Janvier

Like every cathedral, Senlis Cathedral is adorned with a portrayal of the seasons. This bas-relief is one of them. It shows an alchemist, corresponding to the month of January. Here the alchemist is shown with an athanor, the sacred vessel in which the transmutation of metals, from lead to gold, takes place. Symolically the month of January, correspmonding to the heart of winter when nature, bared of its outward appearance, evokes a return to the profound nature of things. This veritable essence of things is symbolised as gold, the purest and most inalterable of metals