# The Representation of Simeon

The elderly Simeon, guided to the Temple by God, is a prophetic figure. He predicts the Passion and warns Mary of her future sorrow.

In the cloister, another figure might evoke Simeon among the Christophores. These column statues represent figures who foretell the Christ, through the Old Testament and episodes from his childhood and youth in the New Testament.

Column statue representing Simeon, inv. 2007.1.17
Photo © Musées de Châlons-en-Champagne, P. Martin

Depending on the interpretation of the figure of Jesus in this sculpture, the represented character can vary. If the Christ here is the Christ child, the elderly man can be interpreted as Simeon. However, if it is the Christ taken down from the cross, the elderly man may be interpreted as Joseph of Arimathea.

This Jewish notable is a witness to the death of Jesus, as he is present during the descent from the cross and the entombment of Christ.

In a medieval logic, these two interpretations would not be contradictory, as Simeon, announcing the Passion shortly after the birth of Jesus, can be seen as a prefiguration of Joseph of Arimathea, who later witnesses Christ’s suffering and death.