THE RELIEFS OF THE MAIN ALTAR OF SAN MARTIN

ICONOGRAPHY 

The peculiar genesis of this altarpiece that includes figures and paintings from different moments and styles results in a rather complex outcome with which a relief such as the Mass of Saint Gregory alluding to the Eucharist is apparently not  particularly consistent.

Though the Marian pictorial cycle is dominant, the figure of the saint to whom the church and altarpiece are dedicated is that of Saint Martin, the Bishop of Tours, only one figure of whom exists today, but which used to be accompanied by two missing reliefs on the predella. The choice of this military saint might well be related to the gentlemanly profile of the promoter of the temple whose armour bears the inscription: "Commander of Cieza, Captain and Mayor of Cartagena". This military facet was later accentuated even more by the episode of the Battle of Clavijo.

Whatever the particular case may be, the general impression is that the already quite heterogeneous figures and reliefs of the original project were inserted into a new proposal that presented itself when the gentleman's heirs took control of the initiative.