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:Fenelli, Laura (2018). "Creating a Cult, Faking Relics: The Case of St. Dominic of Soriano". Faking, Forging, Counterfeiting: Discredited Practices at the Margins of Mimesis, edited by Daniel Becker et al., transcript Verlag. pp. 181–98.
Fra Frangipane wrote (in an English translation):
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 years from when the portrait began to gain its reputation until its official recognition fall squarely within the Counter-Reformation, which is dated 1545–1648. 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.Saint Dominic has always been held in the highest regard. The feast may have been removed from the church calendar simply because its subject, the portrait, no longer existed. If there is any mention of either the portrait or the feast in Catholic Encyclopedia (1907–1912), it is not easy to find.
Soriano Priory was badly damaged by an of 6.6 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 (with provenance, where known) include (arranged approximately by date): First half of 17th centuryGiovanni Battista Giustammiani (Italy)for the , Greve in Chianti, Tuscany; now in the Museum of Saint Francis, Greve in Chianti. (Under the 'Collection' tab.) Carlo Bononi (Italy). 1626Francisco de Zurbarán (Spain)Santa María Magdalena, Seville. 1629Juan Bautista Maíno (Spain)Museo del Prado, Madrid. 1640Matteo Rosselli (Italy)Church of San Marco, Florence. Mid 17th centuryJacopo Vignali (Italy)Convent of San Marco, Florence; one of the first examples taken from the original. Alonso Cano (Spain)Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana.
Antonio de Pereda (Spain)Museo Cerralbo, Madrid. Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (Italy) (the male figure at bottom right is Saint Ambrose)Santa Maria di Castello, Genoa. Pedro Atanasio Bocanegra (Spain)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 centuryAndrés Amaya (Spain)National Museum of Sculpture, Valladolid.
Ecclesiastical buildings Ecclesiastical buildings named after, and so perhaps dedicated to, Saint Dominic in Soriano include (arranged by date): , a church in Tenerife, Canary Islands, on the site of the former Convent of Santo Domingo Soriano (founded 1649). , a church in Naples (founded 1673). Santo Domingo de Soriano, a church in Villa Soriano, Uruguay (building begun 1751).
Notes
References
External links An extremely detailed, but completely unsourced, account of the portrait's miraculous origin, which shows how some people in the 21st century still hold it in especial reverence.