8/4/2023 0 Comments Roma invicta pronounce![]() Even in the face of the clear historical and artistic importance of the Oratory, studies have always been limited to a few citations (see Toesca 1996 van Marle 1932, I, p. Secondly, the poor condition of the painted surface makes it difficult to read the scenes and the overall quality of the surviving images is low. Due to restorations and lack of musealisation, from the mid-1980s until 2015, the chamber was only visible to scholars. 3 Other factors have contributed to the scarcity of studies. The impetus for my investigation ( Quattrocchi 2017) was the paradox of having a large amount of restoration documents that had neither been published ( ISCR 1987–2003) nor interpreted in light of the broader contexts of the cathedral or of historical and artistic paradigms. With the exception of a small part, the paintings in the Oratory are generally assigned to a pupil of the First Master who was active on 70% of the surfaces of the main crypt. In addition to the level on which they extend, the underlying theme, the style also links the two environments. The theme of the priesthood according to Christ and the martyrdom of the bishop are subjects that fit in well with the later decoration of Becket’s oratory. The entire room was decorated between the 12th and late 13th century by three workshops: the so-called Three Masters of Anagni. The main strands in which the visual argumentation is articulated always bring the example of the ‘supremacy of the Priest’ from the biblical one, to Christ, to the example of Saint Magnus. Salvation is only achieved in the Church that will be destined to rule on Earth. In this view, the exaltation of the Priest over the King is central. With its 540 square metres of frescoes, the paintings represent the History of the Salvation from before Time to its final apocalyptic Resolution. Magnus, which is contextual to the cathedral in its architecture, holds intact an example of total decoration. Becket thus became the new imitator of Christ, the new Peter, the new martyr on the altar of the Church of Rome. In an oratory in the crypt of the grandiose cathedral, Alexander III had the last painful moments of the Archbishop’s death painted in a program imitating that of St. It was here that he decided to elaborate a powerful speech in images. However, it was in faithful Anagni that he settled on and off from March 1173 through the following years (November 1176 December 1177–March 1178 September 1179). When he had to flee from Rome besieged by factions led by Frederick I, the pope found refuge in Segni, where he canonised Thomas Becket on 21 February 1173. Sensing Becket’s looming tragic fate, Alexander III began slowly to encircle the archbishop with rhetoric of the new martyr of Libertas Ecclesiae. He wrote to two influential local archbishops for help in pacifying King Henry II and Archbishop Thomas Becket, who had been in dispute for six years. On the 9th of October, 1170 Pope Alexander III resided in Anagni, which had been the ancient residence of the court of the Popes for at least two centuries.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |