The Apostles at the Last Judgment

Circa 1290
Fresco
Church of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome, Italy

Above are photographs of three segments of the Last Judgment fresco at Santa Cecilia. Christ sits enthroned in the center, demonstrating the wounds in his hands, feet, and side. The half-mandorla behind him is inscribed ihs xps, which abbreviates the Greek for "Jesus Christ."

The Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist stand on Christ's left and right as in Deêsis images.

The Apostles have seats at the Last Judgment because of Jesus' promise that they will sit as judges "when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty" (Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30). The second Apostle on the left side holds what looks to be a flaying knife, so he is most likely St. Bartholomew. On the right side St. John the Evangelist is the second one from the left. He holds the chalice that is his attribute. St. Peter is also on the right side, on the second seat from the right. He can be distinguished by his short, square beard and his baldness. He holds a cross because he met his death by crucifixion.

It is not easy to identify the other Apostles. The third one on the left side and the first one on the right side hold long crosses, so one of them could be Philip and the other Andrew. Three of the Apostles on the left side carry swords. Of these the one who sits at the far right could be Paul. The sword is St. Paul's attribute, and the pointy beard and receding hairline are typical of his images.

Read more about images of the apostles as a group.
Read more about images of the Last Judgment.

Source: The three photographs are from this page at Wikimedia Commons.