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Building: Cathédrale Saint-Caprais (Agen, FR)

Building Name
:
Cathédrale Saint-Caprais
Place Name
:
Agen
Country
:
France
Monastic Order
:
Latitude
:
44.206785
Longitude
:
0.619215
  
  •   Choir Capital 1
    Description: The first line of text is written on the face above the figures. The second line is written on the astragal. The text on the astragal forms a leonine hexameter.
    Reference: Four scenes are depicted on this capital. Each one is summed up by an inscribed verb on the corbeille. It is very probably, as suggested by Barrère, that one sould figure (anima, or spiritus?), was represented above the last scene (celestia scandit). The older passio of St. Caprais is not before the ninth century. Most of the hagiography relates the martyrdom of Caprais in assocation with that of St. Foy. According to the sources, Caprais, fleeing the persecution of Diocletian, took refuge in a cave. Learning of the arrest of St. Foy, he presented himself before the judge, Dacien, who sent a donkey. In the vitae the same words, Dacianus, praecipit and milites are found. This capital, which includes only Caprais, draws from the same sources: Dacien signifies the arrest of the dead, a soldier executes the sentence, Caprais, through his martyrdom, reaches paradise. The epigraphist and the art historian are in agreement for dating this text to the beginning of the 12th century.
     Face: 
    1. DACIANVS MILES SANCTVS/ CAPRASIVS
    Dacien the soldier, orders St. Caprais
     Face: 
    2. PRECIPIT OCCIDIT MORITVR CELESTIA SCAN[DIT]
    to be killed dead, he ascends to heaven
  •   Choir Capital 2
    Description: Capital of the transept, north side, east pier, west and east faces above the bishop's chair
    Reference: This capital illustrates a scene from the story of Tobias. Steered by the archangel Raphael, who came to heal his blindness, Tobias goes to the house of Raguel. Raguel's daughter, Sara, accused of being responsible for the death of seven husbands, he destroys the demon Asmodee (Tobias 3, 7-17).Apart from the biblical text, patristic sources give Tobias a double meaning. For Isidore of Seville, Raban Maur, and Hugh of St. Victor, Tobias is the image of the ancient Jewish law and a prefiguration of Christ. Capital dates to the beginning 12th century.
     Face: 
    RAGVEL
    Raguel
     Face: 
    TOBIAM
    Tobias
    No images.