The first panel represents the genealogic tree of Jesus – the Jesse tree. Jesse was the father of King David.  As we read in Isaiah 11:1: “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.”  The figures sprouting from the tree represent the ancestors of Jesus.  Jesse is seated at the base of the tree and Jesus, depicted in royal attire, stands at the top.  The rose at his waist recalls the words of the […]

The story of David begins in the center section of the first panel with Bethlehem, the city of David, which in Hebrew means “house of bread.”  Below that, the prophet Samuel anoints David as God’s chosen one.  Behind Samuel you see the depiction of the death of Saul. The Philistines defeated the Israelites on Mount Gilboa, seen in the upper section.  Saul was wounded and his sons were slain.  He begged his armor-bearers to kill him so that he would not fall into […]

The baptismal font, hand and paschal candle in the lower section of the Noah panel recall the first letter of St. Peter where it is written that “this [ark] prefigured baptism, which saves you now” (1 Pet 3:21).  The paschal candle is a reminder of the reception of the sacrament of Baptism and is always lit when Baptism is celebrated.  Octagonal baptismal fonts were quite common in the early Church.  They represent the seven days of creation followed by the eighth day, the […]

In the first panel, God, represented by the all-­seeing eye, contemplates the creation of the world. Wisdom is represented by two female figures, one asleep in the womb of eternity and the other playing before God. This imagery is found in the Book of Sirach 1:4: “Before anything was created there was wisdom; prudent understanding from eternity.”  Throughout the Old Testament, Wisdom is usually personified as a woman.

The fountains in this panel refer to the Book of Proverbs 8:24 where Wisdom is said […]