Chartres, north side, center portal
INNER ARCH
• Eighth archivolt: Creation and Fall [bottom to top]
(17) Cherubim with flaming sword driving Adam and Eve from Eden.
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Archives
IMG 5090
Window 038 - Charlemagne
Bottom to top, left to right:
[Spanish Crusades - from Chronicle of Pseudo-Turpin]
• Row 10: Crusaders battle Moors; Miracle of the Flowering Lances: the night prior to battle, those fated to die had flowers appear on their lances, proof of their blessed state as future martyrs.
• Diamond 11: Roland battles King Marsile of the Saracens [some sources say batles giant Ferragus/Ferracutus, but the armor does not match].
• Row 12: Rolland kills giant Ferragus/Ferracutus; Ganelon urges Charlemagne to return home to France.
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original (4295078119)
Window 006 - Good Samaritan
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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Window 030 - Saint Sylvester [Pope, contemporary of Constantine]
Note that there are eight small round medallions. Seven of these show Constantine writing one of the seven laws he gave to the Church. The final medallion (upper right) shows him watching the soul of Sylvester ascend; there is nothing on his scroll (has this finally silenced him? - GLS).
Bottom to top, left to right:
• Row 06: Sylvester holds book as the people beg him to accept ordinantion as a deacon; Melchaides ordains Sylvester a deacon.
• Row 07 (two outer): Sylvester becomes pope on Melchaides' death; Constantine becomes ill with leprosy (physician examines his urine).
• Row 08: Constantine sacrifices to an idol; Sylvester and Christians flee persecution.
• Center 09: Soldiers prepare bath with blood of 3,000 children, intended to heal the emperor if he bathes in it.
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Window 010 - Saint Apollinaris, Celestial Hierarchy, Grisaille (14th century) (restored).
SAINT APOLLINARIS
• Row 07: Outraged at the temple's loss, pagans beat Apollinaris to death; saint's funeral; Christians of Ravenna mourn his passing.
Celestial hierarchy (lowest to highest):
• Row 08: Angels (I); Principals (III); Archangels (II).
• Row 09: Powers (IV); Virtues (V); Dominions (VI).
• Row 10: Cherubim (VIII); Thrones (VII); Seraphim (IX).
• Row 11: Christ, with angels worshipping him.
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Window 024 - Saint Martin of Tours
Bottom to top, left to right:
• Row 01: Saint Martin gives half of his cloak to a beggar; Cobbler preparing leather as donor; Christ thanks Martin in a dream and returns his cloak.
• Row 02: Cobbler scraping hide as donor; Martin is baptized; Cobbler stitches shoe as donor.
• 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).
• Row 06: Martin forces robber's soul out of a shrine, where it was being mistakenly honored as a martyr; People watch; Martin raises a child from the dead (some say he interrupts a country funeral to make sure they are not practicing paganism).
• Row 07: Martin exorcises a demon from a man's buttocks; Martin preaches to a crowd (2 frames).
• Row 08: Physician and paralytic in city of Treves; Martin heals the paralytic while family/others look on (2 frames).
• Row 09: Martin and Roman proconsul Tetradius (center); Martin heals servant of proconsul (both sides).
• Row 10: Outside Paris Martin kisses a leper and cures him; Angel with censer; Martin with Emperor Maximus at banquet.
• Row 11: Angel with censer; Martin's death; Angel with censer.
• Row 12: Parishioners of of Tours and Poitiers fight over the saint's remains; Angel with censer; Tours steals body from Poitiers and takes it up the Loire river.
• Row 13: Saint's body arrives at Tours; Soul of Martin ascends (perhaps can rest easy now in the 'proper' place?); Funeral procession awaiting the body.
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Chartres, North side, right portal
INNER ARCH
• Fourth archivolt: Tobias, son of Tobit, who restored vision to his father as Christ would to Israel [right half]
† Tobias travels with angel watching;
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Window 024 - Saint Martin of Tours
Bottom to top, left to right:
• Row 01: Saint Martin gives half of his cloak to a beggar; Cobbler preparing leather as donor; Christ thanks Martin in a dream and returns his cloak.
• Row 02: Cobbler scraping hide as donor; Martin is baptized; Cobbler stitches shoe as donor.
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