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Which miracles of Christian history appear in the Stanza dâEliodoro?
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Raphael
The Grand Duke's Madonna, oil painting by Raphael, 1505; in the Pitti Palace, Florence.
The Stanza dâEliodoro, one of the rooms in the Vatican apartments of Pope Julius II, features frescoes by Raphael that emphasize the theme of divine intervention in the history of the Church.1
Among the subjects depicted in this room, the following miracles of Christian history are represented:
- The Mass of Bolsena: This fresco commemorates a 13th-century miracle in which a priest, who was experiencing doubt regarding the doctrine of transubstantiation, witnessed blood seeping from a communion wafer during mass.12
- The Liberation of St. Peter: This work depicts the miraculous escape of Saint Peter from prison, a narrative characterized by a dramatic use of light and shade.3
These compositions, along with others in the room, serve to integrate the history of the Church with the contemporary papal lineage of the time.1