Annunciation to Mary, Baptism of Christ

Annunciation to Mary

Christological themes are the main content of the decoration on the Płock Doors. The story of the Childhood of Jesus occupies the left wing, while the Passion scenes are on the right. The scenes from Jesus’ Childhood illustrate the doctrine of the Incarnation. The cycle includes: the Annunciation to Mary, the Visitation of Elizabeth, the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Adoration of the Magi, the Presentation in the Temple, the Massacre of the Innocents, the Flight into Egypt, and the Baptism of Jesus, which closes the cycle.

The iconography of the right panel of the Annunciation scene is commented on by the apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew: “On the third day, as she was working on the purple, a young man of extraordinary beauty came to her. Seeing him, Mary was greatly afraid. But he said: ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a king who will reign not only on earth but also in heaven and will rule for ever and ever’” (Ps Mt IX, 2).

The left panel of the Annunciation scene depicts the moment when the dove seems to pierce through the nimbus to touch Mary’s head. This composition is called Conceptio per aurem (conception through the ear), where the dove in a stream of golden rain flies toward the ear. Mary hears the Divine News and accepts it, becoming a Mother in a miraculous way while remaining a virgin.

Baptism of Christ

The scene of the Baptism of Christ was chosen as an illustration of this article of faith. The theological significance of Jesus’ Baptism is expressed in the theophany, which contains three elements: the opening of the heavens, the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven. The dove of the Holy Spirit, as a visible sign, plays a role similar to the star that led the Magi to the Adoration of the Child. The Church Fathers associated it with Noah’s dove, which brought back a branch after the flood, signaling the end of the punishment. St. Augustine compared it to the Spirit of God hovering over the waters during the creation of the world. In this scene, the dove also signifies the end of the time of waiting and the beginning of Salvation.

Płock Doors

The Płock Doors, also known as the Magdeburg Doors, Korsun Doors, or Sigtuna Doors, were bronze doors once located in the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Płock. This is a relic of Romanesque art. Currently, the original doors are in the western portal of St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod, Russia, and a bronze casting (copy) has been in the Płock Cathedral since 1982.

Research indicates that the doors were probably in Płock for about 250 years before they adorned St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod. It is unclear how the doors ended up in Novgorod. According to a 15th-century legend, they were brought from Byzantium by Prince Vladimir the Great via Korsun in Crimea (hence the name Korsun Doors), although this is unlikely.

According to some historical hypotheses, they were looted in the 13th century by Lithuanians during their raid on Masovia. Other historians believe they were given as a gift by the Polish clergy or the dukes of Płock to Prince Lingwen Olgierdovich of Novgorod, brother of Władysław II Jagiełło. Some sources say they arrived in Novgorod as early as 1170, shortly after being made, while others suggest before the mid-15th century. According to a version announced in 1823 by Friedrich von Adelung, the doors are a military trophy of the Novgorodians (specifically Karelians, Estonians, Izhoras, and northern Russians), who captured them in 1187 during an expedition to the then-capital of Sweden, Sigtuna (hence the 19th-century name Sigtuna Doors).

The doors for the Płock Cathedral were ordered by Bishop Alexander of Malonne (died 1156). Master Riquin, with assistant Waismut, cast them in bronze using the lost-wax technique between 1152 and 1154 in one of the Magdeburg foundries. It is uncertain whether it belonged to the local fabrica ecclesiae, operating at the cathedral, managed by Bishop Wichman of Wettin (c. 1110–1192).

Figures of bishops and craftsmen are among the reliefs, to which in the first quarter of the 15th century, the representation of a Russian caster, Master Abraham, was added. He also adapted the doors to the western portal of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod, adding Cyrillic inscriptions translated from Latin. It is hypothetically assumed that the doors were looted from Płock at the end of the 13th century and, after various fates, were hung as a “copper icon” in an Orthodox church at the beginning of the 15th century.