Lucien Laurent-Gsell
Scenes from the Life of St. Christopher
1854-78
Stained glass
Church of St. Martin, L'Isle Adam, France
In the upper left image, "Reprobus" (red purse, brown tunic) meets the devil and offers his service. The devil is in the wavy cloak at the top of the image. It is unclear who the other figure is.
In the lower left, the devil shrinks in terror at the sight of a wayside crucifix. Reprobus deduces that the devil is not as powerful as Christ.
Upper right, the hermit, having baptized Reprobus "Christopher," gives him communion. The baptism is not in the Golden Legend, but it is in the South English Legendary and several texts referenced in the Acta Sanctorum's essay on St. Christopher.1 The communion service may represent 19th-century emphases rather than any literary tradition.
Finally, the lower right image has St. Christopher at the river undertaking the new duties assigned him by the hermit, who is shown in the background.
Read more about images of St. Christopher.
Source: Picture this page at Wikimedia Commons.
Date and attribution French Wikipedia s.v. "Église Saint-Martin de L'Isle-Adam"
1South English Legendary 271-78. Acta Sanctorum July vol. 6, 140.
