Face of a venerable elder with forked beard, St Anthony the Abbot, also known as Anthony the Great and Anthony of Egypt. Detail of School of Giotto fresco, painted in the 1300s. In medieval Chiesa di San Nicolò al Porto at Lazise, by Lake Garda, Veneto, Italy.
Lazise, Lake Garda, Veneto, Italy: this elderly saint with a forked beard is among badly damaged but beautiful 14th century School of Giotto frescoes discovered when the disused Chiesa di San Nicolò al Porto was renovated in the 1950s, prior to its reopening. The painting probably represents the saint known either as Anthony the Abbot or Anthony the Great, although St Benedict and St Columbanus have also been suggested. The works revealed on the church’s interior walls are by unknown local artists influenced by the style of the Florentine early Renaissance master, Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337), and by his presence at the Veronese court. The early-12th century Romanesque church stands beside the town’s harbour and is dedicated to St Nicholas of Bari, patron saint of sailors. Over the centuries, the austere coursed limestone and rubble structure survived a 12th century earthquake, a 16th century fire and many decades of neglect. The dilapidation caused its closure to worshippers in 1879 and it was then used as a barracks, a theatre, a cinema and a storehouse before it was restored in 1953 and reopened for worship. Before the frescoes were discovered in 1953, a 13th century Byzantine-style Madonna with piercing eyes gazing at the harbour had been brought to light in an external tabernacle on the church’s north side.
Size: 2000px × 3008px
Location: Lazise, Lake Garda, Veneto, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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