New observations on the Genesis of Girona (1050-1100). The iconography of the legend of the True Cross

At the bottom of the Catalan embroidery of Genesis (1050-1100) now in the museum of Girona Cathedral, there is a band of scenes which unfortunately has been torn in half. These badly preserved, though still unrecognizable, motifs from the legend of the True Cross form the starting point for this article. I hope to add to existing research with regard to the tradition and the context of this legend of the invention of the cross. The iconography bears resemblances to the Carolingian Wessobrunner Gebetbuch. Moreover, I put forward a hypothesis concerning the figure at the bottom, carrying a cross, who has almost completely disappeared. Certain features of this figure point to the Byzantine emperor Heraclius (610-641), who is related to the tradition of the True Cross from iconographical and liturgical points of view.