Decoding the Portico of Glory

The Portico of Glory is the western entrance to the Romanesque cathedral. Designed by the genius Master Mateo, it is considered a masterpiece of universal art.

This exhibition on the Portico will analyze its apocalyptic and salvational discourse, through the figures attached to the central arch and tympanum, as well as the two side arches.

The tympanum rests upon lintels containing an inscription commemorating its installation by Master Mateo on April 1, 1188.

This epigraph is one of two direct references to Master Mateo's work on the cathedral. It is very important in order to date the evolution of the building throughout the 20 years of the project, from 1168 when it started. It also shows the value of Mateo's undertaking, who, as expressed in the inscription, directed every aspect of the work, from its very foundations.

The image depicts the vision of the Revelation to John: "and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it …," chapter four.

This relationship between text and image justifies both the enthroned representation of Christ and the presence of the evangelists surrounding him.

It is a detailed image of Christ crowned with a cruciform halo, with long hair and a beard, and dressed in a tunic and cloak. His facial expression is serene, and there is an angel with an incense burner on each of his shoulders.

In terms of the presentation of his body, the Christ in the central arch has crucifixion wounds on show. Both the palms of his open hands and his bare feet bear the scars of the nails. There is also blood seeping out of the lance wound on his side.

This representation, which depicts the deep-held belief of the suffering of Jesus—as Man—on the cross, completes Master Mateo's storytelling in the Portico of Glory.

The richly-colored and beardless Saint John, writing on the eagle, is visible in the upper right of the Christ in Majesty.

To the left of Christ, there is a winged Saint Matthew writing on a desk supported upon his knees.

Just below the figure of Saint John is Saint Luke. Also writing, he is accompanied by a bullock with its front hooves upon the evangelist's knees.

To the left of Christ, and with a lion at his feet, is Saint Mark. Like Matthew's bullock, Mark's lion has his front paws on the knees of the latter.

In the Glory, on each side of the evangelists Saint Luke and Saint Mark, there are a series of angels carrying the Arma Christi, otherwise known as the Instruments of the Passion.

The kneeling angel in the group on the far left of the tympanum holds up the column to which Jesus was tied while being lashed.

Then there are a couple of figures carrying the cross, and on the same level, on Saint Luke's right, a fourth angel holding the crown of thorns in covered hands.

On the right of the tympanum is the second procession of angels carrying the Arma Christi.

The first of these figures, from left to right, holds the four nails of the crucifixion, and the lance in his right hand. The covering of the hands denotes those objects which have been in direct contact with Christ.

That is why the last three angels have no need for a covering; they are carrying the amphora of vinegar that was given to Christ to drink, the whips, and the rod with a vinegar-soaked sponge which a soldier held up to his lips.

The presence of the righteous and the blessed, who occupy the divine space of the central tympanum, cannot be overlooked. The most important figures are crowned and look like children.

The scenes of the righteous and the blessed demonstrate Master Mateo's ability to establish dialogs and looks by using the figures' body language.

The number of musicians demonstrates the great catalog of contemporary musical instruments in the Portico of Glory. The musicians are tuning psalteries, violas, zithers, harps, and lutes (stringed Medieval instruments).

Two of the most notable figures are the musicians tuning the organistrum (a stringed Medieval instrument). The musician on the right is turning the wooden wheel, while the one on the left strums the strings.

The arrangement of the musicians reveals that these sculptures were originally carved in workshops, and then, along with the rest of the Portico, connected to the archivolt of the central arch.

They had some difficulty fitting and adjusting the sculptures in their final location. An example of this can be seen in the figure of the angel which goes right through the souls and touches the head of the second musician from the left.

In this context, there is communication between the scenes on the side arches, and how figures interact to break through the established architectural limits in order to reach the Glory.

The presence of representations of angels, helping souls to reach salvation, and depicting them with crowns, or transferring them to the central arch, are an example of this communication.

It tells the story of Christ deposited in the sepulcher, descending into limbo to free the righteous, who had not been able to adhere to the Christian faith from the Old Testament.

That is why the representations with Adam and Eve include others, who have been identified as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David. As for Christ, he is represented without a beard, as it is his soul that descends, and in the Middle Ages this was represented as a child.

The blessed are situated on the left, depicted as nude children on the path to glory, partially covered by the large robes of the angels who carry them in their arms.

On the overhang of the largest archivolt are some beardless figures, dressed in tunics, who also look toward the celestial vision of the tympanum.