Building Name

:

Saint-Pierre le Haut  

Location

:

Capital on the second column of the rond-point of choir, south side

Capital

:

1

Subject

:

Babylon Announcement to shepherds

Description

:

Archaeologists typically date the capitals at Chauvigny to the 12th century. The epigraphic evidence does not contradict this dating, but suggests that the date is in the first half of the century. Capital height = 1.05m

Reference

:

The text for Announcement to the Shepherds comes from Luke 2:14: Gloria in altissimis Deo (2:14) and Pax in caelo et gloria in excelsis (19:38). The text inscribed here comes directly from the liturgy, [Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. The inscriptions referring to Babylon can perhaps be related to two passages from Apocalypse: Babylon magna, mater fornicationum et abominationum terrae (Rev. 17:5), and: Salus et gloria et virtus Deo nostro... qui judicavit de meretrice magna, quae corrupit terram in prostitutione sua (Rev. 19:2). The south face of this capital illustrates the Weighing of Souls and cites Scripture.

Corpus Ref.

:

Vol. 2 Poitou-Charentes and Département de la Vienne (excepté la ville de Poitiers), 25-26