Firenze-Spanish Chapel

Thomas Aquinas Educates the Heathens

The experiences that most reach out and grab you might just be those for which you were least prepared. This is certainly the case for my trip last Saturday (July 29th) to Firenze. Ron Herzman (whom I can now confirm is not human-he never tires, never needs to pee and never forgets a detail from medieval history), had offered to go with whomever wanted to the Spanish Chapel of Sta. Maria Novella in Florence. The frescoes in this chapel are in what was the Dominican Charter House, the monastic equivalent of the secular Good Government room in Siena's Palazzo Publico.

The frescoes were done in 1365-1367 by Andrea di Bonaiuto and show the triumph of Christian doctrine and education over worldly goods. Ironically, in this very room in around 1335, the Dominicans condemned Dante's work for using poetry to convey theology. Pretty ironic given that every scene was like an illustration of Cantos 11-14 of Paradiso. Read Dante (via Bonaventure) on Dominic:

"Poi, con dottrina e con volere insieme, con l'officio appostolico si mosse, quasi torrente ch'alta vene preme, e ne li sterpi eretici percosse l'impueto suo, piu vivamente quive dove le resistenze era piu grosse."

Then, with doctrine and with a will, by apostolic license he went forthe like a torrent fed by a deep spring, and his attack struck the thickets of heresy most strongly where the resistance was greatest. Paradiso 12: 97-101. 

The educated triumph

While the frustrated devils are thwarted!