The Aubusson tapestries
These were woven at the Manufacture Royale d'Aubusson, probably during the second half of the 18th Century.
Two tapestries were stolen from the Collegiate Church in the night of 20 December 1989 but were discovered in the United States and reinstated on 26 September 1997 on National Heritage Weekend.
The Martyrdom of St Gaudens: height 3.20m - width 7.40m.
All the events surrounding the legend of the martyrdom of St Gaudens are brought together in this tapestry.
In the centre, the kneeling figure of the young shepherd, Gaudens, is decapitated by a soldier at a site outside the city named ‘La Caoue’.
On the right, in the middle ground, there flows the ‘Miraculous’ spring at la Caoue. A small figure is seen walking towards the town, carrying his head in his hands. This is none other than the young Gaudens.
In the background there is a schematised panoramic view of the city of Saint Gaudens as it was in about 1760.
The Triumph of Faith: height 4m - width 7.25m
In the 18th Century, the Aubusson workshops copied many of the themes from the cycle of Rubens designs known as The Triumph of the Eucharist, which can be seen in Madrid.
In this particular tapestry, Faith, personified by a female figure with a martial air seated on a ‘chariot of triumph’ pulled by three horses, is hunting down wailing unbelievers and heretics and crushing them beneath the wheels of her chariot.
The Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor - height 4.85m - width 2.85m
This represents a scene from the Gospels.
In the centre, Jesus has brought Peter, James and John up Mount Tabor and now appears suddenly before them on a cloud in a blinding light, with Moses on his right hand and Elias on his left.
Peter, half-standing, is speaking to Jesus while John, to his right, is kneeling.
The words that Peter is saying to Jesus are woven above his head:
"Lord, it is good for us to be here."
