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The Great Island
The Proof by Water: A test of the Virgin’s chastity. The priest Zacharias
offers a pitcher of water to Mary and she prepares to drink. ‘And
the whole people was amazed that no sin was revealed in them.’
The Presentation of the Virgin; Almond-eyed maidens accompany her
as she is led before Zacharias.
Joseph’s Sadness over the Pregnant Virgin: As the gospel says, ‘He was
minded to put her away privily. ’ Mary sits on a chair, plainly pregnant.
Joseph rests his head on his right hand as he grieves. An angel appears
to reassure him. In the Apocryphal cycle: ‘Joseph found her pregnant
and struck her face and threw himself to the ground and wept bitterly
. . . . and Mary wept bitterly saying that I am pure and know no man.’
In subject matter this is the most interesting picture in the church, since
it incorporates elements from commoner types (Joseph’s dream etc.) to
make a new design.
The Journey to Bethlehem: The pregnant Virgin on a donkey, followed
by Joseph.
The Closed Gate: The Virgin and Child before the closed gate, a
symbol of virginity derived from Ezekiel. This picture takes the place
of the usual Nativity.
Below these panels are the saints and martyrs – a row of busts above
a row of full-length figures.
The northern aisle lacks the intermediary row of busts. Above the
upright saints and the founders of the church (a couple and child), is
the Second Coming. Here is Paradise: the garden enclosed by a wall;
trees in blossom, and birds; the Virgin with an angel, and the patriarchs
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The gates of Paradise are set in the wall,
and St Peter stands outside with the keys. The four rivers of Paradise,
each designated by an initial letter (T for Tigris, E for Euphrates, etc.)
are outside the wall.
There are the wise and the foolish virgins, the apostles, the Baptist,
the woman with the beasts and the four winds of the Apocalypse. On
the west wall there is the angel of the Lord who trumpets on earth and
sea; the Psychostasia (an angel holds the scales while a soul is weighed);
and a rough sketch of souls in torment, their naked limbs being devoured
by snakes. Apart from these scenes, there survive only the sea rendering
up its corpses, and the dance of the martyrs and saints entering Paradise.
The rest of the panels, covering much of the north wall, are
destroyed.
Thus in the two side aisles the worshipper could follow the preliminaries
to the great drama of the incarnation and life of Christ, and the
epilogue to that drama – the sounding of the last trumpet, the raising
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