Description
South Porch- Left Pillar of Left Portal
North Face-Martyrdoms
4: Vitus, Modestus (and Crescentia?) in a cauldron
Houvet identifies these martyrs as Vitus, Modestus (and Crescentia?) Vitus was a young boy, a son of a pagan nobleman in southern Italy. He refused to repudiate his Christian faith and fled to Rome with his tutor Modestus and his nurse Crescentia. Even though he cast a demon out of the sons of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, he was thrown in a kettle of boiling oil (or lead), together with Modestus and Crescentia. Though they miraculously escaped this torture, they soon afterwards were martyred.
The cauldron is at left. In it is an adult figure and a smaller figure of the child Vitus (headless). It is possible that there was a third figure in the cauldron that has since disappeared. At right kneels a man using bellows to fan the fire underneath the cauldron.
Subject
Cathédrale de Chartres--Pictorial works.;Church decoration and ornament--France--Chartres--Pictorial works.;Church architecture--France--Chartres--Pictorial works.;Christian art and symbolism--France--Chartres--Medieval, 500-1500--Pictorial works.
