A delegation from the Vatican Museums presented a restored painting of Saint Augustine to Pope Leo XIV. The painting, created by an anonymous Roman artist in the 18th century, was restored by the Laboratory for the Restoration of Paintings and Wooden Materials. The painting is a free copy of Saint Augustine from Raphael Sanzio's fresco 'The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament'. Key figures present included Barbara Jatta, Director of the Museums, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governatorate.
5 months ago
A delegation from the Vatican Museums presented a newly restored 18th-century painting of Saint Augustine to Pope Leo XIV on Saturday, August 2, in the Little Hall of the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall 1. The artwork, depicting Saint Augustine and an angel, is attributed to an anonymous Roman artist 1.
The painting is a "free copy" of the figure of Saint Augustine found in Raphael Sanzio's 1509 fresco, "The Disputation of the Holy Sacrament," located in the Stanza della Segnatura of the Vatican Palaces 1. Its restoration was expertly carried out by the Laboratory for the Restoration of Paintings and Wooden Materials 1.
Several prominent figures from the Vatican Museums and the Vatican City State Governatorate were present at the audience 1. These included Barbara Jatta, Director of the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governatorate 1. Also in attendance were Giandomenico Spinola, Deputy Artistic-Scientific Director; Alberto Albanesi, Deputy Managerial-Administrative Director; Francesca Persegati, former Head of the Restoration Laboratory; and Paolo Violini, the new Head of the Laboratory 1. Further attendees included Monsignor Terence Hogan, Coordinator of the Office for Relations with the Patrons of the Arts; Alessandra Rodolfo, Head of the Department for 17th-18th Century Art; and Laura Baldelli, Master Restorer at the Laboratory 1.
What is the Church's role in preserving sacred art?
The Church plays a crucial role in preserving sacred art, viewing it as a mediator between the divine and the human, akin to Jacob's ladder that descends and ascends . This function brings the divine world to humanity on a sensible level, allowing for cognitive intuition through the senses and emotional vibrations, and then elevates the human world to God's ineffable realm of mystery, beauty, and life .
The Church's involvement in sacred art is deeply rooted in its history and doctrine:
The Church has long recognized the importance of sacred art. The Second Council of Nicaea in 787 A.D. doctrinally ended the iconoclastic controversy, affirming the legitimacy of sacred images and their cultic function . This Council clarified that the honor given to an image refers not to the image itself, but to its prototype, elevating the mind beyond the figure to what it represents . This understanding prevents idolatry and preserves the symbolic and didactic role of religious figurative art .
Liturgy, with its many sensible signs, demonstrates its artistic vocation . When liturgy is well understood and executed, it fulfills this vocation incomparably through the beauty of its form and the depth of its content . The Second Vatican Council, particularly in Chapter VII of the Constitution "Sacrosanctum Concilium," infused sacred art with a new impetus, guiding its development with freedom . Pope Pius XII's encyclical Mediator Dei also emphasized that modern forms and images should not be generally despised or rejected, advocating for a wise balance between excessive realism and exaggerated symbolism, and prioritizing the Christian community's judgment over personal artistic taste .
The Church encourages a renewed friendship and alliance between modern art and religious life, especially through the liturgy . This alliance aims to restore two primary values to works of art: sensible beauty, perceived in the integrity, proportion, and purity of the work, and the indefinable yet living value of the spirit, reflecting the artist's lyrical emotion . The goal is for art to give a loving and enchanting voice to the Church, the Bride of Christ .
Before expecting a new epiphany of sacred art, the Church emphasizes the importance of forming artists . This means starting with the education of the individual, ensuring that artists are equipped to create works that serve the Church's mission .
The Church dedicates buildings solely and stably for gathering God's people and performing sacred rites, consecrating them with solemn rituals according to ancient custom . These buildings, known as churches, are visible signs of the Church on earth and images of the Church in heaven . They should be suitable for sacred celebrations, dignified, and possess noble beauty, serving as true symbols and signs of heavenly realities .
The altar, as the Lord's table, holds particular dignity . While martyrs' bodies do not honor the altar, the altar honors their tombs . It is fitting for altars to be built over the tombs of martyrs and other saints, or for their relics to be placed beneath altars, signifying that "triumphal victims succeed in the place where Christ is the host. But He is upon the altar, who suffered for all. These are beneath the altar, who were redeemed by His passion" . This arrangement echoes the spiritual vision of John the Apostle in the Apocalypse: "I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne" .
In new churches, it is preferable to erect only one altar to signify the single Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Church's one Eucharist within the single assembly of the faithful . Altars should be constructed detached from the wall, allowing the priest to easily walk around them and celebrate Mass facing the people . It is crucial to avoid erecting multiple altars merely for church ornamentation .