St. Alban the Martyr

Longinus and the Centurion at the Crucifixion


This page is part of our project "Revealing St Alban's Hidden Heritage" supported by a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to players of The National Lottery.


Here we see the Crucifixion. Instead of Mary and St John, who appear in most windows showing the Crucifixion, such as the eastern widow of the ambulatory, in this case we see two roman soldiers at the foot of the cross.

The scroll held by the angel beneath reads "Mark XV 29". This verse is "And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days". 

Perhaps the soldiers are indeed mocking Jesus, but the scene looks more like Mark XV 39: "And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God." This would fit better with the positive religious aspects of soldiers conveyed by the windows as a whole.

The soldier on the left, who pierced Christ's side with a spear, is not named in the New Testament, but in legend he is called Longinus.

Next, look at the lower middle panel, which shows the calling of another centurion, Cornelius of Caesarea.