Cantiga 51 of the Cantigas de Santa Maria of Alfonso X

The Statue that Intercepted an Arrow
   The Count of Poitiers and his men laid siege to a castle in Orleans.
   The defenders of the castle took a statue of the Virgin and placed it above the castle gate.
   They prayed to the Virgin to save them from the attack.
   One of the count’s men demanded that the gatekeeper open the gate. The gatekeeper (who had taken shelter behind the statue) refused, and was shot by the attacker.
   He would have been wounded, but the statue of the Virgin raised its knee to intercept the arrow.
   Seeing the miracle, the Count called off the attack, confessed his wickedness, and entered the city as a pilgrim. The arrow could not be removed from the statue and it never resumed its original pose.
Click for a larger image of panel 1






Source: Ziereis Faksimiles


Cantigas de Santa Maria Main Page