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Original fileThe composition is divided into two horizontal planes: a celestial realm where Christ sits in majesty among saints and prophets, and a terrestrial realm where theologians and Church Fathers debate the mystery of transubstantiation. At the vertical center, the Trinity—God the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove—aligns with a monstrance holding the consecrated Host on an earthly altar. The figures exhibit a wide range of expressive gestures, from contemplative prayer to intense intellectual scrutiny of sacred texts.
Located in the Stanza della Segnatura, this work serves as an allegory of Theology (Divine Truth), complementing 'The School of Athens' which represents Philosophy (Natural Truth). It reflects the Renaissance Neoplatonic effort to synthesize Christian revelation with classical intellectual rigor, illustrating the hierarchy of being from the material world to the divine essence.
SECUN/DUM/MAT/THAE/UM SECUN/DUM/MAR/CUM SECUN/DUM/LU/CAM SECUN/DUM/IOAN/NEM LIBER SENTENTIARUM CIVITAS DEI
Translation
According to Matthew; According to Mark; According to Luke; According to John; Book of Sentences; The City of God
Thomas Aquinas
The fresco depicts Aquinas and illustrates the Scholastic theology of the Eucharist he codified in the 'Summa Theologica'.
Dante Alighieri
Dante is depicted among the theologians, representing the role of poetry in communicating divine truth as found in the 'Divine Comedy'.
Peter Lombard
His 'Sentences' (Liber Sententiarum), a foundational text of medieval theology, is depicted at the base of the altar.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Linked Data
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