The Apotheosis of Saint Thomas Aquinas facts for kids
The Apotheosis of Saint Thomas Aquinas is a famous painting from 1631. It was created by the Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbarán. This large artwork was first made for a special school in Seville, Spain, run by Dominican monks. Today, you can see it in the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville.
The painting shows Saint Thomas Aquinas, an important religious teacher, going up to Heaven. In the upper part of the painting, he is surrounded by important figures.
Contents
What the Painting Shows
The Heavenly Scene
In the top part of the painting, Christ is shown sitting on a throne. Next to him are the Virgin Mary and Saint Paul. Saint Dominic, who founded the Dominican Order, is also there.
The Holy Spirit is shown as a dove, flying down towards Saint Thomas Aquinas. Around Saint Thomas, you can see four other very important religious teachers. These are called Doctors of the Church. They are Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Ambrose, Saint Jerome, and Saint Augustine of Hippo.
The Earthly Scene
The lower part of the painting shows people on Earth. On the left side, there is a group of church leaders kneeling. The person at the very front is Diego Deza. He was the person who started the school where the painting was first placed. Three Dominican monks are also with him: Alonso de Ortiz, Pedro de Ballesteros, and Diego Pinel.
On the right side, you can see Emperor Charles V. He is with other people whose names we do not know. They are wearing special robes called mozzettas.
In the middle of the bottom section, there is a table. On the table, you can see an old document. This document has several names written on it. One of these names is the artist's own signature, Zurbarán.
Who Was Saint Thomas Aquinas?
Saint Thomas Aquinas was a very important priest and philosopher. He lived a long time ago, in the 1200s. He was a member of the Dominican Order. His ideas about religion and thinking are still studied today. He is known for trying to combine faith with reason.
About the Artist
Francisco de Zurbarán was a famous Spanish painter. He lived from 1598 to 1664. He was known for his religious paintings. Many of his artworks show monks, saints, and scenes from the Bible. He used strong light and shadow in his paintings. This made his figures look very real.
See also
In Spanish: Apoteosis de santo Tomás de Aquino (Zurbarán) para niños
