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Itineraries
Among the Saints of the ChurchAt the side altars, members of Schools and confraternities would gather to pray. Schools were religious guilds, associations of people of the same trade or pursuits, formed to protect mutual interests and maintain standards but whose purpose was also humanitarian. Their devotion to the titular patron saints, exemplary and inspiring models of life and intercessors in prayer, gives us a deeper understanding into the meaning and purpose of the paintings . By illustrating three of them we will guide you along an itinerary through the church of San Salvador. |  |
1. St. Theodore
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· Historical Background
In the chapel on the right of the High Altar the relics of St. Theodore are preserved. An inscription on the apse mentions Theodore of Amasea, whereas Theodore of Eraclea is written on the urn door. Which of the two is worshipped here? L. Goosen writes: "Theodore is the name given to two different soldier saints whose identities overlapped and eventually were confused over the centuries. The first Theodore served in Maximilian's army. Around 306 he was imprisoned, interrogated and sentenced to death as a Christian for having destroyed the temple of Magna Mater at Amaseia (Pontus). (…) From the ninth century on a second Theodore is worshipped at Eucaita (near Amaseia; in the tenth century called Theodoropolis, modern Avkhat); he was known as the "Stratelates" (General). It is said he was a soldier, who suffered martyrdom under Licinius at Eraclea and was buried at Eucaita. From the twelfth century on the higher rank of Stratelates had largely replaced the rank of Tiro (soldier). Consequently the image of the two saints fused into a single iconography and a single cult". Well known and venerated in Byzantium and then in the whole East, where he was invoked as rescuer in battles, the saint was worshipped in the West from the Sixth century. Around that time a small church in Venice dedicated to St. Theodore is believed to have existed. It is now part of the Basilica of St. Mark.
· The "Scuola Grande" of St. Theodore
From its very inception, when it was one of the many confraternities in Venice, the School distinguished itself for its charitable help and relief to the poor. In 1552, as it had gained a considerable number of members and taken on an increasing importance in the city, it was acknowledged as the sixth Scuola Grande. The connection and ties between the church and the convent of San Salvador had grown stronger since 1267, when Marco Dauro, a Venetian patrician, had brought back from Byzantium the relics of St. Theodore. They were enshrined in an urn inside a chapel decorated by the confraternity and reserved for their religious services. Moreover the confraternity now had an "albergo", a hall in one of the convent wings, in which to carry out their charitable activities, in particular to distribute soup to the city poor on Sundays and religious festivities. All this however became the cause of a conflict between the confraternity and the convent when the San Salvador buildings were reconstructed in the sixteenth century. In fact, the confraternity and convent disagreed on who should be the custodian of the patron saint's relics, altar and chapel. The situation became rather strained and the dispute troubled their relations for many years.
· Understanding the Painting
St. Theodore's martyrdom, here represented, is set in an easily identifiable location. In the background we can discern the clock tower of St. Mark's square as it is seen looking from the two tall granite columns, surmounted by St. Mark's lion and a statue of Saint Theodore defeating a dragon. In this way the scene is made contemporary to the worshippers: portrayed among the spectators are members of the confraternity and perhaps also their chaplain, who, on the left, on a platform, appears to be on the point of giving a speech in memory of the patron saint. The visual account of the martyrdom is faithful to the hagiographic tales. The trial has ended, from his high seat the Roman prefect has just pronounced the death sentence. In the foreground three jailers are tormenting the Saint with instruments of torture. One of them is preparing the stake where St. Theodore, bearing final witness to his faith, will suffer martyrdom.
Top of page2. St. Leonard "Destroyer of jails and freer of prisoners"
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· Historical Background
In the painting St. Leonard has a central position because the altar was primarily dedicated to him. He was born in Gaul of Frankish noble parents, friends of King Clovis who was his godfather. As a young man he first turned down a military career and then refused episcopal honours, preferring to follow St. Remigius and after some years to retire to a hermit's life. Word of his prodigies soon spread: healing of the afflicted with diseases and, especially, the delivery of captives. It is said that he helped the Queen of Aquitaine in her labour pains, obtaining for her through prayer an easy childbirth, saving both the lives of the Queen and her newborn daughter. At the end of the eleventh century, when the Sanctuary of Noblac was built, his name was already renowned. His popularity grew greater and greater from the time of the crusades and numerous miracles were attributed to him. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, at the time of the Turkish invasions, which implied the risk of captivity, devotion to St. Leonard quickly spread throughout all Europe. In Venice his story is portrayed in the mosaics of St. Mark' s basilica and in a parish church dedicated to him.
· The other Saints
In the background, in the middle, the apostle St. Andrew is carrying his characteristic cross. In the previous San Salvador building there had been an altar and a statue dedicated to St. Andrew. In the foreground, on the right we can see the bishop St. Nicholas standing and presenting one of the girls he has saved with the gift of three gems on a Gospel. We can see, at his feet, open manacles, representing the release of some soldiers. On the left, St. Lorenzo Giustiniani is represented kneeling in ecstasy and dressed in the "Celestine cloth": the order of the Regular Canonicals to which Pope Eugene IV, great benefactor of the San Salvador convent, had belonged.
· Understanding the Painting
In the painting, St. Leonard, dressed in hermit's clothes, is standing in front of an altar. He is praying to the Lord, whose presence is suggested by a shining cloud among a host of angels. Between the book and the altar there is a chain, a votive offering left by freed prisoners. St Andrew and St. Lorenzo Giustiniani (he was canonized only a few years before the realization of this painting) join the titular saint in his act of worship and from their faces we can read and feel the hope and trust of their supplication; whereas St Nicholas turns his attention to the believers, inviting them to confide in their patron friends and protectors and trust in the saints' intercession.
Top of page3. St James
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· Historical Background
Thematically and structurally St James is the dominating figure in the painting. The apostle, styled "the Greater", son of Zebedee and Salome, was born in Betsaida. He was the brother of John the Evangelist. He followed Jesus from the very beginning of his preaching. Shortly after the occasion of the Passover, during the persecution of Herod Agrippa, James fell victim to the first of the Judaic persecutions. He was imprisoned and scourged: he died in 42 a.d.. According to a tradition dating not before the sixth century, James was the first evangelizer of Spain and was buried in Compostella. The sepulchre containing his body was translated from Jerusalem after his martyrdom, and is believed to have been found around 814 A.D., during Charlemagne's reign. During the Middle Ages, the sepulchre of St. James became one of the most famous places of pilgrimage in the world. So much so that Compostela was named Santiago (from Sancti Jacobi, in Spanish Sant-Yago) and in 1075 the building of the great basilica began. In the painting he is depicted wearing his characteristic emblem-decorated hat, his staff and his symbol, the sea shell. He is invoked as the patron of all pilgrims. In Venice a parish church is dedicated to him.
· The other Saints
In the foreground, we can see St Lawrence the martyr, dressed in the liturgical vestments of a deacon. On the ground there are the remains of some sacred vessels. He had been ordered by the emperor to consign them, but instead he had sold them and given the proceeds to the poor, whom he called "the treasures of the Church". For his presumed impudence, Lawrence was slowly burned on a red-hot gridiron, as we can see in the painting. He was the patron of coal merchants, whose Confraternity would meet before this image. On the right, St Francis of Sales is deeply intent on writing his spiritual works, real best-sellers at the time. A little angel is holding up the pastoral; thus reminding us that St Francis was the Bishop of Geneva and promoter of the pastoral reform ratified by the Council of Trent. In the background, behind them, a feminine figure appears: the iconographic helm and sail identify her as St. Mary Magdalene, who - according to a famous legend - sailed through the Mediterranean to the coast of Provence, where she brought for the first time the Gospel message and then retired in solitude and penance.
· Understanding the Painting
The canvas was probably commissioned in an attempt to satisfy different requirements, some partly understandable, others partly elusive. On the ancient dedication to St James, the growing devotion to St. Lawrence - here significantly placed in the foreground -was impending. The presence of St Francis of Sales is probably due to his having reformed monasteries, some of which belonged to the same religious congregation of San Salvador. How can we explain the representation of St. Mary Magdalene? The painting is perhaps a sort of open window on the Church of Saints in heaven. The Saints appear before the faithful in their individuality, allowing the beholder to feel him/her as a personal intercessor and protector.
See also:
Famous Venetians
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