Saint Dominic in Soriano
Saint Dominic in Soriano was a portrait of Saint Dominic kept in the Dominican friary at Soriano Calabro in southern Italy. It is known to have been present at the friary from the early 17th century. According to legend the painting had been delivered to Soriano Calabro in 1530 by a delegation from heaven, and was associated with many miracles. It was the subject of a Roman Catholic feast day celebrated on 15 September from 1644 to 1913. Its miraculous origin was the subject of several 17th-century paintings. Several ecclesiastical buildings have been named after it.
History
In 1510, Dominican friars founded a priory at Soriano Calabro, Calabria, in the arch of the foot of the boot of Italy.In 1621, Silvestro Frangipane, a Dominican, published a book that contains the first account of the painting's miraculous origin:
Fra Frangipane wrote :
That narrative is largely the one accepted by the Dominican Order today.
After publication of Frangipane's account, the portrait acquired a reputation for having marvellous properties. According to Fra Frangipane, if it was ever hung in a place other than the one specified by the Virgin Mary, the following morning it would be back in its proper place. He described numerous other miracles attributed to its presence. In 1644, Pope Innocent XII ordained a feast day on 15 September to commemorate its origin and properties. The feast may have been suppressed in 1913, when Pope Pius X moved what had until then been the movable feast of Our Lady of Sorrows to the fixed date of 15 September.
Soriano Priory was badly damaged by an of 6.6 [Richter Richter magnitude scale|magnitude scale|magnitude]. It was rebuilt; but in 1783, Calabria was struck by a series of five earthquakes within two months. The first, on 5 February, was of 7.0 magnitude, and levelled Soriano to the ground. The third, on 7 February, was of 6.6 magnitude, and its epicentre was 3 km from Soriano. In Soriano itself, 171 people had died, and damage estimated at 80,000 ducats had been caused. The painting was recovered but it was severely damaged and torn in two. Subsequently, the canvas was mounted onto a wood panel and the image was completely repainted.
A description of the painting
In 1634, Fra Frangipane wrote:An English translation:
The repainted image now preserved in Soriano Calabro is larger than life size, and – unlike the original painting – depicts the saint beardless and standing in front of a brick wall.
Artistic representations
The miraculous origin of the portrait seems to have been a significant topic for religious art in 17th-century Italy and Spain, as evidenced by the number of paintings described later in this section. It is uncertain which, if any, of the painters had seen the original. Those paintings are consistent in showing Dominic slightly less than life-size, full length, wearing his habit, with book and lily, thus generally conforming to Fra Frangipane's 1634 description; but differ in detail. They are also consistent in another way: all show the three saints exhibiting the open painting to one or more friars.Examples include :
- First half of 17th century – Giovanni Battista Giustammiani – for the, Greve in Chianti, Tuscany; now in the Museum of Saint Francis, Greve in Chianti.
- – Carlo Bononi –.
- 1626 – Francisco de Zurbarán – Santa María Magdalena, Seville.
- 1629 – Juan Bautista Maíno – Museo del Prado, Madrid.
- 1640 – Matteo Rosselli – Church of San Marco, Florence.
- Mid 17th century – Jacopo Vignali – Convent of San Marco, Florence; one of the first examples taken from the original.
- – Alonzo Cano – Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana.
- – Antonio de Pereda – Museo Cerralbo, Madrid.
- – Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione – Santa Maria di Castello, Genoa.
- – Pedro Atanasio Bocanegra – once in the collection of William Coesvelt, Amsterdam; in 1815, purchased by Tsar Alexander I of Russia; now in the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.
- Last third of 17th century – Andrés Amaya – National Museum of Sculpture, Valladolid.
Ecclesiastical buildings
Ecclesiastical buildings named after, and so perhaps dedicated to, Saint Dominic in Soriano include :- , a church in Tenerife, Canary Islands, on the site of the former Convent of Santo Domingo Soriano.
- , a church in Naples.
- Santo Domingo de Soriano, a church in Villa Soriano, Uruguay.