Tabernacle

Abstract

In the baptistery of Sant’Andrea della Fratte in Rome, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, is a wooden tabernacle atop a marble basin. The panels of this tabernacle were painted by Jacques Courtois (1621–1676), also known as il Borgognone, in 1674. Courtois was a French-Italian painter famous for his battle scenes who worked in both Florence and Rome. While his work on the tabernacle is not mentioned by his biographers, it is noted by Father Onofrio Malatesta in the early 1700s. Courtois lived near the parish from 1673 and was later buried in the church.

The wooden tabernacle is decorated with coloured marble and gilded details. The two front panels, which serve as doors to the interior, depict the Baptism of Christ. In this scene, Saint John the Baptist is shown pouring water over Christ’s head. On the left panel, there is also a painting of an angel. The tabernacle in a church is a sacred container, typically placed on or near the altar, that houses the consecrated Eucharist (the wine and wafer that become the blood and body of Christ during the mass according to believers). According to believers, Christ is physically present in the Eucharist, and the tabernacle’s prominent placement emphasizes and celebrates this presence.

Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.