Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist (left) holding a spear and Saint James the Apostle, son of Zebedee, his clothes adorned with cockle shells or scallop shells and holding a pilgrim’s walking staff. Heads and upper bodies of two of 12 apostle statues, sculpted in wood in 1721, that flank the entrance to a Breton church, L’Eglise Saint Sauveur in Le Faou, Finistère, Brittany, France.
L’Eglise Saint Sauveur, Le Faou, Finistère, Brittany, France: Saint Matthew (left) and Saint James, son of Zebedee. Heads and upper bodies of two of 12 polychrome apostle statues, sculpted in wood and dated 1721, in the southern porch and flanking the main entrance to the church of Saint Saviour. The statues have recently been restored and repainted. Saint Matthew and Saint James, son of Zebedee, were both among Jesus’s 12 Apostles. Matthew holds a spear, symbol of his martyrdom, rather than a pen, symbol of his evangelism. He stands in a niche with a scallop-shell hood, its border decorated with sculpted rosettes. James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John the Evangelist were fishermen and among Jesus’s 12 Apostles. James is sometimes referred to as James the Greater to distinguish him from the other of Jesus's Apostles named James (James, son of Alphaeus, sometimes referred to as James the Lesser). After the death of Jesus, James son of Zebedee took his ministry to the Iberian Peninsula and is now considered the patron saint of Spain. After his death, his body was taken to Compostela in Galicia, Spain, where his grave became a pilgrimage destination. The scallop shell is the emblem of St James son of Zebedee, possibly because he was called to follow Jesus when he was working on the seashore, and he is often depicted with scallop shells adorning his clothes. From the 1100s onwards, St James son of Zebedee was often portrayed as a pilgrim, with a walking staff, both because he was sent by Jesus to embark on a long journey to evangelise the Iberian Peninsula and because he was identified with the pilgrims who walked to worship at his shrine. The current church of Saint Saviour was rebuilt between 1544 and 1680 with a 17th century domed bell tower, double transept and ornately sculpted south porch. The south sacristy was rebuilt in 1877. Le Faou is the northern gateway to the Crozon Peninsula, situated on the River Aulne estuary.
Size: 7360px × 4912px
Location: L’Eglise Saint Sauveur, Church of Saint Saviour, Le Faou, Finistère, Brittany, France
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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