Noah and his Descendants

While nearly all the events in the life of the first patriarch, Noah, are recounted in the mosaics of the cathedral, the cloister capital takes them up only after the Great Flood and the abandoning of the ark. On the capital’s narrow left side Noah sacrifices a lamb in thanks; the rainbow and the Manus Dei (“hand of God”) above it signify his covenant with God.

On the next side the sons of Noah make their way to the vineyard to work among the vines with their father, who is pressing the grapes.

The narrow, eastern side shows Noah lying drunk in the presence of his three sons. The youngest, Ham, had called the others to mock their father, but the other two, Shem and Japheth, ashamedly cover his nakedness. Thereafter Noah curses the descendants of Ham.

The last scene on the capital shows the building of the Tower of Babel, which was designed to reach Heaven itself. God punished this proud and presumptuous undertaking with the confusion of languages in Babylon and the resulting dispersion of peoples across the earth.

The sacrifice scene, the winemakers in the vineyard, and the Babel craftsmen are all portrayed with special care and great richness of detail. These features might possibly have been inspired by similar depictions in ivory dating back to the 11^th century.

patriarch Noah flood ark lamb rainbow Manus-Dei God covenent vineyard Ham mocking drunkness Shem Japheth Canaan Babel tower Babylon heaven sacrifice winegrower craftsmen