The prophet Jonah

The Book of Jonah is the fifth of the “twelve minor prophets”, which is the name of the last 12 books of the Old Testament. Jonah is famous for the story of how he defied the prophetic missions he was given by God.

On one occasion, he tried to escape from his mission by sea, but the Lord sent a mighty storm that threatened to sink the ship. The crew blamed Jonah for causing the storm and threw him overboard. But the Lord sent a huge fish that swallowed him whole and brought him safely back to shore after three days and three nights. This story was understood as a prophesy that Christ would remain in his grave for the same amount of time as Jonah was in the fish’s belly.

The statue

Jonah is depicted as a furious bald man in the middle of an argument. On the plinth we see him being swallowed by a huge whale.