Raphael's Invitation to Eucharistic Adoration

Disputation on the Holy Sacrament

Posted by M.T. Mitchell

While Michelangelo was busy painting the Sistine Chapel, there was another famous artist at work literally “down the hall” who left us equally amazing artwork. His name was Raphael, and he was painting the Disputation on the Holy Sacrament.

Raphael was living in an amazing time for Europe: the Renaissance. This word, which means “rebirth”, was a moment when the Greco-Roman world’s literature, thought, and artwork were being reborn in the context of a new European society.

In the Vatican, Raphael was commissioned to paint two paintings that were grandiose in size and breadth. The two paintings were meant to be complementary to each other.

-One painting, called The School of Athens, highlights the great philosophers and scientists of the past and was an ode to reason and logic.

-The other painting, the Disputation on the Holy Sacrament, highlights the great patriarchs and saints of the Catholic church and was an ode to religion and faith.

In the painting, we have the central theme of the Eucharist in a golden monstrance. On earth, many of the great thinkers, Church fathers, and artists are contemplating and reflecting on the Eucharist.

Divine Golden Discs

From the top of the painting to the bottom, we have golden discs that form a central axis:

-On top, we have God the Father in a golden disc, overlooking all things.

-Under the Father is Jesus Christ the Son. Jesus is seated on his throne within a golden disc flanked by Mary and John the Baptist.

-The Holy Spirit follows under the Son, flanked by the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

-And finally, completing the central theme of divine golden discs, we have the monstrance, another golden disc, which contains the Eucharist, the Body of Christ.

The Bridge from Old to New

Christ is the central figure of the painting. You will notice that Mary is on his right and John the Baptist is on his left. They are there because they both form a bridge between the Old and New Covenants.

Raphael has meditated on Scripture and theology. He subtly paints Mary leaning into the golden disc of Christ, while John the Baptist does not. This is because Mary is the Mother of God, and she shares with Christ her own humanity. Because of this, Jesus and Mary have a special bond, symbolized in their sharing the golden disc.

Heaven

In the two half-circles, we have the realm of heaven and the realm of earth. In heaven, we have from left to right Peter, Adam, John the Evangelist, King David, and St. Lawrence. On the left side of heaven, we have seated Sebastian, Moses, James the Elder, Abraham, and Paul.

Earth

On the earth, the great thinkers of history are at work adoring, debating, and contemplating the great mystery of the Eucharist. Among them are Gregory the Great, Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine, Duns Scotus, and Bonaventure. We also have artists such as Bramante, Fra Angelico, Dante, and Pope Sixtus.

Raphael is telling a story in this painting. These men represent the search for truth through faith, science, theology, literature, art, and ancient wisdom. All these different paths will lead and point to Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

The Personal Invitation

In the bottom left corner, there is a youth in gold and blue who challenges a group of men to stop thinking and doubting and to look away from their books to the altar. There on the altar, they will find Christ through the eyes of faith, not through the study of books alone.

This invitation is extended to us, as we would be standing next to this youth as we gaze upon Raphael’s masterpiece.

With regard to my own personal faith in the Eucharist, where am I?

 

About the Author

M.T. Mitchell is the managing editor at Spirit of Wisdom Press.  He is a Catholic author and speaker who holds humanistic, philosophical, and theological degrees, specializing in Spiritual Theology.

He has written Generations of Grace, Sanctity Simplified, By Mercy’s Light and Volumes I & II of the All Things New commentary on the Catholic lectionary.  

An avid oil painter and writer, he lives with his wife and son in North Carolina. You can follow him on Substack at M.T. Mitchell, writing By Lanterns Glow:  https://substack.com/@mtmitchell