The Pala d'Oro
The Feast days
Traditionally, The orthodox and catholic churches have twelve major feast days. The byzantine feasts that these images show were in all but one respect the same as those in the catholic west, though the the exaltation of the cross (the discovery of the true cross) took the place of the Crucifixion marked in the catholic church on Good Friday. Here is the byzantine list:Theophany, or (Epiphany) – the Baptism of Christ. Encounter of the Lord in the Temple (Presentation). The Annunciation to Mary. The Entry into Jerusalem, (Palm Sunday). The Ascension. Pentecost. The Transfiguration. The Dormition of the Virgin. The Nativity of the Virgin. The Exaltation of the Cross. The Entrance of the Virgin into the Temple. The Nativity of Christ. These are listed by their date through the year rather than in the chronological order of events as they appear on the pala. Showing feast days is appropriate as these were the days when the pala was opened. Looking at the Pala as a whole, the Crucifixion is in central position, above the empty throne and Christ Pantocrator below.   These panels date from the early days of the pala, and are of byzantine workmanship. There are eleven of them, so it would seem to be an easy task to work out which feast is missing.   If only if it were that easy.   Three of the scenes, the Last Supper, the descent into Hell (anastasis), and the appearance to the apostles with doubting Thomas, do not represent feast days in either tradition, though anastasis can be seen, along with the next image,  as representing resurrection, or Pascha, the feast of Easter as a whole. Three of the feast days of the Virgin are not here: the nativity, the entrance to the temple, the dormition. The other missing scene is the entry into Jerusalem.   Does all this represent a change in focus to the life and death of Christ rather than the Virgin, more approprIate for the Venetian tradition?
Annunciation                                                           Nativity                                   Presentation at the Temple                          Baptism of Christ
Last Supper                                                       Crucifixion                                                Anastasis                                       Resurrection
Appearance to the Apostles                                         Ascension                                                Pentecost
On either side of these panels are these, three each side, showing deacons, identifiable by their vestments, swinging thuribles of incense and holding incense boats in their other hands.  This was an important part of feast day ceremonies.
On to the life of St Mark
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