Vision of St. John on Patmos

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Vision of St. John the Evangelist

Antonio da Correggio, 1520-22

Fresco, 969 × 889 cm

San Giovanni Evangelista, Parma

The Vision of St. John the Evangelist at Patmos (1520-1522) is a series of fresco by the Italian late Renaissance artist Antonio Allegri da Correggio. It occupies the interior of the dome, and the relative pendentives, of the Benedictine church of San Giovanni Evangelista of Parma, Italy.

The centre of the cupola is occupied by an illusionistic space based on series of concentric planes indicated by the clouds, from which the apostles stretch out. Starting from the border of the dome, the clouds thin out and open to a shiny light enlighting Christ descending towards the floor of the nave. The scene is a faithful rendering of John's Book of Revelation (I,7). The figure of St. John leans from the tambour of the dome. This part of the fresco was hidden to the people present in the church, but visible to the monks in the choir and under the dome.

In the four pendentives Correggio painted, coupled, the Four Evangelists and the Four Doctors of the Church. These are:

• St. Matthew with an angel;
• St. Mark with a winged lion;
• St. Luke with an ox;
• St. John with an eagle

and, respectively,

• St. Jerome with the white beard and red garments;
• St. Ambrose with a staff;
• St. Gregory with the Papal tiara;
• St. Augustine portrayed counting together with St. John.

[edit] Gallery

St. Luke and St. Ambrose.	St. Simon.
St. Philip and St. Taddaeus.	St. Bartholomew and St. Matthias.

[edit] See also

• Assumption of the Virgin (Correggio)

[edit] References

• Valerio Terraroli, Correggio, Elemond Arte, 1992.