Angels lowering a large sheet carrying animals – The vision of St. Peter narrated in the Acts of the Apostles
The Vision of St. Peter from the Acts of the Apostles
The bas-relief shown in the image is carved on the ceiling of the dome of the Sala Capitular (Chapter House), an oval-shaped hall attached to the southeast corner of the Seville Cathedral. It depicts the Vision of St. Peter, a scene narrated in the Acts of the Apostles.
Here is a summary of the scene from Acts 10: 9-14:
Peter was traveling to the city along with other Apostles. As others were preparing the meal, Peter went up to a terrace to pray. There, he became hungry and wanted to eat, then fell into a trance. In his vision, Peter saw heaven opened up, and a large sheet, held by its four corners and carrying four-legged animals reptiles, and birds, was being lowered to the ground. A voice asked him to kill the animals and eat. Peter refused because he had never eaten any unclean animals before.
The image shows two angels lowering a large sheet carrying animals, while St. Peter, presumably in a trance, is lying down with his left hand lifting his face.
This is one of the 16 bas-reliefs – eight with the portrait format and the other eight with the landscape format – on the interior wall of the Chapter House dome. The portrait format bas-reliefs were made by Juan Bautista Vázquez el Viejo and Diego de Velasco around 1582 – 1584. The landscape format bas-reliefs were made by Marcos Cabrera in 1590.
Related Pages
– Seville Cathedral: An awe-inspiring architectural marvel
– La Giralda: A harmonious blend of Moorish and Renaissance architectural styles
– Sala Capitular – The Chapter House of the Seville Cathedral
– Sacristía Mayor – The Main Sacristy of the Seville Cathedral
Copyright © 2020 by Lawrence Rodrigues. All rights reserved.