Infancy and Passion of Christ

On the sides of the door and placed in rectangular boxes on a base with twisted cartouches, there are four passages from the infancy and passion of Christ, complemented by a Holy Family in Sacred Converzacione on the tympanum of the entrance door. Thus, we find the Prayer in the Garden and the Fall on the Way to Calvary on the exterior face, and the Annunciation and Nativity on the interior, framed in the tympanum by the Virgin and Child and Saint Joseph with Saint John as a child. These are the best executed reliefs of the entire sculptural ensemble of the façade, due to their pre-eminent position on the façade, painted in a naturalistic manner, with careful execution, great finesse in the gestures and attention to detail. The Prayer in the Garden is resolved on two levels in height, separated by a line of trees. In the lower part are the Apostles Peter, James and John, asleep, oblivious to what is happening in the upper part, where we see the figure of Christ kneeling in prayer before an angel holding part of the Arma Christi: a cross and a chalice. The scene takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives, and reflects the moment when Christ seeks consolation for his agony and accepts his destiny. The Annunciation follows, depicted as is customary inside Mary's chamber, when the archangel Gabriel appears to her, announcing that she is pregnant with the Son of God. This is the moment of Christ's incarnation. The composition is resolved in an ascending diagonal, from the figure of the Virgin to that of God the Father, who acquires great prominence, with his resounding presence above Gabriel. Also notable for its proportions is the jar of lilies, symbol of the Virgin's virginity and purity, and the heraldic arms of the Viana parish, which are repeated on the pylons that mark the outer perimeter of the church. On the other side is Christ on the road to Calvary, in a tall, highly variegated composition, marked by the figure of Jesus kneeling, overcome by the weight of the cross, which acts as a separation between his figure and that of the thieves and women, among whom we can distinguish Veronica at the top with the cloth in her hands. The Nativity also marks a double plane in height, with Jesus in the manger in the lower part and the Virgin and Saint Joseph on either side in adoration, and behind them a series of figures framed by Renaissance architecture, following that of the doorway. Finally, on the tympanum of the door, and also on a double plane, is the Holy Family accompanied by Saint John the Child and several adoring angels, a composition in which the rounded volume of the Virgin stands out, as well as her delicacy.