YURIKUSA Mariko

From 1520 to 1524, Antonio Allegri da Correggio (c. 1489-1534) depicted the Second Coming on the dome of San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma. Although this painting has been pointed out to have a formal relationship to Raphael’s Transfiguration (1518-20), it seems like the theological significance of Correggio’s work has been overlooked. The biblical Jesus’ Transfiguration not only prefigured his outward appearance at the Second Coming, but also was related to his Resurrection. In the early 16th century, especially in Italy, the works depicting the themes of the Transfiguration, the Resurrection and the Ascension which implies his Second Coming contained the element of Christ lifted off the ground. From this iconography and the liturgical context of the church of San Giovanni Evangelista, I will examine Correggio’s adoption of the Transfiguration type for the Second Coming for the purpose of representing the glory revealed by his Resurrection.

Moreover, the subjects for the western dome and the apse, the Assumption of St. John Evangelist and the Coronation of the Virgin, point to the image of Christ on the ceiling, which underscores his human body, reminding the viewers of their own resurrection that will take place in the future. Consequently, in contrast to the precedent view that read only his divinity there, I will conclude that the dome represents Christ’s both natures, divinity and humanity.