Martyrdom of John the Baptist

The story of John the Baptist, which is recounted in two Gospels (Mt 14:3-11 and Mk 6:17-28), begins on the south side of the capital and runs counter-clockwise.
The scene of Herod’s birthday banquet, which precedes the Baptist’s martyrdom, is represented on the south side of the capital. Herod sits on the right of the table; his wife Herodias, at the centre. She in turn is flanked by the guests, including two leading men from the town of Galilee (Mk 6:21). In the opposite south-west corner, the richly clad daughter of Herodias, Salome, appears. She is followed by two soldiers. Salome is represented once again on the east side of the capital. With castanets (tejoletas) in her raised hands she is dancing before her step-father Herod. So pleased is he that, at the behest of her mother, she would ask Herod for the head of John the Baptist as a reward. On the north side, facing onto the inner quadrangle, the executioner and the already decapitated John are represented. His head (now severely damaged) lies on a platter, which is carried by a soldier.
The scene shown in this capital has a double significance: John’s death is both a symbol of martyrdom, which prefigures the sacrificial death of Christ, and also a judgement of Herod’s sin for having caused the death of his wife. The murder of the Baptist, last of the prophets and first of the martyrs, marks the high point of this wing of the cloister, in which an epitomized representation of the apostles is followed by a commemoration of the deacon Lawrence and a glorification of the Virgin. The precise reproduction of details of Herod’s birthday banquet, such as the meat on the table, the tablecloth, or the dress and musical instruments of Salome, the refinement and quality, make this capital one of the best in the whole ensemble.

martyrdom John Baptist Gospel Matthew Mark Herod Herodias Galilee Salome dance desire head beheading hangman soldier