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(98/241) The present basilica of Saint
Mary Major was built by Pope Sixtus III in 432. The first Basilica,
called the Liberian Basilica, was erected by Pope Liberius in
352. Since the time of these popes, there has always been a strong
connection of the basilica with the papacy. For this reason,
Saint Mary Major has always been, and still is, the "Marian
basilica of the Pope in Rome."
This fact, coupled with the more than
1500-year history of the existence of the Basilica, has led to
the presence of a multitude of artistically valuable religious
works inside. Truly masterpieces of mosaic, painting, sculpture,
and architecture are found in Saint Mary Major. The theme of
the almost exclusively religious works is concerned with the
History of Salvation in the Old Testament, the life of Jesus,
the Virgin Mary, the saints, popes and cardinals. One could say
that Saint Mary Major is a permanent exposition or display of
Christian iconography from the fifth century (mosaics of Sixtus
III) to our day (Marian stained glass in the rose window, 1995).
In this grandiose display of religious
iconography, we find various and important works on Dominican
themes. There is a substantial enough amount of material that
we can appropriately speak of as "Dominican iconography
in Saint Mary Major".
1. Saint Dominic in the Basilica. Saint Dominic of Guzman is present today in
Saint Mary Major through two sculptures and a fresco. It is possible
that the saint visited the basilica in person more than once
in the 13th century. We do not have decisive proof that he ever
did, however, there are several reasons that make such visits
seem likely, possible and logical: Saint Dominic visited Rome
six times between 1206 and 1221; during his stays in Rome, he
visited Popes Innocent III and Honorius III repeatedly; Honorius
III was a great friend of the saint and entrusted him with the
reform of the monasteries of nuns in Rome; in his visits to report
his findings to the pope, Saint Dominic and Honorius spoke more
than once about Saint Mary Major where the pope had been a canon
and where he eventually became one of the eight popes buried
there; Saint John Lateran and Saint Mary Major are only a 12-minute
walk from each other; finally, Saint Dominic is a Marian soul.
But even though we do not have definitive proof of his visiting
the Basilica, he is present and very well represented in the
Basilica today through two sculptures and a painting.
The first sculpture is by Giovanni Battista
della Porta. It was done in 1590 and is found on the wall that
is at right angles to the monument to Saint Pius V in the "Sistine
Chapel", so called because Pope Sixtus V had it built between
1585-1590. The sculpture, more than six-and-a-half feet tall,
is very beautiful, balanced, pleasing, expressive and devout.
The iconographic elements that it features are: the Dominican
habit and cape; a young and lively face with a short beard; a
direct and penetrating glance; a book in the right hand against
the top of the chest; the left hand extended downward. (I think
that this left hand used to hold an iris because today it has
between two of its fingers a fragment of what likely was the
stem of an iris).
The fresco was done by Guido Reni in
1612. It is to be found on the inner curve of the right arch
that sustains the cupola of the Pauline or Borghese Chapel, which
Paul V ordered to be built in order to house the painting of
the Blessed Mother "Salus Populi Romani",
(Salvation of the Roman People). The chapel was built between
1606 and 1612. The figure in the fresco is vigorous, energetic,
and very manly, an effect achieved by the features and size of
the figure, by the pleats of the cape and by the predominance
of black. The iconographic elements are a white habit and black
cape; an energetic face with a full beard; the right hand holds,
toward the middle of the body, the cape and an iris; the left
hand is extended downward and is opened in a welcoming gesture.
Underneath the fresco, a text in Latin says: "Filium
humano generi infensum Deipara consiliat virtutes".
Dominici ostendens. This makes reference to the Dominican
legend that Gerard de Frachet reported in Chapter I, number 4,
1260 of the "Life of the Brothers", which says that
the Virgin appeased Christ's anger due to the sins of the world
by presenting Dominic and Francis to him.
The second sculpture is by Francesco
Fancelli in 1673. It is found in the balustrade that rounds off
the apse on the rear facade of the Basilica. It is quite large.
There are four sculptures present, which Angelo Martinelli (1975)
interprets to be Saints Peter, Paul, Luke and Jerome and. According
to Carlo Pietrangeli (1988) they are Saints Peter, Paul, David
and Dominic. The Dominican habit and cape, the beard, the right
hand on the chest, the left hand holding the cape and an iris
toward the middle of the body, are the iconographic elements.
It is elegant and has a good linear rhythm, which is easily appreciated
because the statue is not confined within an urn or vaulted niche
but is huge and out in the open.
2. Saint Pius V and his grandiose
sepulchral monument. Saint
Pius V, pope from 1566-1572, and a Dominican, has an exquisite
tomb in the Sistine Chapel of the Basilica. It was built between
1586-1589. It is large, occupying the entire wall on the right
side; its dimensions are approximately 40 feet wide by 45 feet
tall. It is rich in the variety and quality of marble, columns,
caryatids, sculptures and bas reliefs which it employs. It was
designed by Domenico Fontana and is composed of two parts (upper
and lower); each part has three spaces framed either by caryatids
(in the upper part) or by Corinthian columns of green marble
(in the lower one).
We find six iconographic representations
of the saint in this grandiose tomb. 1) One exists in the urn
which contains the supine skeleton dressed in papal garments
and a silver mask. 2) Another is a bas relief on the front part
of the gilded-bronze sarcophagus that shows the pontiff resting
in peace. Piantrangeli calls it "very beautiful". It
was done by Pierre Legros, Jr., in 1698. (The urn, which today
forms part of the monument, was done later. It was incorporated
in 1672 for the beatification of Pope Pius V.) 3) There is a
great statue of white marble, featuring the seated pontiff with
the pontifical hallmarks of the tiara, cape and right hand extended
in blessing. It is located in the centre of the lower part and
was done by Leonardo Sarzana. Roberto Luciani says that Pope
Sixtus V, who commissioned the statue, visited the sculptor in
his study while he was sculpting the work, was present when it
was set in place in 1587, and paid at least 25,000 Scudi for
it. 4) There are three other representations of the saint in
three of the five stone bas reliefs in the three niches of the
upper part and the two of the lower. They relate five important
events in the pontificate of Pius V: the Coronation of the Pope;
the Battle of Lepanto; the victory over the Huguenots; the handing
over of the standard to Marcus Antonius Colonia; and the handing
over of the hand staff to Count Sforza. The bas reliefs were
done by Egidius of Flanders and Nicolo Pinni of Arras.
Experts are in agreement that this monument
is important in the history of art because it is the first characteristic
model of the "pictorial style" in 16th-century architecture.
The artworks of this style take up large areas, display riches
and a variety of marbles and are built as if they were a Triumphal
Arches or the facades of palaces or churches.
3. Saint Peter of Verona. Another Dominican saint who has the honour
of being included among the sculptures in the basilica of Saint
Mary Major is Saint Peter Martyr or Saint Peter of Verona. He
received the habit from the hands of Saint Dominic and dedicated
himself for many years to preaching. In 1251 he was named an
Inquisitor and in 1252 was martyred with a sword by heretics.
There is a statue of St Peter Martyr
in a vaulted niche on the rear wall of the Sistine Chapel, which
is at right angles with St Pius V's tomb. It was sculpted from
white marble and is more than six feet tall. Its iconographic
features are the Dominican habit and cape; a full beard; the
left hand resting on his chest and holding the palm of martyrdom;
the right hand extending toward the knee holding a book, and
the pleats of the cape. It has a expressive face, with strong
and manly features. Roberto Luciani says that it was done by
Leonardo da Sarzana in 1589; but Carolo Pietrangeli says that
it is the work of Giovanni Antonio Paracca, called Valsoldo.
4. Saint Hyacinth of Poland and
Saint Raymond of Peñafort.
According to a Latin text which is found on the lower part of
the monument to pope Clement VIII in the Pauline or Borghese
Chapel, we see there a bas relief of the canonisation of Saint
Hyacinthe of Poland and Saint Raymond of Peñafort by pope
Clement VIII: "Hiacynthum Polonum et Raymundum Hispanum
ex Praedicatorum Familia virtute et miraculis claros sanctorum
numero adscripit." In the bas relief, which was done
by Valsodo the Youngert (1612), there is no iconographic representation
of Saint Hyacinth or Saint Raymond. As Francesco Felli states
it, "in it is portrayed the Pontifical Chapel with all of
the cardinals, prelates, ministers and guards who accompanied
the Pope while he was celebrating the solemn act of the canonisation
of two saints of the Dominican Order". It is necessary to
add that if Clement VIII canonised these two saints of ours,
he did not do it on the same day or in the same place. According
to the biographical notes of the "Liturgy of the Hours,
Dominican Proper", Saint Hyacinth of Poland "was canonised
by Clemente VIII on April 17, 1594"; Saint Raymond "was
the first saint canonised in the present Vatican Basilica by
Clement VIII on April 29, 1601". Despite the lack of iconographic
representation of the two saints, however, the bas relief continues
to be a display of Dominican iconography in Saint Mary Major.
5. The Dominican Pope Benedict
XIII. We finish by making
reference to a "bust dedicated to the Dominican Pope Benedict
XIII (1724-1730)". This Pope, on the occasion of the Jubilee
of 1725, entrusted Filippo Raguzzini with the restoration of
the roof of the Basilica. "The canons", says Carlo
Pietrangeli, "as a sign of thanks got Pietro Bracci to sculpt
a bust of the Pontiff which was placed in an ovoidal niche in
the wall of the present Baptistery, and of which there exists
an expressive terracotta copy in Venice's Palace Museum".
We can say, therefore, that the Dominican
iconography in Saint Mary Major is abundant, since we find at
least twelve works of art. And this iconography is important
because many of these works have been carried out by famous artists
such as Giovanni Battista della Porta, Guido Reni and Domenico
Fontana. |
