Sepulchral Effigy of a Knight of Santiago de Compostela
By Jesse Rodriguez
Today, effigies are still used but in different ways in the twenty-first century. There are different types of effigies today, like caricature effigies which we use in festivals or to parody political figures. Another type of effigy is a funeral effigy. One example of an effigy is the burning man, which is the center of a huge festival where people go to celebrate and burn a huge sculpture made out of wood. Another effigy is a double effigy tomb, found in Christian churches in France. Another effigy is a priant, an effigy of a deceased person kneeling in a prayer. All around the world effigies are still used in a variety of traditions.
Tomb Effigy of Jean d'Alluye
This effigy can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It dates to roughly around the mid-thirteenth century and is of French origin. This effigy shows a knight named Jean d’Alluye; it was made in Touraine, Loire Valley. One difference that this effigy has is that it is made out of limestone and the effigy at LACMA is made out of alabaster. Another difference between the effigies is that one is French and the other is Spanish. Another difference is the shield, the French knight has shield with him and the Spanish knight does not have a shield, the French knight also has his hands in a prayer and the knight in LACMA does not have his hand in a prayer. One of the similarities the effigies has is that they both carry a sword with them, another similarity they both have is their clothing, signaling their wealth and elite status. So it was not only the Order of Santiago that had religious knights but other places in Europe that also had religious knights that lived by the similar code. I chose this particular object because as my LACMA object it was very unique and detailed as well. I also chose this object because it shows how dedicated theses knights were. This effigy illustrates the knight’s preoccupation with his role on earth but also his fate in the afterlife, especially his salvation.
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St. James of Compostela
From what the Christian stories tell us is that St. James, one of twelve disciples of Christ, traveled to the Iberian Peninsula and brought Christianity to the Celtic people (Gray, “Santiago de Compostela”). In a picture by Noel Coypel, St. James is at a pilgrim with his staff preaching to the people (De Bles). He was also called St. James the greater. Two of most important pilgrimage sites were Jerusalem and Rome, but Santiago de Compostela was closer to visit for many Christians. The city of Santiago de Compostela and its grand cathedral are among the most fascinating places in all of Europe. At the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela there is a statue of St. James. St. James’ tomb is located underneath the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. There is a major pilgrimage route, the “camino,” that leads to the shrine of St. James in the cathedral (“World Heritage Centre”). People still today walk and cycle these routes to the shrine. Symbols associated with pilgrimage are the traveler’s hat and a scallop shell. St. James was also the first apostle to be martyred. According to his legend, St. James was preaching the Gospel in Spain and was later on killed in Judea. Legends say that St. James’ bodily remains were shipped by boat from Jerusalem to Northern Spain (Gray, “Santiago de Compostela”). Many people still today celebrate the life and deeds of St. James. On St. James day, which is in July, the church holds special services, and there are traditional dance events and entertainments.
Works Cited
Arthur De, Bles. How to Distinguish the Saints in Arts. 1925.
Aurora Ruiz Mateaos, Jesús Espino Nuño and Olga Pérez Monzón”. Architecture and Power: the Seats of the Priories of the Order of Santiago. The Military Orders. Malcolm Barber, Ed. 1994.
http://www.papalknights.org/santiago.html.
Gray, Martin. Santiago de Compostela. 1982-2015.
https://sacredsites.com/europe/spain/santiago_de_compostela.html.
Lawrence, Stone. Sculpture in Britain the Middle Ages. Book. 1955.
Nickel, Helmut "A Crusader's Sword: Concerning the Effigy of Jean d'Alluye." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 26 (1991).
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/25.120.201.
"Order of Santiago". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/topic/Order-of-Santiago>.
Schaefer, Scott, et al. European Painting and Sculpture in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1987.
“The Christian Knighthood Information Center”. The Military Order of Santiago-Kingdom of Spain. Web. 1996-2012.
<http://www.papalknights.org/santiago.html>.
“World Heritage Centre”. Routes of Santiago de Compostela. Web. Mar. 2007 <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/669/>.
Aurora Ruiz Mateaos, Jesús Espino Nuño and Olga Pérez Monzón”. Architecture and Power: the Seats of the Priories of the Order of Santiago. The Military Orders. Malcolm Barber, Ed. 1994.
http://www.papalknights.org/santiago.html.
Gray, Martin. Santiago de Compostela. 1982-2015.
https://sacredsites.com/europe/spain/santiago_de_compostela.html.
Lawrence, Stone. Sculpture in Britain the Middle Ages. Book. 1955.
Nickel, Helmut "A Crusader's Sword: Concerning the Effigy of Jean d'Alluye." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 26 (1991).
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/25.120.201.
"Order of Santiago". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/topic/Order-of-Santiago>.
Schaefer, Scott, et al. European Painting and Sculpture in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1987.
“The Christian Knighthood Information Center”. The Military Order of Santiago-Kingdom of Spain. Web. 1996-2012.
<http://www.papalknights.org/santiago.html>.
“World Heritage Centre”. Routes of Santiago de Compostela. Web. Mar. 2007 <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/669/>.