Saint Germer altarpiece

Stone altarpieces developed in France in the 13th century. This one, with an oblong shape featuring a now-broken raised central section, was produced around 1265 for the chapel of the Virgin at the abbey of Saint-Germer-de-Fly.

The Crucifixion, in the middle, is surrounded by a series of characters whose heads have been mutilated, making it difficult to identify several figures. It is currently accepted that the central Crucifixion is accompanied by allegorical representations of the Church and the Synagogue, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the Annunciation and the Visitation, episodes from the life of Saint Germer, the founder of the abbey, and Saint Ouen of Rouen, who was his protector. The style is akin to that found in Paris during the same period.