Ecclesia and Synagoga

The statues, known as Ecclesia and Synagoga, respectively, and generally found in juxtaposition, are a common motif in medieval art and represent the Christian theological concept known as replacement theory or successionism.  It describes the influential idea of the Middle Ages that Christians (the people of “the new covenant”) have replaced Jews (the people of “the old covenant”) as the people of God.  These sculptures visually expressed the medieval Christian belief in the superiority of Christianity over Judaism, reinforcing antisemitic ideologies within religious contexts. Synagoga is depicted here with head bowed, broken staff, the tablets of the law slipping from her hand and a fallen crown at her feet.  Sometimes she is blindfolded.  Ecclesia is a regal and upright figure, with crowned head and carries a chalice and a staff adorned with the cross. She appears confident and victorious, with a serene and dignified expression.

Ecclesia and Synagoga above the portico of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris (c. 1240).