LDS Scripture Commentary / Photos: Chartres Cathedral
Chartres, North side, right portal
INNER ARCH
• Fourth archivolt: Tobias, son of Tobit, who restored vision to his father as Christ would to Israel.
Left:
† Tobit blesses son before departure, with angel watching;
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Chartres, west side, left portal, archivolt (bottom to top description)
• First archivolt (inner): Aquarius, March with pruning vines.
• Second archivolt (outer): Scorpio, December with feasting, Sagittarius [centaur or archer]
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Chartres, north side, right portal. These are OT types or prefigurements of Christ.
Right, detail:
• Beneath Joseph who was sold into Egypt: Potipher's wife to whom the devil whispers.
original (4295137953)
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Window 024 - Saint Martin of Tours
Bottom to top, left to right:
• Row 03: Martin revives a catachumen who died prior to baptism; Cobbler trimming sole of shoe as donor; Saint Hillaire makes Martin an exorcist.
• Row 04: Martin is attack by two ruffians, one saves his life; The brigands waiting to attack; Martin escapes by making a pine tree fall on the brigands.
• Row 05: The people of Tours seek a new bishop (both sides); Martin ordained bishop (middle).
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Chartres, north side, left portal
TYMPANUM
• Adoration of the Magi and then warned not to return to Herod.
LINTEL:
• Left: Nativity
• Right: Angel appears to shepherds.
INNER ARCH
• First archivolt: ten angels, lowest two on dragons, the rest on clouds
• Second archivolt: four foolish virgins on left, four foolish on the right
• Third archivolt: bottom on each side contain the other two virgins for a total of ten.
• Third, continued: The three theological virtues and equivalent sins.
• At top, to provide balance, a fourth virtue is added:
† Humility (dove) with Pride (falling headlong)
Then descending:
† Charity (clothes beggar) with Avarice (hoarding gold).
† Hope (looks to heaven) with Despair (stabs self).
• Fourth archivolt: Twelve queens bearing scrolls that at one time bore their names; these are the fruits of the spirit as per Galatians 5:22-23.
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Window 006 - Good Samaritan (restored)
Bottom to top, left to right. Circles start at 6 o'clock, proceed left to right:
• Panels 1,2,3: Cobblers, the donors of the window
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• Quadrant 4: Jesus tells a parable.
• Quadrant 5: Man leaves Jerusalem for Jericho
• Center 6, quadrant 7: Thieves leap out to attack and rob him
• Quadrant 8: Priest and levite pass by without helping.
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• Panels 9,10,11: Samaritan binds his wounds, places the man on his donkey, and takes him to a waiting inn-keeper.
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• Quadrant 12: Samaritan cares for wounded man at the inn.
• Quadrant 13: God creates man, (breathing into Adam the breath of life?).
• Center 14: Adam in paradise.
• Quadrant 15: God makes woman from rib ('tsela') as Adam sleeps. The appearance of the legs matching both Adam and Eve is a beautiful bit of work, rich with symbolism.
• Quadrant 16: God forbids the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. Note the red serpent already coiled about the trunk.
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• Panel 17: They sit under the tree (a first step toward sin, perhaps?).
• Panel 18: Satan tempts them and they eat. Note the dark, ominous red background which echoes the serpent from Quadrant 16, and contrasts with the refreshing blue of the previous.
• Panel 19: God calls to them, but they hide and make fig-leaf aprons.
• Quadrant 20: Cherubim drives them from the garden and tree of life.
• Quadrant 21: Adam digs while Eve spins with a distaff.
• Center 22: God/Christ judges their sin but also promises redemption. {? makes covenant with them)
• Quadrant 23: Cain takes an axe to Abel's head; the first murder. Abel's name can be made out in text below the panel. Like Abel--and the man in the parable--we have fallen victim to a fallen world, and lie wounded and bleeding.
• Quadrant 24: Christ sits to redeem and judge, surrounded by angels. Reminds us that he is the ultimate figure to whom the parable of the Samaritan points.
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