Medieval Frescoes in the Church of San Sisto Vecchio
Title
Medieval Frescoes in the Church of San Sisto Vecchio
Subject
The Friars’ Rome
Description
Along the Via Appia near the Baths of Caracalla is the Church of San Sisto Vecchio, dedicated to Pope Sixtus II. Rebuilt in the early 13th century under the order of Popes Innocent III and Honorius III, the church housed a nunnery founded by Saint Dominic. This nunnery developed into one of the most influential of the order as other medieval Dominican convents often followed the rule established at San Sisto and was home to one of the largest communities of women in medieval Rome. Over the course of its history, the church has been rebuilt and redecorated, however the Middle Ages campanile still remains and acts as a marker for that period of the church’s history.
Some medieval frescoes, discovered in the late 19th century, have also survived. A specific part of the frescoes show the scenes from the life of Saint Catherine of Siena, a tertiary (lay member) of the Dominican order. These scenes draw inspiration from the paintings near Catherine’s tomb in Santa Maria sopra Minerva which depict her charity to the poor and her following vision of Christ, as it was the favored story of Catherine in Rome at that time. These images, along with the rest of the frescoes, which could have been viewed by the nuns in their choir, depict aspects important to the Dominican faith.
Some medieval frescoes, discovered in the late 19th century, have also survived. A specific part of the frescoes show the scenes from the life of Saint Catherine of Siena, a tertiary (lay member) of the Dominican order. These scenes draw inspiration from the paintings near Catherine’s tomb in Santa Maria sopra Minerva which depict her charity to the poor and her following vision of Christ, as it was the favored story of Catherine in Rome at that time. These images, along with the rest of the frescoes, which could have been viewed by the nuns in their choir, depict aspects important to the Dominican faith.
Abstract
Along the Via Appia near the Baths of Caracalla is the Church of San Sisto Vecchio, dedicated to Pope Sixtus II. Rebuilt in the early 13th century under the order of Popes Innocent III and Honorius III, the church housed a nunnery founded by Saint Dominic. This nunnery developed into one of the most influential of his order as other medieval Dominican convents often followed the rule established at San Sisto and was home to one of the largest communities of women in medieval Rome.
Creator
Shweta Bhatia (2016)
Source
Joan Barclay Lloyd, “Paintings for Dominican Nuns: A New Look at the Image of Saints, Scenes from the New Testament and Apocrypha, and Episodes from the Life of Saint Catherine of Siena in the Medieval Apse of San Sisto Vecchio in Rome,” Papers of the British School at Rome 80(2012): 189-232. Accessed April 17, 2015. doi: 10.1017/S0068246212000104.
Identifier
sansistovecchiofrescoes_2015
Coverage
Spatial Coverage
Piazzale Numa Pompilio, 8, 00153 Roma RM
Description
Along the Via Appia near the Baths of Caracalla is the Church of San Sisto Vecchio, dedicated to Pope Sixtus II. Rebuilt in the early 13th century under the order of Popes Innocent III and Honorius III, the church housed a nunnery founded by Saint Dominic. This nunnery developed into one of the most influential of the order as other medieval Dominican convents often followed the rule established at San Sisto and was home to one of the largest communities of women in medieval Rome. Over the course of its history, the church has been rebuilt and redecorated, however the Middle Ages campanile still remains and acts as a marker for that period of the church’s history.Some medieval frescoes, discovered in the late 19th century, have also survived. A specific part of the frescoes show the scenes from the life of Saint Catherine of Siena, a tertiary (lay member) of the Dominican order. These scenes draw inspiration from the paintings near Catherine’s tomb in Santa Maria sopra Minerva which depict her charity to the poor and her following vision of Christ, as it was the favored story of Catherine in Rome at that time. These images, along with the rest of the frescoes, which could have been viewed by the nuns in their choir, depict aspects important to the Dominican faith.