S. Michael
weighing a soul, and the separation of the just from the unjust. On the
right of the archangel is the glorious army of the elect, clad in long
robes, and wearing an expression of serene happiness. They are being led
by guardian angels to the abodes of everlasting joy. On the continuation
of the lintel are several types of the elect being led to Abraham’s
bosom. On the left of S. Michael is a lively picture of the fate of the
wicked, the condemned of every class are being dragged by horrible
demons to the mouth of hell, a dragon with flaming jaws, and on the
continuation of the lintel also various types of sinners are meeting
with a like fate.
On either side of the central figure of Christ the second row represents
the Resurrection of the Dead, and, above this, are nine choirs of
angels, then twenty-eight pairs of statuettes, representing the prophets
of the Old Testament; and, lastly, fourteen admirable figures of
Christian virgins who have fought the good fight of chastity, and carry
in their hands, as symbols of their purity, fleurs-de-lis.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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