Lion Relief

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Medieval Christians often commissioned church decorations that, in addition to their faith, expressed their sense of community identity and civic pride. This sculpture was originally placed next to the main entrance of the parish church of San Leonardo in the Spanish city of Zamora. It depicts a massive, grimacing lion trampling a serpentine dragon, a subject chosen not only for its symbolism of triumph over sin—suggesting Christ vanquishing the devil—but also because the word leo, "lion" in Latin, plays on the name of the church’s patron saint. The spiritual guide and protector of this parish community as well as the patron saint of all prisoners, Saint Leonard himself is depicted above the lion’s head, freeing two chained captives in the company of Christ (now headless), the Virgin Mary, and an angel. Yet Leonard’s namesake, the lion, became the figurehead for this parish community. In addition, the sculpture’s distinctive architectural frame evokes the scallop-patterned cupola of Zamora Cathedral, the spiritual heart of the city, and links the parish to the diocesan seat.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art