DOI Artikel:
Krasny, Piotr: "Res quibus superna Hierusalem ab Ecclesia in terris peregrinante collitur" Nauka Św. Roberta Bellarmina o roli dzieł szutki w Życiu Kościoła
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20622#0070
works by Johannaes Molanus, Gabriele Paleotti and other au-
thors who defined the formative principles of the Catholic sacral
art. Thus, the writings of the Jesuit theologian were a particu-
larly well accessible source of the orthodox “artistic doctrine” and
probably for this reason Bellarmine was the only West-European
theologian ąuoted expressis verbis (by Atanazy Kalnofoyski) in the
discussion about the cult of images conducted in the 17th century
Polish Republic. This is the principal reason for presenting the
Bellarminian “theory of art” to Polish readers.
St Robert very decidedly opposed the Protestant claims that
identified the Catholic cult of images with the pagan idolatry
by arguing (on the basis of the Bibie) that the term ‘idol’ can
be referred to images of false gods but never to the represen-
tation of the true God, who revealed himself to people in his
Son, called by St Paul “the Fathers image”. He also recalled
the thesis, worked out by the eastern Fathers of the Church,
that “the homage paid to images refers to their prototype”
and underscored that a elear differentiation between the cultus
duliae, due to images, and the cultus latriae, due only to God,
effectively protects the Catholic doctrine against collapsing into
the heresy of idolatry. Additionally, Bellarmine pointed out the
pastorał assets of the presentation of holy images, stating that
historical paintings (bistoriae depictae) are “the Bibie of the illiter-
ate”, whereas devotional pictures (imagines solitariae) stimulate
the souls of the faithful to piety and to the acceptance of God’s
inspirations, inclining them for instance to doing penance. In his
opinion the images of saints encouraged the viewers to emulate
virtues practised by the depicted personages.
Bellarmine very determinedly rejected the opinions voiced
by the Protestants that a sumptuous frame of the Catholic li-
turgy marks a turn-away from the ideals of the original Church,
which praised God “solely in the spirit and truth”, avoiding the
construction of magnificent buildings furnished luxuriously.
St Robert never denied that the ancient Christian community
conducted the Divine services in a rather humble way, yet he
was convinced that such a State of affairs resulted exclusively
from the poverty of the first Christians. Comparing the Church
to a tree, which gradually expands and gains morę splendour,
he claimed that the Christians, who had grown wealthy over
the centuries and acąuired a higher social status, were taking
an inereasing care of the decoration fit for the houses of the
Ford, in this manner expressing their love of Christ, hidden in
the Holy Sacrament. Bellarmine stated that such actions did
not violate the identity of.the Christian community, formed in
the time of the Apostles, but — to the contrary — enriched it
with new marvellous creations that were like the fruit on the
Tree of the Church, proving its unwavering vitality. This last
declaration could have exerted an essential influence on the
Roman art around the year 1600, in which various innovative
tendencies appeared alongside a traditional current of the “early
Christian Revival”.
St Robert was an ardent advocate of the “theological rea-
lism”, which maintained that a man may come to know his
Creator through the contemplation of the beauty of the created
world. He extended this principle to cover not only the beauty
of Naturę but also the beauty of human artefacts and especially
of artworks. In his view, a beautiful and lavish interior decora-
tion of the church played an important catechetical function,
directing the thoughts of the congregation towards the perfect
attributes of God. Bellarmine wrote also that the church buil-
ding is a reflection of the superna Hierusalem, that is of heaven,
and that’s why its furnishings should be as rich as possible, to
remind the viewers of the magnificence of the paradisiacal prize
awaiting the redeemed.
According to St Robert the contemplation of the beauty of
Naturę should possess the character of a totally passive rapture.
This claim may have influenced the aesthetic views of the theo-
logian, who believed that the possibly most faithful rendition
of reality is crucial in making the picture beautiful. He even
went so far as to claim that an ugly thing becomes beautiful
if it has been depicted in “the cłosest manner in relation to its
prototype”. Such radical naturalism was an unusual conception
against the background of the Italian theory of art around 1600
but it well cohered with the artistic attitude of Caravaggio and
his fellowers, supported — incidentally — by Cardinal Francesco
Maria del Monte, on friendly terms with Bellarmine.
St Robert’s pronouncements on the symbolism of the
Christian tempie focused on the thesis that the church as
a building is a visible symbol of the Church as an institution,
which — according to St Paul — is a mystical body of Christ.
Bellarmine recalled the teaching of the Apostle that within
this “body” all “members” should play their proper role. From
this he concluded that the church space should possess a elear
hierarchy, with isolated units destined for the penitents (porch),
lay believers (nave) and the clergy (chancel). Thanks to such
a solution Christian churches imitated the Tempie of Jerusalem,
whereas the single-space Protestant churches were reminiscent
of the Tower of Babel, reflecting the chaos reigning in the “Fu-
theran Republic”, where the clear-cut distinction into the laity
and the clergy had been abolished.
In St Robert’s view the church deserved the name of the
House of God mainly because the Holy Sacrament was kept
there. The theologian likened the tabernacle to the Bethlehem
cripe in which Christ is awaiting the homage from the faithful
and opted for its placement on the high altar. He was also an
ardent propagator of the cult of relics. He recommended that
they should be deposited in caskets madę of precious metals and
placed under the altar mensa as — according to the Apocalypse
— the martyrs’ souls were to find their rest under the Famb’s
altar, raised in the superna Hierusalem.
Bellarmine’s comments on the theory of art dealt with vario-
us issues, giving a well thought-out and theologically deepened
interpretation. We can then presume that, like other ideas of
that “hammer on the heretics”, they found numerous readers
and exerted a significant influence on the formation of sacral
art in the Baroque.
thors who defined the formative principles of the Catholic sacral
art. Thus, the writings of the Jesuit theologian were a particu-
larly well accessible source of the orthodox “artistic doctrine” and
probably for this reason Bellarmine was the only West-European
theologian ąuoted expressis verbis (by Atanazy Kalnofoyski) in the
discussion about the cult of images conducted in the 17th century
Polish Republic. This is the principal reason for presenting the
Bellarminian “theory of art” to Polish readers.
St Robert very decidedly opposed the Protestant claims that
identified the Catholic cult of images with the pagan idolatry
by arguing (on the basis of the Bibie) that the term ‘idol’ can
be referred to images of false gods but never to the represen-
tation of the true God, who revealed himself to people in his
Son, called by St Paul “the Fathers image”. He also recalled
the thesis, worked out by the eastern Fathers of the Church,
that “the homage paid to images refers to their prototype”
and underscored that a elear differentiation between the cultus
duliae, due to images, and the cultus latriae, due only to God,
effectively protects the Catholic doctrine against collapsing into
the heresy of idolatry. Additionally, Bellarmine pointed out the
pastorał assets of the presentation of holy images, stating that
historical paintings (bistoriae depictae) are “the Bibie of the illiter-
ate”, whereas devotional pictures (imagines solitariae) stimulate
the souls of the faithful to piety and to the acceptance of God’s
inspirations, inclining them for instance to doing penance. In his
opinion the images of saints encouraged the viewers to emulate
virtues practised by the depicted personages.
Bellarmine very determinedly rejected the opinions voiced
by the Protestants that a sumptuous frame of the Catholic li-
turgy marks a turn-away from the ideals of the original Church,
which praised God “solely in the spirit and truth”, avoiding the
construction of magnificent buildings furnished luxuriously.
St Robert never denied that the ancient Christian community
conducted the Divine services in a rather humble way, yet he
was convinced that such a State of affairs resulted exclusively
from the poverty of the first Christians. Comparing the Church
to a tree, which gradually expands and gains morę splendour,
he claimed that the Christians, who had grown wealthy over
the centuries and acąuired a higher social status, were taking
an inereasing care of the decoration fit for the houses of the
Ford, in this manner expressing their love of Christ, hidden in
the Holy Sacrament. Bellarmine stated that such actions did
not violate the identity of.the Christian community, formed in
the time of the Apostles, but — to the contrary — enriched it
with new marvellous creations that were like the fruit on the
Tree of the Church, proving its unwavering vitality. This last
declaration could have exerted an essential influence on the
Roman art around the year 1600, in which various innovative
tendencies appeared alongside a traditional current of the “early
Christian Revival”.
St Robert was an ardent advocate of the “theological rea-
lism”, which maintained that a man may come to know his
Creator through the contemplation of the beauty of the created
world. He extended this principle to cover not only the beauty
of Naturę but also the beauty of human artefacts and especially
of artworks. In his view, a beautiful and lavish interior decora-
tion of the church played an important catechetical function,
directing the thoughts of the congregation towards the perfect
attributes of God. Bellarmine wrote also that the church buil-
ding is a reflection of the superna Hierusalem, that is of heaven,
and that’s why its furnishings should be as rich as possible, to
remind the viewers of the magnificence of the paradisiacal prize
awaiting the redeemed.
According to St Robert the contemplation of the beauty of
Naturę should possess the character of a totally passive rapture.
This claim may have influenced the aesthetic views of the theo-
logian, who believed that the possibly most faithful rendition
of reality is crucial in making the picture beautiful. He even
went so far as to claim that an ugly thing becomes beautiful
if it has been depicted in “the cłosest manner in relation to its
prototype”. Such radical naturalism was an unusual conception
against the background of the Italian theory of art around 1600
but it well cohered with the artistic attitude of Caravaggio and
his fellowers, supported — incidentally — by Cardinal Francesco
Maria del Monte, on friendly terms with Bellarmine.
St Robert’s pronouncements on the symbolism of the
Christian tempie focused on the thesis that the church as
a building is a visible symbol of the Church as an institution,
which — according to St Paul — is a mystical body of Christ.
Bellarmine recalled the teaching of the Apostle that within
this “body” all “members” should play their proper role. From
this he concluded that the church space should possess a elear
hierarchy, with isolated units destined for the penitents (porch),
lay believers (nave) and the clergy (chancel). Thanks to such
a solution Christian churches imitated the Tempie of Jerusalem,
whereas the single-space Protestant churches were reminiscent
of the Tower of Babel, reflecting the chaos reigning in the “Fu-
theran Republic”, where the clear-cut distinction into the laity
and the clergy had been abolished.
In St Robert’s view the church deserved the name of the
House of God mainly because the Holy Sacrament was kept
there. The theologian likened the tabernacle to the Bethlehem
cripe in which Christ is awaiting the homage from the faithful
and opted for its placement on the high altar. He was also an
ardent propagator of the cult of relics. He recommended that
they should be deposited in caskets madę of precious metals and
placed under the altar mensa as — according to the Apocalypse
— the martyrs’ souls were to find their rest under the Famb’s
altar, raised in the superna Hierusalem.
Bellarmine’s comments on the theory of art dealt with vario-
us issues, giving a well thought-out and theologically deepened
interpretation. We can then presume that, like other ideas of
that “hammer on the heretics”, they found numerous readers
and exerted a significant influence on the formation of sacral
art in the Baroque.