The Basilica Abbaziale di Santa Giustina is located in the Italian city of Padua, formerly home to one of the largest abbeys within Christendom until the time of Napoleon, and home also to the relics of St. Luke and the Holy Innocents. The original abbey church was subject to destruction by earthquake in the 12th century before finally being reconstructed in its present form between the years 1501-1606.
Regrettably, many of the artistic treasures of the abbatial basilica were lost under Napoleon -- not to mention the removal of the monks themselves. That said, the basilica still boasts a number of stunning pieces of liturgical art, but it is specifically some of the altars and altarpieces which I wanted to feature today -- being, as they are (and as they should be) of particular interest to our readers.
We begin with the high altar itself.
_-_High_Altar.jpg)
The high altar proper is constructed in the so called "Florentine style" which utilizes thin polychrome marble inlays, along with coral, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. It was constructed between 1637-43 by Pietro Paolo Corbarelli and contained within the altar are the relics of the patronal saint of the basilica. S. Giustina.
Next we turn to some of the 'secondary' altars of the basilica (I say 'secondary' as in many places these are monumental and ornamental enough that they could well serve as high altars). Each of them contain polychrome marbles, sculptural figures and paintings which depict the respective devotional intent of the altar in question. (See the captions).
_-_Chapel_of_St._Placidus.jpg) |
| Altar of S. Placido |
_-_Chapel_of_Saint_Maurus.jpg) |
| Altar of S. Mauro, abbot |
_-_Chapel_of_St._Gregory_the_Great.jpg) |
| Altar of S. Gregory the Great |
_-_Left_nave_%E2%80%93_Chapel_of_St._Gregory_the_Great_%E2%80%93_Altar_in_polychrome_stones.jpg) |
| Detail of the altar of the chapel of S. Gregory |
_-_Left_nave_%E2%80%93_Chapel_of_St._James_the_Less.jpg) |
| Altar of the chapel of S. James the Lesser |
_-_Left_nave_%E2%80%93_Chapel_of_St._James_the_Less_%E2%80%93_Altar_in_polychrome_stones.jpg) |
| Detail of the altar of the chapel of S. James the Lesser |
Another type of altar that can also be found throughout is that shown here, seen in the chapel of the Holy Innocents. This particular altar it not only noteworthy for the relics of the Holy Innocents, but also for reason of its particularly beautiful hues of gold, red and blue.
_-_Right_nave_-_Chapel_of_the_Holy_Innocents.jpg)
All of these altars and altarpieces are dated to the 1600's, however, the basilica also boasts a few remnants of its earlier origins, in particular the "pergula" found within the shrine of S. Prosdocimo. Here we find remnants of the sixth century and of the original basilica. For those wondering, S. Prosdocimo (pictured here below) was the first bishop of Padua.
_-_The_Shrine_of_Saint_Prosdocimus_-_Saint_Prosdocimus.jpg)
"In the name of God: In this place the relics of the holy apostles and of many martyrs have been placed, who deserve to pray for the founder and for all the faithful people."
These and many other treasures of liturgical art can be found within this basilica -- so many so that it is difficult to imagine what must have been its splendour prior to the Napoleonic era's despoiling of it. We have chosen to just show you a few of these treasures in order to give our readers some sense of the richness and beauty of this lesser known gem of Christendom.
-------
Do you like Liturgical Arts Journal's original content? You can help support LAJ in its mission and vision to promote beauty in Catholic worship either by:
You choose the amount! Your support makes all the difference.
