North portal of Saint Firmin

The north portal rhymes visually with the south: this was done deliberately to link the Church Universal with the local church with its saints and bishops.  The central figure is Saint Firmin: the discovery of his relics was celebrated directly after Epiphany and is depicted in the tympanum.  Standing on either side of us are the saints of the diocese whose bodies were preserved in precious reliquary boxes (châsses) mounted on a tribune directly behind the main altar in the sanctuary.  Each saint was celebrated his own special feast day.  The changing seasons of the year are depicted in the quatrefoils below. 

This was the second portal to be completed c1225-30.