Virtue

These designs are based on the nine choirs of angels as proposed by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, and on the visions of Saint Hildegard of Bingen.
The design of the Virtues is based mainly on its mission to receive and share divine strength and power. This is an exchange of power that occurs in a descending movement; God gives strength, the Virtue receives it and distributes it among the creatures below it.
Because of the descending character of this movement, the column of light that makes up their bodt takes the form of an inverted triangle. This shape reinforces the downward movement of the Virtue, as it forms an arrow pointing downwards. It is also a nod to St Hildegard of Bingen’s description of the Virtue. The saint describes an iron-coloured cloud covering their figures from the shoulders down. In this design, their body narrows towards the base, as if something were covering its ends.
The crown of flames has also been incorporated from St. Hildegard of Bingen’s description. The fiery nature of the Virtues signifies, moreover, the link between this choir and the stars. In Catholic tradition, the Virtues were responsible for keeping the heavenly spheres on their course.