2. Below the statues of the Apostles are twelve medallions in two rows. The upper one represents the six Virtues and the lower one the opposing Vices.
The Virtues are grave women seated, each with a shield bearing a distinctive emblem. On the other hand, the Vices are depicted by gesture.
The tympanum (photo [p. 13]) represents the complete story of the Last Judgment:
Lower portion: Above the lintel, which is decorated with a frieze of finely carved foliage, the resurrection is depicted. The dead, awakened by angels blowing trumpets, leave their graves. They are young, and either naked or scantily clothed.
In the centre St. Michael weighs the souls in a balance. In one of the scales is the Lamb of God which “taketh away the sins of the world,” while in the other is the head of a demon.
Middle portion: Separation of the good from the evil.
To the left, the elect, clothed and serene, ascend to Heaven, where they are received by St. Peter; to the right, a demon pushes the condemned into an enormous pair of open jaws representing the infernal regions.
Upper portion: Christ, surrounded by the Virgin and St. John kneeling, and by angels bearing the instruments of the Passion, judges mankind.
Above, in the point of the arch, the “Son of Man” half emerges from clouds, having in his mouth two swords. On either side is an angel, one bearing the sun, the other the moon, represented by discs.
The eight borders which form the arches on either side of the tympanum contain over 150 statues representing the celestial hierarchy.