In 1520-21, Antonio Allegri da Correggio (c. 1489-1534) frescoed the dome in a new church in Parma, San Giovanni Evangelista. The church was a part of monastery belonging to a Benedictine reform group, Cassinese Congregation. Depending on the interpretation, the subject of the fresco is either The Assumption of St. John or The Second Coming (The Vision of St. John in Patmos), however, so far it remains unsolved.

In this study I would like to demonstrate that in the fresco we can actually see both scenes, superimposed on each other. The fresco shows both The Assumption of St. John and The Second Coming. However, which aspect the viewer sees depends on the viewer’s viewpoint in the church.

In order to understand the true meaning of the fresco, we must first understand the content of the Psalms and prayers prescribed in the Cassinese breviary for the liturgy of the feast of St. John (December 27). The breviary from 1506 follows the interpretation of the John’s Gospel 21:20-23 implying that St. John would not die, but would be accepted by Christ at the Second Coming in the Last Judgement. It is precisely because of this liturgy that it can be understood that The Assumption of St. John is superimposed on The Second Coming in the dome.

Second, while considering the relationship between some views of the work and the viewer’s point, we confirm that Correggio, taking into account the meaning of the subject, has formulated an idea that The Second Coming was given to the laity in the nave, and The Assumption of St. John can be observed only by the monks in the choir. The figure of St. John, who sees God directly, would have been an ideal model, suitable only to the Cassinese monks who gave importance to inner meditation.