THE IMAGEN OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
The image of Saint Michael the Archangel is a splendid late Gothic Flemish polychrome and gilt wood carving, executed in Flanders during the first third of the 16th century. In accordance with his usual iconography, the Archangel is represented at the moment of the slaughter of the apocalyptic dragon (Rev. 12, 7-9), that is, Satan, who writhes at his feet under the appearance of a hybrid monster when uniting in his figure features elements of different animal species: goat antlers on the forehead, wild boar tusks in the mouth, lion claws and bat membranous wings on the forelimbs, goat hooves on the hind limbs and ape-like tail, chosen for their traditional demonic symbolism.
In accordance with the warlike character of the theme embodied and influenced by medieval religious theater, the winged Captain of the celestial militias is anachronistically protected by a tufted helmet, a breastplate with skirts arranged on a poorly interpreted chain mail and attached to the breastplate by straps with buckles, individual knee pads adorned with embossed spiral motifs and ailerons or fins, to match their only visible codal or elbow, two small imbricated plates, the greaves and the rounded tip scarves, reflecting the innovations introduced in the military suit throughout the fifteenth century. His clothing is completed by a wide red cape with a hood and fastened to the chest with a diamond-shaped gold-plated brooch, under which the left arm is concealed, bearing an oblong shield decorated with the initials QSD, alluding to its pre-eminence among the angels, since they constitute the abbreviations of the Latin phrase Quis sicut Deus (He who is like God or He who is like God), while the right hand is expedited to hold aloft its other attribute, the sword.
From the stylistic point of view, the characteristics of this image refer to Nordic models from the beginning of the 16th century, despite the regrettable repaints suffered. His rigid frontal posture unloading the weight of the body on one of the legs and advancing the opposite slightly flexed recalls that of the German sculptures of Saint Adrian (private collection) and of Saint Michael (Museum of National Antiquities of Stockholm), but above all the statue of Saint Louis, preserved in the church of Saint Matthew de Meensel. With the latter, he also shares many of the pieces that make up his armor, as well as with the brabanzona carving of Saint Michael (Mayer Van Den Bergh Museum, Antwerp), whose type offers greater similarities even in the ornamentation of the knee pads, without forgetting the similar attitude of the devil lengthening the front legs wrapped in stylized chiroptera wings to cling with their paws to the Archangel.
Likewise, the peculiar treatment of his hair in fine locks separated by rhythmic wavy grooves coincides with that of other works from the former southern Netherlands dated around 1520-25, among which are the Saint Martin of the church of his title in Tielt and that of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Brussels. Such affinities, therefore, confirm brabanzona origin of the Patron of Tazacorte and allows to date it around the second decade of that century.
"The Iltre. Town Hall and Port of Tazacorte, in Plenary Session held on September 29, 2007 agrees to appoint Saint Michael the Archangel Patron of the municipality and the Island of San Miguel de La Palma HONORARY AND PERPETUAL MAYOR OF THE VILLA AND PORT OF TAZACORTE represented in the image that is venerated in the Parish of the same name of this municipality ”.
