Entry into Jerusalem

Entry into Jerusalem

This event is described in all four Gospels. The people recognize Jesus as the Blessed Messenger of God and therefore shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Seeing Him as the Son of David, King of Israel, they greet Him with the words: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed… Hosanna in the highest.”

This acclamation acknowledges Jesus’ messianic dignity. The inhabitants of Jerusalem spread their cloaks before Him and throw palm branches at His feet. In antiquity, these were symbols of victory and peace, and laying cloaks on the road was an honor reserved for the anointed King.

On the Płock Doors, Jesus enters Jerusalem riding a donkey, in a manner typical of Western art derived from Hellenistic circles. In Christ’s pose, there is a visible dignity borrowed from models depicting imperial processions. In His left hand, He holds a palm branch like a scepter, and with His right hand, He gives a blessing as a ruler and Lord. He is accompanied by a group of disciples resembling a court entourage, and representatives of the people come to meet Him. The simplified shapes of the medieval city are labeled with the name “JERUSALEM,” written on a polygonal shield. The entry into the Holy City of Jerusalem prepares for the Passion of the Lord.

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.