The Shrine of SS Vicente, Sabina and Cristeta |
The
shrine was probably built between 1180 and 1185 (with several later
Gothic additions) for the Basilica San Vicente in Ávila.1
It houses the remains of Saint Vicente, also the patron saint of the
church, and his sisters Sabina and Cristeta. According to legend,
Vicente refused to partake in pagan rituals and was thus imprisoned
in Talavera, his home town. While imprisoned, he is visited by his
sisters who aided in his escape to Avila. The siblings were caught
shortly after their escape and tortured by their captors until they
were finally executed. This rendition of the legend was first
recorded by Prudentius in his Peristephanon in the fourth
century. By the time the shrine was built, however, the legend had
been expanded to include an additional episode. After the saint's martyrdom, their bodies were guarded by a snake sent by God until
they were discovered by a Jew. The snake attacked him and only released him once he called unto Christ. The Jew thus
converted and built a basilica for the saints, so they could receive
a proper burial there. As we shall see later, this additional episode
became a significant feature in the visual programme of the shrine.
The
shrine follows the design of a two-aisled basilica. The shrine's
north and south side depict the legend of Saint Vicente, Sabina and
Cristeta. On the east and west side, we can see a depiction of the
Epiphany and the Theophany. The arcades on which the whole structure
rests, is decorated with representations of the apostles as well as
religious and secular figures. On the north side of the shrine the
visual narration begins with Vicente's refusal to worship the pagan
gods, followed to the right by his sisters’ visit and their escape.
On the south side the story continues with their capture in Ávila,
their torture on X-shaped crosses and their martyrdom by having their
heads smashed by massive stone blocks. The next two scenes focus
entirely on the Jew who found them; first by showing him,
identifiable by his cap, beard and physiognomy, being attacked by the
snake, then by building the shrine for the saints. In the second
scene the change in his attire is of great significance as his shirt
indicates that the scene occurs after he received his baptism.
The Jew builds the shrine for the saints |
The Jew is attacked by the snake |
The martyrdom of the saints |
However,
there is a significant addition in the visualisation of the legend.
In the scene of the martyrdom a figure has been added that is
identifiable as Jew by its physiognomy. Simultaneously an additional Jewish figure seems to partake in the execution of the martyrs.
It has been suggested that the Jew in this programme is turned 'from
the happenstance observer of the Visigothic tale to a persecutor who
nurtures as an active hostility to the young saints.'3
However, based on the different clothing it appears to me that these
figures may in fact be two separate individuals. This would imply
that the imagery of the shrine is not polemicising again Jews in the
same generalising way as can be observed in other visual material.
Though of course a polemic still remains, and the positive aspect of
the Jew who finds the bodies is only possible due to his conversion.
Nevertheless, the imagery seems to indicate an approach to the Other,
that is not purely generalising, but explores notions of individual
actions. However, such reading needs to be looked at in more detail,
especially with regards to the specific socio-historical context in Ávila, which will be part of my further PhD studies.
-Fabian
1 See
Goldschmidt, Werner. “El Sepulcro de San Vicente, En Avila.”
Archivo Español de Arqueología 12 (1936): 161–170 for a
full account of the dating.
2 See
Camps, Daniel Rico. “A Shrine in Its Setting: San Vicente de
Ávila.” In Decorations for the Holy Dead: Visual
Embellishments on Tombs and Shrines of Saints, edited by Stephan
Lamia and Elizabeth Valdez del Alamo, 57–76. Turnhout: Brepols,
2002 for a detailed analysis of the different layers in the
relationships between shrine, imagery and church.
3 Patton,
Pamela Anne. Art of Estrangement: Redefining Jews in Reconquest
Spain. University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State
University Press, 2012, 27-31.
Images: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sepulcro_de_los_Santos_M%C3%A1rtires,_Basilica_of_San_Vicente,_%C3%81vila
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