Tomb slab of St. Isarn
Type:
Tombs,
Sculptures,
Grave markers
Date:
1048
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
France
Medium:
Marble
Dimensions:
178 × 60 × 14 cm
Description:
Isarn (Latin Isarnus) was a monk at the monastery of St. Victor in Marseille. He rebuilt the monastery after he became its abbot (r. 1020–47), providing it with a still-standing tower that gave it a fortified appearance above the busy port of Marseille. The crypt of the monastery church contains many early Christian sarcophagi as well as the marble tomb slab of Isarn (d. 1047), who was credited with miraculous healings after his death. The slab was originally the base of a Roman sarcophagus with semicircular ends. The tomb shows Isarn's head and feet, in high relief, poking out from a flat, blanket-like epitaph. This is an early depiction of the body, or in this case body parts, in medieval funerary art.
The main Latin inscription celebrates the "sacred remains" of the pious abbot, whose nonetheless wretched life is now relieved by death and the hoped-for resurrection. This is reinforced by the semicircular inscriptions that enclose Isarn's head and feet, which emphasize that the misery of death is due to Adam's original sin and exhort readers to pray for God's mercy on the dead abbot. A slightly later text inscribed on the top edge gives the year of Isarn's death as 1048 (textual sources prefer 1047).
The main Latin inscription celebrates the "sacred remains" of the pious abbot, whose nonetheless wretched life is now relieved by death and the hoped-for resurrection. This is reinforced by the semicircular inscriptions that enclose Isarn's head and feet, which emphasize that the misery of death is due to Adam's original sin and exhort readers to pray for God's mercy on the dead abbot. A slightly later text inscribed on the top edge gives the year of Isarn's death as 1048 (textual sources prefer 1047).
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
6
Repository and Online Resources:
• Read more about this work on the French Ministry of Culture website.
Image Credits:
Linda Safran
