Description
Temptation of Saint Benedict: See Chapter Two the Dialogues of Pope Gregory the Great,
On left side of capital, a demon breaks the basket used to lower bread into the cave of the hermit-monk. (Scene not visible in this image)
On the front of the capital, a demon stands at left- he has a beard, wings, and horns(?) His torso and legs are nude and covered with striations- some scholars suggests that the artist might have modeled it on a flayed body. He faces toward the center of the capital- one hands grasps the garment of a woman who stands at center, facing the viewer. This is a vision of a woman Benedict once desired. Benedict (right) is tonsured and wears a garment that looks like a monk's habit - he holds a book. His mouth is open and his right hand is raised with his index and middle finger outstretched (in a gesture of exhortation? Blessing?) Salet says that at one time there were vestiges of an inscription that began "time…"
On the right side of the capital (not visible in this image) Benedict throws himself on nettles to avoid temptation.
Salet: Number 31
Location: South side of nave. West side of seventh arcade pier from the west.
