Souls pray in hope that virtuous earthly lives will secure admission to Heaven as the Blessed, Chosen or Saved. Detail of an early 1300s Last Judgement fresco, perhaps by a pupil of Giotto di Bondone, in the medieval Chiesa di Santa Maria del Tiglio at Gravedona, Lombardy, Italy.
Gravedona, Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy: souls awaiting the verdict of Christ the Redeemer pray in the hope that their virtuous earthly lives will secure their admission to Heaven as the Blessed, Chosen or Saved, in this detail of an early 14th century Judgement Day fresco in the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Tiglio. The Giudizio Universale (Universal Judgement or Last / Final Judgement) on the counter-façade is the oldest fresco in the 12th century Romanesque church and former baptistry on the northwest shores of the Lago di Como. It is by an unknown artist, but is Lombardic in style and shows the influence of the Florentine painter known as Giotto (Giotto di Bondone, 1267-1337). The fresco has been dated to the first half of the 14th century and it may well have been painted by a pupil or follower of Giotto during his lifetime. The full artwork depicts Gravedona as a celestial Jerusalem. The original bell towers or campaniles of the Church of Santa Maria del Tiglio and of the Abbey of Piona, on the other side of Lake Como at Colico, are both recognisable. Subjects of other frescoes painted in the church in the 14th and 15th centuries include St John the Baptist, St Julian the Hospitaller, St Stephen, St Gotthard and St Christopher carrying the Christ Child. It also houses a masterpiece of Lombard Romanesque sculpture, a 12th century Crucifixion carved from poplar and alder wood.
Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Chiesa di Santa Maria del Tiglio, Gravedona, Lombardy, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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