The Basilica of St Francis

Saints from Siena, Saints Jerome and Peter

The next canvas, painted by Jacopo Zucchi, was placed in the chapel of the Patrizi family who commissioned it after 1575. In the lower part of the painting there are five saints, their eyes rapt in the contemplation of the Blessed Virgin in glory, the Infant Christ and Little St. John. The figures are arranged in the shape of a pyramid: the Blessed Virgin is at the summit, underneath stands St. Catherine of Siena, holding a cross and her heart, offered to Christ as a token of her deep love for Him; a lily, the symbol of purity, springs from the heart and the book refers to the Saint’s wisdom. On the bottom left side, Saint Ansanus, the patron saint of Siena, holds the city’s banner and presents the palm of martyrdom on a golden plate. On the right, Saint Bernardino holds the trigram of the Holy Name of Jesus surrounded by sun rays. The three Sienese Saints are accompanied by St. Peter Martyr and St. Jerome, placed at the bottom centre The first, in the Dominican habit, points to a dagger on his head, symbol of his martyrdom caused by a group of heretics against whom he had fought all his life. St. Jerome, wrapped in his distinctive red cloak, holds a cross in his left hand while in his right hand he is holding an open book, recalling his work as a translator of the Holy Scriptures. According to legend, Jerome, while living as a hermit in the desert, removed a thorn from a lion which, from that moment, followed him everywhere; for this reason the animal appears in the foreground, at the saint's feet. The legendary episode symbolizes the victory of Christian piety over brutal force.