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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Much of the site http://www.astrologie-et-christianisme.fr/ appears to be an advertisement for a book by M. Fages.  Digging into the section "le livre" and then turning the sample pages in the subsection entitled "Découvrez le livre" one will quickly discover, under the chapter heading beginning "Un axe Vierge-Poissons" and at the book's own p. 203, views of three roundels set in a background identical to that of the _Sedes Sapientiae_ image in question AND, in one case, bearing legends both in white and in gold (as does the aforesaid _Sedes Sapientiae_ image).  These are identified directly below their images as being located in "la basilique Notre Dame de Vaux de Châlons-en-Champagne".

Granted that Notre-Dame-de-Vaux is ordinarily identified not as a "basilique" but rather as a "collégiale", both the identification's source and the similarity of the images to the one in question suggest fairly strongly that this is where one might look first.  And, indeed, it turns out that all these images are there, in lancets below the rose window.  See:
<http://www.mesvitrauxfavoris.fr/dame%20vaux%20baie%20rose%20occidentale.htm>
http://www.mesvitrauxfavoris.fr/dame%20vaux%20baie%20rose%20occidentale.htm
especially:
<http://www.mesvitrauxfavoris.fr/index_htm_files/175006.jpg>
http://www.mesvitrauxfavoris.fr/index_htm_files/175006.jpg
Detail view (_Sedes Sapientiae_ at lower right):
http://www.mesvitrauxfavoris.fr/index_htm_files/175038.jpg


Best,

John Dillon

<http://www.mesvitrauxfavoris.fr/index_htm_files/175038.jpg>

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From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Richard Legault <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 8:15 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [M-R] Unusual Sedes Sapientia

medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture

Can anyone in the group help me better identify the stained glass image of an unusual Sedes Sapientia figure shown here: http://www.astrologie-et-christianisme.fr/? The image is the first one to appear in the slide show at the top of the Accueil page.

[http://www.astrologie-et-christianisme.fr/images/sampledata/astrochrist/Ange_Astrologie.gif]<http://www.astrologie-et-christianisme.fr/>

Astrologie et Christianisme
Livre Astrologie et Christianisme écrit par Christian Fages. L'Astrologie serait-elle occultée par l'Église malgré toutes les sculptures aux portails des ...
Read more...<http://www.astrologie-et-christianisme.fr/>


Christian Fages, the author of the web-site on which the image is posted, identifies it as being from the "Basilica of Châlons-en-Champagne."  However, it is unclear to me whether this means the basilique Notre-Dame de l'Épine, situated in the little village of L'Épine, in the Marne, near Châlons-en-Champagne, or else the cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Châlons situated in Châlons-en-Champagne and dedicated to Saint Étienne. I'm also curious as to the date of the work. Mr. Fages has yet to respond to my queries.

A sedes sapientia figure without a Christ Child seems sufficiently unusual to make me wonder whether this labeling is original or the result of some unfortunately misguided restoration. The astronomical imagery, an astrolabe and nine celestial bodies also seems a bit odd. If the intent was to allude to the seven naked-eye planets, then there are two bodies too many. In medieval astronomy the Sun and the Moon are part of the seven.
It would be good to know what imagery is in the larger context of the other panes in the larger window of which the image in question is only one element.

I'd be grateful to anyone in the Group would could provide more facts or commentary about this image.

Richard J Legault

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