Panel 12 -
Martin escapes injury from the cutting down of a sacred pine tree

Description:

Chapter XIII of Sulpicius deals with Martin's ongoing battle against pagan cults. After destroying an ancient pagan temple in one town, he turned his attention to a pine tree which was also sacred to the cult. The pagan priest and his followers, outraged by his acts, saw an opportunity for revenge and challenged Martin to stand beneath the tree, which leans heavily in one direction (note how the artist has shown the remains of the stump curving towards him) while they cut it down. Sure enough, when the trunk was cut through the tree began falling towards the saint, who made the sign of the cross, stopping it in its fall and sending it spinningbeing made, church and state were engaged in a violent struggle in southern France against the Cathar heretics. Indeed, in 1210 the Bishop of Chartres, Reginald of Bar (reg.1182-1217) was himself commander of a group of knights in the Albigensian Crusade.

The unfortunate juxtaposition of this scene and panel 10, each featuring armed men and prominent trees, might lead the uninitiated viewer to suppose the scenes were part of the same episode, when in fact they are quite distinctive events in the Life of St Martin – a reminder that one cannot generally ‘read’ visual narratives without knowing the story in advance. These images were not intended to serve as ‘books for the illiterate’ but were tools to help the ignorant and educated alike reflect upon stories they already