The Pulpit of Truth

In the lower part, which refers to Genesis in the Old Testament, you can recognize the representation of original sin: Adam and Eve are expelled from Paradise by God because they disobeyed by eating a fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

On the left, an angel, armed with a flaming sword, guards the other tree (the Tree of Life) and makes a clearly dissuasive gesture towards Eve. Observe the anxiety in her gaze.

On the right, a grimacing skeleton represents the mortal nature of man, fallen into sin.

Between the heads of Adam and Eve, you can see the end of the serpent’s tail, the body of which coils up to the top of the pulpit. It symbolizes Evil.

At the very top, a group of three figures represents the end of the New Testament, and the words of the apostle John in the Apocalypse: “A great sign appeared in the sky: a Woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”

Indeed, you can see a woman standing on a crescent moon, crowned with twelve stars. She symbolizes the Church.

This woman has also been associated with the Virgin Mary. With the help of the child Jesus, the Holy Virgin pierces the serpent’s head with the cross. Mary and Jesus are, together, victorious over the sin and evil created by Adam and Eve. This scene refers to the Salvation to which every human being is called.

These twelve stars also inspired the artist who created the flag of the European Union.

The middle part includes a platform from which the Good News is communicated, and a sounding board supported by two angels floating in the air. This roof is intended to amplify the preacher’s voice.

Above the sounding board, in the upper part, a curtain is lifted by cherubs to emphasize the idea that this message is a revelation.

Under the sounding board, there is a dove with outstretched wings, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, who inspires the priest in his sermons. At the front, on the dome, a medallion bears the monogram MARIA, that of the Virgin Mary.

On the left railing, you can see a parrot, symbolizing the art of eloquence, rhetoric, and above it an eagle, the emblem of the apostle Saint John the Evangelist.

At the back of this Pulpit of Truth, you can observe various animals crowning certain branches. They were created by the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Van der Haeghen. Originally there were eight: a fox, a rooster, a monkey (which you can see in this photo), a dove, a squirrel, a peacock, an eagle, and a parrot.

Only the eagle and the parrot remain (on the left staircase). The others were stolen during the last restoration works of the cathedral at the end of the 20th century.

Admire the lush vegetation, composed of oak foliage. It is a representation of the Garden of Eden.
The lower railings of the staircase are surrounded by a thick hedge.

Here again, you see part of the serpent’s body, which is represented in full as we saw earlier. The serpent coils from the beginning of the Old Testament, with the episode of Paradise lost, to the end of the New Testament and the promise of Paradise.