The Ascension

The Ascension (Acts 1:9–12) – Elijah Taken Up in a Chariot of Fire (2 Kgs 2:7–13) and Jacob’s Ladder (Gen 28:10–15)

The inscription is preserved only partially, but it can be reconstructed based on photographic documentation made before the overpainting was removed:
Helias fertur in paradisum. Xristu... …os S… angelos ascendentes cernit in celum.
The central part can likely be completed as: Xristu< s ascendit ad cel >os.
(Elijah is taken into paradise. Christ ascends to heaven. … he sees angels ascending into heaven.)

Uppsala Description: Helyas in curru igneo elevatur. Christus ascenditur. Jacob scalam vidit et angelos ascendentes. (Elijah is lifted up in a chariot of fire. Christ ascends. Jacob saw a ladder and angels ascending.)

The central part of the inscription, as well as some lower portions of the paintings, were destroyed at the 80. of the 19th century during the Beuron renovation, when the portal was raised and transformed into an altar niche with an image of the Virgin Mary.

a.    At the center of the scene is a hill representing the Mount of Olives. On its summit are the footprints of Jesus, while above them He is already vanishing into the heavens. Only a pair of bare feet bearing the wounds of the nails and the lower portion of His white garment are visible. Below, on either side of the hill, stand two groups of apostles. Leading the group on the left is the Virgin Mary, her hands raised before her. Beside her stands St. Peter, followed by four more apostles. On the opposite side, the first figure is a prophet with a long beard, his head thrown back as he looks up at the departing Christ. Behind him stands what is likely St. John the Evangelist, followed by the remaining four apostles, who are shown either gesturing or looking toward the heavens.

b.    The first parallel depicts the moment when the prophet Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire drawn by fiery horses. His disciple Elisha witnessed the event and received Elijah’s cloak - and with it, his prophetic power. In the scene, on the left, we see the small figure of Elisha raising his arms to catch Elijah’s mantle, which the prophet is casting down to him. Elijah himself is seated inside the chariot, drawn by four horses, ascending into the heavens.

c.    When Jacob set out on a journey to find a wife, he decided to spend the night at a certain place. He placed a stone under his head and fell asleep. In his dream, he saw a ladder reaching to heaven, with angels ascending and descending upon it. In the painting, we see bearded Jacob lying in the lower right corner, his head resting on a stone. Next to him on the ground stands the base of a ladder that rises into the heavens above him, with angels moving up and down upon it.