The Coronation of the Virgin
This medieval sculpture was not intended to be seen here. It once adorned the south porch of the collegiate church, before being moved indoors for protection and recently restored by KIK-IRPA.
The scene shows Christ crowning his mother. Mary has reached the end of her earthly life: taken up into heaven, she is welcomed there as queen. The theme of the Coronation was highly popular in the Middle Ages and appears on many church portals. At Dinant, the composition belongs fully to the tradition of Meuse-region sculpture and can be associated with the workshop of the Master of the Virgin of La Gleize, or his circle.
But the image also tells us something about the new place Mary acquired in medieval spirituality. She is no longer only the mother of Christ: she becomes Our Lady, to whom people pray and whom they ask to intercede with her Son.