DOI issue:
Nr. 1-2
DOI article:Dobrzeniecki, Tadeusz: Imago Pietatis: its meaning and function
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18819#0016
engraved copies executed by Israel van Meckcnem (fig. 4). They represent Christ in half figurę*
standing in the sarcophagus, nudę, His picrced side bleeding as well as His crossed liands. On
both sides of Jesus' head, bent upon His right shoulder and with His glance lowered, there are
the letters of the monogram IC XC. The body of Christ is straightened in front of the Cross,
on the transversal beam of which a panel is seen with the Greek inscription: o f}aaiAevt; zrję
do^i]ę.sa This title is an ideological equivalent of the last (IVth) strophe of St PauFs hymn
extolling the exaltation of Christ, at which as a re%vard for the abasement the Servant of God
is said to obtain from the Lord „the name above every name".39 The inner connection of the
Passion of Jesus with His glory doęa was one of the basie tenets of the Newtestamental
Christology.40
In the Carthusian manuscript of 1475 we come, thus, across a description of the Imago Pietatis
fairly popular at that time. The contemporary understanding of this image as a representation
of the Eucharistic character is attested by the statement that Christ showed Himself in the
likeness of a shepherd (in specie pastoris) — the metaphor recalling the bloody sacrifice of
Golgotha offered of His life for His sheep and renewed sacramentally.41 The sacrifice of life
proves the deepest love and therefore in Christ — the Good Shepherd the model of Love (ef-
figies pietatis) was realized.42
Jesus came here to be known as Pietas just in the same way as in the Feeding of the Thousands
He revealed Himself as Panis vitae, in the Rising of Lazarus as Resurrectio et Vita, in the Healing
of the Blind as Lux mundi and in all His Teaching as Verbum.i3
In Santa Croce in Rome the mosaic icon has been preserved up to the present days set int°
a magnificent shrine and much venerated (fig. 5); until quite lately it was dated back to the
XIIIth century and considered to be the work of an anonymous Italian artist, who patterned
himself after some older lost prototype.43" After the recent restauration of this Roman icon
C. Bertelli44 on the grounds of stylistical and iconographic affinities ascribed it to a Byzantine
master, active at the close of the XHIth century or the early XIVth.45 Up to the present days
the origins of the legend of St Gregory's the Great miraculous vision, so popular in the Middle
Ages, have not been explained satisfactorily. Its „modernized" version, inserted by Jacobus
of Voragine into his Legenda Aurea (ca 1330) might have been composed as a reflex of the cult
of the Eucharist, renewed in the XIIIth century.46 However, it must be pointed out here that
it was St Gregory the Great who for the first time called Christ Fons Pietatis and Fons Miseri-
cordiae using these metaphors synonymously.47
St John the Baptist incited the people of Israel to do penance wishing to prepare them in
this way to the reception of Messiah. When seeing Jesus the Saint called Him twice „the Lamb
of God" and the Saviour as well (Ecce Agnus Dei qui tollit peccatum mundi).48 This formuła
of the Baptist refers directly to the Fourth Canticle of Isaiah on the Servant, being also compared
to a lamb dying as a propitiatory victim.40 In his turn, St John the Evangelist testified that
the bones of the Crucified were not broken as it had been foretold in the prophecy of the Scrip-
tures, which reflected the ritual of the preparation of the Pascha! Lamb consummed on the
14th day of the month Nisan.60
On the panel of the poliptych from St Mary's in Toruń, now in the National Museum in War-
saw, of ca 1390,wecan tracę the main ideas of mediaeval Christology and Soteriology (fig. 7):
Christ is here represented thrice: 1° as Son of God on Father's lap, 2° as the Crucified Redeemer
of the World and 3° as the Paschal Lamb nailed to the medallion formed by the branches of
the Tree of Life — the Cross.51 On the left St John the Baptist stands pointing to the Lamb,
which is shown at the moment of deatłi, of destruction — for destruction constitutes the essential
feature of every sacrifice. The sacrificial annihilation of the Lamb depends on the pouring of
blood and Ecclesia, standing at the right of the Lamb, is collecting this blood (idcntical with
the Eucharist blood) into a chalice.52
10
standing in the sarcophagus, nudę, His picrced side bleeding as well as His crossed liands. On
both sides of Jesus' head, bent upon His right shoulder and with His glance lowered, there are
the letters of the monogram IC XC. The body of Christ is straightened in front of the Cross,
on the transversal beam of which a panel is seen with the Greek inscription: o f}aaiAevt; zrję
do^i]ę.sa This title is an ideological equivalent of the last (IVth) strophe of St PauFs hymn
extolling the exaltation of Christ, at which as a re%vard for the abasement the Servant of God
is said to obtain from the Lord „the name above every name".39 The inner connection of the
Passion of Jesus with His glory doęa was one of the basie tenets of the Newtestamental
Christology.40
In the Carthusian manuscript of 1475 we come, thus, across a description of the Imago Pietatis
fairly popular at that time. The contemporary understanding of this image as a representation
of the Eucharistic character is attested by the statement that Christ showed Himself in the
likeness of a shepherd (in specie pastoris) — the metaphor recalling the bloody sacrifice of
Golgotha offered of His life for His sheep and renewed sacramentally.41 The sacrifice of life
proves the deepest love and therefore in Christ — the Good Shepherd the model of Love (ef-
figies pietatis) was realized.42
Jesus came here to be known as Pietas just in the same way as in the Feeding of the Thousands
He revealed Himself as Panis vitae, in the Rising of Lazarus as Resurrectio et Vita, in the Healing
of the Blind as Lux mundi and in all His Teaching as Verbum.i3
In Santa Croce in Rome the mosaic icon has been preserved up to the present days set int°
a magnificent shrine and much venerated (fig. 5); until quite lately it was dated back to the
XIIIth century and considered to be the work of an anonymous Italian artist, who patterned
himself after some older lost prototype.43" After the recent restauration of this Roman icon
C. Bertelli44 on the grounds of stylistical and iconographic affinities ascribed it to a Byzantine
master, active at the close of the XHIth century or the early XIVth.45 Up to the present days
the origins of the legend of St Gregory's the Great miraculous vision, so popular in the Middle
Ages, have not been explained satisfactorily. Its „modernized" version, inserted by Jacobus
of Voragine into his Legenda Aurea (ca 1330) might have been composed as a reflex of the cult
of the Eucharist, renewed in the XIIIth century.46 However, it must be pointed out here that
it was St Gregory the Great who for the first time called Christ Fons Pietatis and Fons Miseri-
cordiae using these metaphors synonymously.47
St John the Baptist incited the people of Israel to do penance wishing to prepare them in
this way to the reception of Messiah. When seeing Jesus the Saint called Him twice „the Lamb
of God" and the Saviour as well (Ecce Agnus Dei qui tollit peccatum mundi).48 This formuła
of the Baptist refers directly to the Fourth Canticle of Isaiah on the Servant, being also compared
to a lamb dying as a propitiatory victim.40 In his turn, St John the Evangelist testified that
the bones of the Crucified were not broken as it had been foretold in the prophecy of the Scrip-
tures, which reflected the ritual of the preparation of the Pascha! Lamb consummed on the
14th day of the month Nisan.60
On the panel of the poliptych from St Mary's in Toruń, now in the National Museum in War-
saw, of ca 1390,wecan tracę the main ideas of mediaeval Christology and Soteriology (fig. 7):
Christ is here represented thrice: 1° as Son of God on Father's lap, 2° as the Crucified Redeemer
of the World and 3° as the Paschal Lamb nailed to the medallion formed by the branches of
the Tree of Life — the Cross.51 On the left St John the Baptist stands pointing to the Lamb,
which is shown at the moment of deatłi, of destruction — for destruction constitutes the essential
feature of every sacrifice. The sacrificial annihilation of the Lamb depends on the pouring of
blood and Ecclesia, standing at the right of the Lamb, is collecting this blood (idcntical with
the Eucharist blood) into a chalice.52
10