Paolo Veronese: Saint Jerome meditating (1585)

(Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain)

A painting by the Italian artist Paolo Veronese (1528-1588). Saint Jerome of Stridon (A.D. 347-420) is a very important saint with the Catholic church. Saint Jerome is best known for his translation of the the Bible into Latin (now known as the Vulgate which the Catholic Church affirmed as its official Latin Bible). For his many writings the saint is considered as a 'Doctor of the Church', a title given to saints who have made important contributions to theology or doctrine. The saint is usually depicted as a hermit and dressed in red as a cardinal (this is ahistorical as cardinals didn't exist in the time of saint Jerome). Here the saint is shown in simple red robes while he is meditating. The simple piece invites its viewers to imitate the hermit saint in his meditation on the death of Christ. Painting from 1585.