DOI Heft:
Nr. 2
DOI Artikel:Krasny, Piotr: New Branches of the Roman trunk: the issue of "early Christian revival" in Central Europe
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.52949#0149
12. The inferior of the Church Santo
Stefano Rotonda in Rome decorated
with frescoes by Niccolo Circignani
called Pomarancio and Matteo di
Siena in theyear 1582. Photo: M.
Kuryej.
to háve played a key role in the Counter-Reformation
activity of the Church, as its main goal was, among
others, to préparé as best as possible the clergymen
from Central Europe to convert their Protestant
countrymen to Catholicism. In order to emphasize
the special significance of this institution, the Pope
entrusted to its Jurisdiction the church of Santo Ste-
fano Rotondo, which was regarded at the time as one
of the most important early-Christian monuments
in the Eternal City.39 A thorough restoration of this
temple which had been carried out already after this
act, underscored not only its ancient origins, but also
the significance of its dedication to the saint who was
the first to have given bis life for Christ, thus initiat-
ing the heroic history of the Church of the Martyrs.
In 1582, with the help of Matteo di Siena, Niccolö
Circignani, also known as Pomarancio, executed a
sériés of frescos showing various passion scenes
described in Martyrologium TSomanum on the walls of
39 DOLINSKÝ, J.: Aspekty potridentskej reformy. Trnava 2001,
pp. 145-146.
the above church [Fig. 12], The Jesuits advised their
students to meditate on the above scenes as examples
of extraordinary heroism which should characterize
clergymen intent on traveling to lands seething with
religions conflicts.40
Undoubtedly for the clergymen and other faithful,
it was the theme of the frescoes that was of primary
importance, but the strength of their expression was
additionally reinforced by the careful reconstruction
of ancient costumes and architectural landscape. For
such solutions contributed to the conviction that the
frescoes showed events that really did take place and
they made it easier for those who meditated on them
to “cast” their thoughts back to the heroic times of
the first Christians. Apart from the encouragement
to meditate upon the content of Pomarancio’s paint-
ings, the creators wished to propagate the fundamen-
tal conception of the “early-Christian revival”, that is
to take advantage of the early-Christian monuments
40 MÜLLER-BOGNARD, K.: Konzepte zur Konsolidierung
einer jesuitischen Identität. Die Martyrerzyklen der jesuiti-
schen Kollegien in Rom. In: Re monde est unepaintre. jesuitischen
Identität und die Rolle der Bilder. Eds. E. OY-MARRA — R.
VOLKER. Berlin 2011, pp. 153-158,169-174.
145
Stefano Rotonda in Rome decorated
with frescoes by Niccolo Circignani
called Pomarancio and Matteo di
Siena in theyear 1582. Photo: M.
Kuryej.
to háve played a key role in the Counter-Reformation
activity of the Church, as its main goal was, among
others, to préparé as best as possible the clergymen
from Central Europe to convert their Protestant
countrymen to Catholicism. In order to emphasize
the special significance of this institution, the Pope
entrusted to its Jurisdiction the church of Santo Ste-
fano Rotondo, which was regarded at the time as one
of the most important early-Christian monuments
in the Eternal City.39 A thorough restoration of this
temple which had been carried out already after this
act, underscored not only its ancient origins, but also
the significance of its dedication to the saint who was
the first to have given bis life for Christ, thus initiat-
ing the heroic history of the Church of the Martyrs.
In 1582, with the help of Matteo di Siena, Niccolö
Circignani, also known as Pomarancio, executed a
sériés of frescos showing various passion scenes
described in Martyrologium TSomanum on the walls of
39 DOLINSKÝ, J.: Aspekty potridentskej reformy. Trnava 2001,
pp. 145-146.
the above church [Fig. 12], The Jesuits advised their
students to meditate on the above scenes as examples
of extraordinary heroism which should characterize
clergymen intent on traveling to lands seething with
religions conflicts.40
Undoubtedly for the clergymen and other faithful,
it was the theme of the frescoes that was of primary
importance, but the strength of their expression was
additionally reinforced by the careful reconstruction
of ancient costumes and architectural landscape. For
such solutions contributed to the conviction that the
frescoes showed events that really did take place and
they made it easier for those who meditated on them
to “cast” their thoughts back to the heroic times of
the first Christians. Apart from the encouragement
to meditate upon the content of Pomarancio’s paint-
ings, the creators wished to propagate the fundamen-
tal conception of the “early-Christian revival”, that is
to take advantage of the early-Christian monuments
40 MÜLLER-BOGNARD, K.: Konzepte zur Konsolidierung
einer jesuitischen Identität. Die Martyrerzyklen der jesuiti-
schen Kollegien in Rom. In: Re monde est unepaintre. jesuitischen
Identität und die Rolle der Bilder. Eds. E. OY-MARRA — R.
VOLKER. Berlin 2011, pp. 153-158,169-174.
145