Crusader Capital 3

Crusader Capital 3

View of one of the four octagonal capitals called the "Capital of Saint Thomas."

This capital is one of the four octagonal capitals. Below six arches, a unique scene is depicted, narrating the episode of the meeting between Saint Thomas and Jesus Christ, after the resurrection.

Thomas, absent at the time of the first apparition, is put to the test by Jesus who is showing the apostle the wound on his ribs, which Thomas had previously not believed in when hearing the take from the other apostles.
 

Christ is recognizable by the halo and the cross. The other saints present at the scene are the apostles: among these can be noted Peter, to the right of Christ and the brothers James and John in the arch on the left [not visible in image].


The capital is made of high quality "sultan" stone.  The background surface is rough while the figures are very smooth.

Five, apparently unused, capitals from the Crusader Period were discovered in the early 1800's by Father Viaud in a grotto north of the Basilica of the Annunciation.  They depict episodes from the cannonical apostles and from apocryphal writings regarding the life of the apostles.

Most information from the Custodia Terrae Sanctae: Sanctuary Nazareth.