Fresco from Luca Signorelli, 1501, Orvieto Cathedral, Italy This apocalyptic painting is the masterpiece of Lucca Signorelli, it’s the most important piece of work of his portfolio, that’s why he placed himself in the bottom left corner. It has some elements quite similar to some of our Catholic or Christian prophecies but, like any other prophetic view, it can have several interpretations. Is it about our near future or – hopefully – is about a moment in a far future? Some say that’s about events of the past. I just think it’s quite amazing but, after looking at it many times, I still don’t understand the whole picture and some details in it. Can you see here any of the prophecies or warnings received in the apparitions of the Mother of God?
I dont understand any of it Basto.You will have to walk me through it. Hopefully others will have some insight. At a glance I see murder,death,chastising Angel, Man of sin preaching to the people.
To me this art is quite disturbing. The character that no doubt represents Our Lord seems to be a puppet of the evil one? How Bizarre!!!! Unless there is another explanation for this depiction of Our lord, I can not understand nor do I like this depiction. I believe this is not something that I can relate too! Maybe I am showing my ignorance in matters of art?
Sanctus is quite right. It is the anti-christ (looking like Jesus) being controlled by the devil. If you look carefully what appears to be the anti-christ's left arm is actually the devil's going through his robe.
That’s right Prae. That particular part of the scene is being erroneously used by many publications and internet sites as a good illustration for the false prophets of our time, but that figure represents actually the antichrist, the false crist preaching a “sermon” to many but not all. The picture does actually include a “false prophet” as well, as a contemporary figure of the antichrist, like in the Revelation of Saint John, chapter 13, but that comes directly from God, as a punishment that brings death over the people who are looking at the sky. View attachment 3771 That is very interesting, from my point of view, for the moment that we are living now. We are too much concerned about the present Pope, but that shouldn’t be the point… We should be concerned about what we want the Pope to be. Are we asking God for him to be a good and holy Pope, like the others before him? Or, on the contrary, we are asking God for him to be something else different? I am not that worried with the present Pope, I’m more worried with what many Catholics presently want the Pope to be. People that are actually asking God for the Pope to preach a new Truth, a new mercy, a new justice… What a great punishment could God send over us for such pride if we are insisting massively on that sin against the Holy Spirit? Asking God to be more merciful is like telling God that He is not merciful enough. How dare we do that? We need to pray for the present Pope, but pray well!
I would strongly contest that no one is asking God to be more merciful but asking people to take advantage of the mercy that already exists in superabundance and that God shows eternally to all.....while there is still time. This is what the year of Mercy is about; penance, repentance, return to God.
View attachment 3775 The construction of Saint Peter’s Basilica was only finished at 1626, more than one century later than this fresco. However, the soldiers running over the temple make us think of some visions from mystics and prophecies about Rome.
The woman sales her body to a merchant. She symbolizes the false church, the unfaithful bride of Christ, the one who betrayed Him. She is also among the crowd of many fallowers of a new postchristian counterfeit doctrine, of a false Christ. View attachment 3776
It seems to me that picture represents the moment the Antichrist will try ascend into Heaven, after the resurrection and ascension of Enoch and Elijah, but he will fail as God will destroy him and his false prophets.
Yes Josephite, that’s the Remnant Church. View attachment 3779 The true Church will be a small group of clerics and laity who will remain united, following the doctrine of ever, that’s why they hold their books. They will continue alive, but outside the building, outside the institutional Church that has been corrupted. Look at the good preacher, he is pointing his finger to what’s happening inside the Temple while they read and discuss perhaps the prophecies about the Church’s fate.
And also the martyrs, of course. View attachment 3780 In the peripheries of the new cult, there is blood being shed. It’s not that far, but nobody from that crowd had really noticed because they are too distracted and amazed with the new doctrine that is being preached to them, indeed their martyrdom is the theological consequence of that.
View attachment 3782 I am not sure about this scene here, but the person who is on the pulpit seems to have the same clothes as the antichrist… So maybe that’s him (or some figure related to him) condemning to death those who refuse to adore the "beast". In that context, those condemned to death are also the True Church, the martyr Church.
I don’t understand this fragment here… View attachment 3783 I’ve researched but I didn’t get a proper explanation for that… It looks like a person on the bed, old or sick. That person is surrounded by people and is watching the fall of the Temple on the hands of the invaders.
My personal interpretation: someone very important who could not move from his bed, so they took everything and moved it at the centre of the plaza. This shouldn't be so strange because I can see two sticks which emerge from the right side of the bed, like the one used to carry the thrones of the king around the street. Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedia_gestatoria Probably a prophet? Maybe he's just saying, "You see? Everything is happening as I foretold you!".
What is the best explanation you have found Basto? They look like devout folk, at least those further away from the bed. Yet their leader is sick, And very close to the over- run church
I really don’t know people, and I couldn’t find anything reasonable in anywhere as I did about the other scenes. But I must say Pijon, you had a really, but really good insight, the best explanation I had, so far. Thank you very much! The Sedea Gestatoria, the mobile throne outside the Temple, debilitated, reduced to a bed, without power. The person sit on that “throne” can no longer exercise the power. The Pope! Not necessarily a personalized Pope, but the Papacy as an effective power. The “devout folk” (I agree Mac) surrounding him seem like very anxious, troubled, confused, disorientated, lost. The scene is too far away, too small, making it too difficult to check if that hat on the person’s head is a papal tiara or not. But maybe is mean too be like that, difficult to understand…
