The Lady Chapel in Winchester Cathedral has some wonderful wall paintings, which represent miracles attributed to the Virgin Mary. I believe that most of them are drawn from the Cantigas de Santa Maria of Alfonso the Wise. Cantiga 15 is clearly illustrated by three frames from the lower section of the North Wall, just behind the altar rail.
Cantiga 15
Todo los Santos que son no Ceo
All the Saints in Heaven
Esta é como Santa Maria defendeu a cidade de Cesaira do emperador Juyão
How the Holy Mary defended the city of Caesaria from the Emperor Juyão
Todo-los Santos que son no Ceo |
All the saints in heaven |
Previously in Cantiga 15: Emperor Juyão was warring against the Persians and in order to attack them he had to move through Ceasaria. St Basil paid him homage - "may the wise God save you, oh emperor."
Juyão boasts to Basil that he knows everything. Basil retorts that that will only be when Juyão recognises his creator. Basil offers him barley bread as charity, but Juyão rejects it. He says that if he conquers the Persians, he will return to destroy the city, either giving them hay to eat or starving them out. St Basil accepts and eats the hay, but threatens that God will make Juyão answer for his sins. |
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St Basil returns to the city, has all the citizens pray to the Virgin, makes them fast for three days and keep vigil to the Lady of Goodwill.
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Tired from fasting, St Basil falls asleep. The Virgin appears to him in a dream and tells him that she will destroy the evil-doer. She has St Mercurius resurrected and set on his white horse, telling him to seek out Juyão and avenge the insult to St Basil. |
Still in the dream, Mary gives Basil a book, which he learns by heart. When he comes to, St Basil remains in fear and dread. He summons a follower and together they go to where Mercurius' weapons had been displayed. Naturally, the weapons are no longer there.
St Basil tells the people of the sign that Mercurius will take vengeance. They return en masse and find the weapons back in place, but the lance is covered in blood. As they are staring at it, Libano, a Syrian philosopher arrives, having ridden with all speed since having seen a white knight strike Juyão dead with a single blow of the lance. |
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In a future episode: Libano asks to stay in the monastery at Caeseria, wishing to lead a holy life and proclaim Christian law to the world. He is immediately baptised and Caeseria begins a month-long feast of the Virgin. Every day during the feast, a few stragglers from Juyão's army arrive in the town, telling of how he died.