The Fall of Simon the Magician - Sébastien Bourdon

The character of Simon Magus is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 8, verses 9-24, but there is no mention of his spectacular fall, depicted here.
The competition between Saint Peter and Simon Magus before the Prefect of Rome is an apocryphal account, taken from the Acts of Peter, chap. 32 (Pléiade p. 1104). As Simon demonstrates his magic by flying over the forum in front of the prefect, Peter invokes the Lord: may he make the impostor fall and break his leg in three places! Immediately, Simon falls and breaks his leg in three places.
Bourdon also invokes another apocryphal source. In Justin's First Apology (composed around 153), chap. 26, it is said that a statue had been erected in honor of Simon by Claudius on an island in the Tiber, where two bridges cross, with the inscription "Simoni Deo Sancto". A statue was actually discovered in the 16th century, which turned out to be dedicated to "Semo Sanctus", a Sabine divinity. The statue is depicted on the canvas at top left.

Bourdon was undoubtedly the most important Montpellier painter of his time. It was to him, albeit a Protestant, that the archbishopric turned in 1657 to decorate the cathedral. The subject chosen, however, was not indifferent: in the Christian iconographic tradition, Simon Mage had become the syncretic figure of all heresies. In Montpellier, the idea was to affirm the triumph of the Catholic faith over all Protestants.