The Lunette with St. Thomas Becket at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco: An Unexpected Presence?
The painting with St. Thomas Becket, St. Stephen and St. Nicholas of Bari that decorates one of the lunettes in the so-called lower church at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco is an enigma from an art-historical point of view, for two reasons. First, on an iconographical level, the lunette interrupts the f...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-08-01
|
| Series: | Arts |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/10/3/58 |
| _version_ | 1797520261254217728 |
|---|---|
| author | Roberta Cerone |
| author_facet | Roberta Cerone |
| author_sort | Roberta Cerone |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The painting with St. Thomas Becket, St. Stephen and St. Nicholas of Bari that decorates one of the lunettes in the so-called lower church at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco is an enigma from an art-historical point of view, for two reasons. First, on an iconographical level, the lunette interrupts the flow of the story of Benedict’s life unfolding systematically on all the walls of the lower church. Second, from the formal point of view, the fresco clearly presents more archaic features than the surrounding Stories of St. Benedict, dating to the end of the thirteenth/beginning of the fourteenth century, and was therefore probably executed in a phase prior to the cycle of Benedict. In the paper, therefore, I will analyse the motivations that led to the preservation of this painting when the hall was renovated and later redecorated in the late thirteenth century, and discuss the hypotheses surrounding patronage. Both aspects will help to better contextualize the reasons for the presence of the image of St. Thomas Becket in a pre-eminent position in the sanctuary of Benedict in Subiaco, a papal bulwark on the borders of the Kingdom. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:54:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7b0c7a8afbaf4a0f96763a4c703af496 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0752 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:54:16Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arts |
| spelling | doaj.art-7b0c7a8afbaf4a0f96763a4c703af4962023-11-22T11:58:26ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522021-08-011035810.3390/arts10030058The Lunette with St. Thomas Becket at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco: An Unexpected Presence?Roberta Cerone0Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Roma, ItalyThe painting with St. Thomas Becket, St. Stephen and St. Nicholas of Bari that decorates one of the lunettes in the so-called lower church at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco is an enigma from an art-historical point of view, for two reasons. First, on an iconographical level, the lunette interrupts the flow of the story of Benedict’s life unfolding systematically on all the walls of the lower church. Second, from the formal point of view, the fresco clearly presents more archaic features than the surrounding Stories of St. Benedict, dating to the end of the thirteenth/beginning of the fourteenth century, and was therefore probably executed in a phase prior to the cycle of Benedict. In the paper, therefore, I will analyse the motivations that led to the preservation of this painting when the hall was renovated and later redecorated in the late thirteenth century, and discuss the hypotheses surrounding patronage. Both aspects will help to better contextualize the reasons for the presence of the image of St. Thomas Becket in a pre-eminent position in the sanctuary of Benedict in Subiaco, a papal bulwark on the borders of the Kingdom.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/10/3/58SubiacoSt. Benedict of NorciaHonorius IIImedieval monasterieswall painting |
| spellingShingle | Roberta Cerone The Lunette with St. Thomas Becket at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco: An Unexpected Presence? Arts Subiaco St. Benedict of Norcia Honorius III medieval monasteries wall painting |
| title | The Lunette with St. Thomas Becket at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco: An Unexpected Presence? |
| title_full | The Lunette with St. Thomas Becket at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco: An Unexpected Presence? |
| title_fullStr | The Lunette with St. Thomas Becket at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco: An Unexpected Presence? |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Lunette with St. Thomas Becket at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco: An Unexpected Presence? |
| title_short | The Lunette with St. Thomas Becket at the Sacro Speco in Subiaco: An Unexpected Presence? |
| title_sort | lunette with st thomas becket at the sacro speco in subiaco an unexpected presence |
| topic | Subiaco St. Benedict of Norcia Honorius III medieval monasteries wall painting |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/10/3/58 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT robertacerone thelunettewithstthomasbecketatthesacrospecoinsubiacoanunexpectedpresence AT robertacerone lunettewithstthomasbecketatthesacrospecoinsubiacoanunexpectedpresence |