Anonymous: The Miracle of Castel Sant'Angelo (1500)

(Philadelphia museum of art)

A painting by an unknown 15th\ 16th Spanish artist from Aragon. The Castel Sant'Angelo (= Castle of the Holy Angel) is a large tower in Rome, near Saint Peter's Basilica. Originally it was build between A.D. 134-139 as the tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Over the centuries the tomb was converted into a papal fortress to offer more protection and as a personal refuge for the popes during a siege. This painting shows a legend regarding the current name of the tomb/ fortress. According to the legend Rome was struck by a terrible plague in A.D. 590. Pope Gregory I 'the Great' (pontificate A.D. 590 - 604) led a procession in an effort to beg God to stop the plague. When the procession reached the mausoleum, the archangel Michael appeared atop the building, sheathing his sword as a sign of the end of the plague. In honour of the miracle the building was renamed Castel Sant'Angelo. The piece shows the papal procession with pope Gregory I carrying a depiction of the Virgin Mary. The archangel Michael is shown on top of a fantasy version of the Castel Sant'Angelo (the artist apparently had never seen the real Castel Sant'Angelo). Painting from 1500.