St. Trophime--page 5 (of eight pages): Saints on the front facade





Note please: these images are generally arranged on this page as they appear on the facade from left to right.

Large somewhat repetitive statues of saints occupy the front of the gabled portal--3 on each side--and flank the main entrance--two on each side. For an excellent analysis of the styles of the sculpture, as well as a comparison to the earlier saints at Saint-Gilles, see Whitney S. Stoddard.

St Trophime, the first bishop of Arles, is on the front, left side nearest the entrance and St. Stephen occupies the same position on the right. (See details below.) The earliest church on this site had been dedicated to Stephen while the later church was solely dedicated to St. Trophime.

The left facade and St. James the Lesser (the second statue from the left)

The books of some of these saints identify the writer. Here, it is Iacobus.
 

The first saint from the left: St. Bartholomew

 

The third saint from the left: St. Trophime, the first bishop of Arles

He is in the dress of biship and holds an elaborate crozier. Angels crown him with a tiara.
 

Saints of the inner left corner: John and Peter

 

St. Peter, here directly to the right of Christ, a privileged position

He holds the keys, his usual symbol, as he does in the center of the lintel below Christ's feet in the tympanum. (See tympanum.)
 

Saints of the inner right corner with Paul nearest the door and Andrew

 

The right side of the front facade with two full length saints (James Major and Philip) and the martyrdom in St. Stephen in the panel nearest the main door

Oddly, rather than a heroic depiction of Stephen he and his soul (issuing from his mouth) are represented. Two men with largish rocks are stoning him while God above accept his soul.
 


Works Consulted or Quoted:
Whitney S. Stoddard. The Facade of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard: Its Influence on French Sculpture. Middletown, Conn: Wesleyan UP, 1973.


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© 2007 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.