Three of them are standing up, but one of them is lying on the ground. They appear to be

sleeping, their eyes closed. Underneath the second arch there is an angel with crossed-

legs seated over the tomb where the head of Christ should have been. He holds the cross

of the Resurrection in his right hand and he points towards the second angel with his

left."' Hanging from the central arch, there are two incense burners with little red flames

coming out of them. The second angel is located underneath the third arch, seated over

the tomb where the feet of Christ should have been. He also holds the cross of the

Resurrection and he points towards the empty tomb. Both angels are represented with

bare feet as a symbol of beatitud.8 Four inscriptions identify this scene. The first

inscription, hic tres marie ueniunt uidere sepulcru (here three Maries come to see the

sepulchre), is located above the heads of the three Maries. The second inscription,

custodientes sepulcru (The custodians of the sepulchre), is located over the heads of the

sleeping soldiers. The third inscription, angls ad capud (angels near to the head), is

located between the first angle and the first incense burner. The fourth inscription, anzgls

ad pedes (angels near to the feet), is located between the cord from the second incense

burner and the second angel. According to Yarza Luaces this episode was widely

reproduced as a substitute for the Resurrection, which was not depicted until the 13th

century.8s9



s7Rodriguez Velasco, M., "Iconografia del Nuevo Testamento en la Biblia de Avila,"
1999, pp. 361-362.

ssRodriguez Velasco, M., "Iconografia del Nuevo Testamento en la Biblia de Avila,"
1999, p. 362.

89 Yarza Luaces, J., Iconografia de la M~iniatura Ca;stellano-Leonesa,~~11~11~~1 1973, pp. 3 1-32.
Yarza Luaces also mentions that the Three Maries at the Tomb could also be found in the
Antiphonary of Leon (Fol. 187), and a Lectionary of Silos, currently in Paris.