The Internment of Saint Vincent of Saragossa and the Translation of His Relics to Valencia
Commissioned by Nicolas Cavelier French
Not on view
After being cast into the sea, Saint Vincent’s body miraculously emerges from the water unscathed and is found by a widow, who has learned of its presence from an angel (seen at left). The body is then prepared for proper burial. Years later, a group of pilgrims express their devotion as Vincent’s relics are carried past them in a procession that will end at the saint’s chapel outside Valencia (center and right). The scenes’ clarity and the text relating the narrative attest to the didactic function of this choir tapestry, the last of a set of eight hangings chronicling the life of Saint Vincent that were commissioned for his church in Rouen. At the right, the donor of the weaving, a priest named Nicolas Cavelier, kneels before his prayer desk and looks toward the viewer, emphasizing his role as an intermediary between the faithful and the miraculous events depicted.
