Cycle of the Life of the Blessed Virgin

In the first three bays of the inner narthex

 The Cycle of the Life of the Virgin is based mainly on the Apocryphal Gospel of St. James, better known as the Protoevangelium, which is at least as old as the second century, and gives an account of her birth and life from the rejection of the offerings of Joachim, her father, to the birth of Jesus. It was very popular in the Middle Ages and is the source of many cycles of pictures both in the East and the West; compare Giotto’s cycle in the Arena Chapel at Padua, painted at about the same date as these, and representing many of the same scenes. Here there were 20 scenes, of which 19 are completely or partially preserved.

The north lunette, the surface of which is divided by a window, con-
tained an unidentified scene, probably concerning the desire of the aging
couple, Joachim and Anne, for a child. A servant peeks out of a doorway.

9. In the northwest pendentive below the dome is part of the scene of
Joachim’s Offerings Rejected. The bearded priest Zaccharias is shown pray-
ing in the Temple, which looks much like the sanctuary of a Byzantine
church.

11. In the opposite,. southeast pendentive, is Joachim in the Wilderness. A
forlorn Joachim contemplates his misfortune.

12. In the partially preserved lunette above is The Annunciation to St. Anne.
As she prays in the garden, an angel announces to Anne that she will
bear a child. The missing portion to the left may have included a similar
annunciation to Joachim.

13. On the arch between the first two bays is The Meeting at the Golden Gate.
A happy Joachim meets and embraces Anne at the gate of Jerusalem. The
scene is inscribed “The Conception of the Theotokos” (“Bearer of God”).

14. In the lunette of the second bay, The Birth of the Virgin is represented.
Anne reclines on a bed, attended by servants who prepare a bath for the
infant Virgin Mary. Joachim peers timidly through the doorway. The
Nativity of Christ is very similar in composition and is in the same posi-
tion in the outer narthex.

15. On the arch between the second and third bays is The First Seven Steps of
the Virgin. The Virgin surprises her mother by walking at six months; Anne
subsequently vows that her daughter shall be raised in the Temple.

16. In the vault above, on the western side is The Virgin Blessed by the Priests.
Joachim carries the child, his hands covered, as if bearing a sacred object.
Throughout the cycle, the Virgin is represented as a tiny adult, always
dressed in a blue robe.

17. In the same vault on the eastern side is an intimate domestic scene, The
Virgin Caressed by Her Parents. The architectural backdrops of the two
scenes are oddly contorted to fit the curved surface of the vault. Plants and
peacocks fill the corners.

18. In the vault of the central bay is The Presentation of the Virgin in the
Temple. The Virgin Mary is given to be raised in the Temple at the age of
three. She is shown again in the same panel, seated inside the Holy of
Holies, where she is fed manna by an angel. The western portion of the
vault is filled out by maidens bearing torches, the Virgin’s escorts.

19. A second scene of The Virgin Fed by an Angel occupies the adjacent arch.
In both, the Temple resembles a Byzantine church sanctuary, with the
Virgin seated on the altar, below a canopy.

Here the cycle of the Life of the Virgin turns and continues on the west wall.
The south bay of the inner narthex is treated separately. On its lunettes and
pendentives are the concluding scenes of the cycle of the Ministry of Christ,
begun in the outer narthex.

20. On the opposite haunch of the same arch is the damaged scene of The
Instruction of the Virgin in the Temple. Its composition was similar to the
previous scene.

21. In the west lunette of the central bay, facing the Metochites panel, is The
Virgin Receiving a Skein of Purple Wool. The Virgin is presented with wool,
symbolizing her purity, with which she is to weave the veil of the Temple.

22. On the arch between bays two and three is Zaccharias Praying before the
Rods of the Suitors. The high priest is shown praying over the twelve rods
presented by the Virgin’s suitors. When the Virgin was twelve years old, the
priests decided she should leave the Temple. Zaccharias was instructed by
an angel to select a husband for her from among the widowers. According
to the angel’s instructions, each suitor presented a rod, which was left in
the Holy of Holies overnight. The rod belonging to the old man Joseph
miraculously blossomed.

23. In the west lunette of the second bay is The Virgin Entrusted to Joseph.
The couple’s age difference is emphasized, as the high priest, holding the
flowering rod, presents the Virgin to Joseph, with the other suitors watching.

24. In the arch between the second and first bays is Joseph Taking the Virgin to
his House. Accompanied by one of his sons, Joseph leads the Virgin. Here
Joseph is one of the artist’s experiments, a composite figure probably cre-
ated from two different sketchbook models. Is he coming or going?

25. In the southwest pendentive of the first bay is The Annunciation to the
Virgin at the Well. An angel announces to the Virgin that she will give
birth. The drama is emphasized by the position of the Virgin, who seems
to be flying.

26. The lunette of the first bay below contains the cycle’s two final scenes.
The first is Joseph Taking his Leave of the Virgin as he goes away on busi-
ness. The second is Joseph Reproaching the Virgin, when he returns from
his trip to find his wife with child. These scenes offer interesting parallels
to the story of Joachim and Anne, with which the cycle began. Both Anne
and the Virgin Mary are blessed with miraculous conceptions.

This leaves the cycle of the Virgin unresolved, but the story continues in the
outer narthex with the cycle of the Infancy of Christ.