Martyrdom of Saint Saturnin

The narrative begins on the east side of the capital, where a large building is represented below the console block – doubtless the Capitol of Toulouse. To its left the Roman governor of Toulouse sits as a judge in his curule chair and looks towards the south side of the capital. There stands Bishop Saturnin in his episcopal vestments, accompanied by two soldiers. With his open hand, he expresses his refusal to sacrifice to false gods. On the other side of the Capitol a large flight of steps leads downwards; three women with ointment jars stand on its upper steps. These are the three virgins who would later take away the corpse of the Saint and bury him. Before them, on the north side of the capital the martyrdom is represented: Saturnin is tied to a bull that is to be sacrificed; his body forms a large diagonal. His head is shown striking the temple steps, exactly as the early 5th century Passio describes it. A man drives the bull forward and a further figure stands before the animal, perhaps the sacrificial priest. On the west side (on the side of the inner court) the soul of Saint Saturnin is represented in the form of a small naked body, placed in a mandorla held on top by the hand of God and flanked by ivy leaves, symbol of eternity in antiquity.
The representation as a whole follows quite closely the text of the legend, yet the report of the judgment is only mentioned in the later “manipulated” legend of the martyrdom. The spatial proximity to the Fructuosus capital (E19MS37) testifies to a parallel between the first bishop of Toulouse and that of Tarragona. In fact the scriptorium of Moissac formed an important centre of hagiography around the year 1000; an important collection of legends of the saints from this scriptorium comprising over 150 texts survives to this day.

virgin Hand soul Passio Passion bull martyrdom Capitol judgement Saturnin God governor