Saint John of Capistrano
Saint John of Capistrano, Alonso del Arco, c. 1685–1690
In this representation of Saint John of Capistrano, Alonso del Arco follows the saint’s traditional Franciscan iconography with careful fidelity while also infusing the work with his own distinctive painterly nuances. Saint John is shown dressed in the habit of the Franciscans, marked with the red cross of the Observant reform, standing beneath a shining star that signals his sanctity.
He holds a standard bearing the IHS Christogram and the nails of the Crucifixion, a devotional emblem created by his spiritual mentor, Saint Bernardino of Siena. At the saint’s feet rests a defeated Ottoman figure, a reference to John’s fervent preaching against the Turks and his decisive role in rallying Christian forces during the Battle of Belgrade in 1456, where he earned the title “the Soldier Priest.”
Saint John of Capistrano was a highly influential figure within the Franciscan movement. After entering the Order of Friars Minor (the First Order) in 1416, he became one of the leading voices of the Observant reform, advocating a return to the original ideals of Saint Francis centered on poverty, prayer, and disciplined religious life.
His contributions extended beyond the First Order: through his treatise Defensorium Tertii Ordinis, he defended and helped shape the institutional identity of the Third Order of Saint Francis, particularly supporting the life and organization of religious women associated with the movement. His reputation as a jurist and preacher led Popes Eugene IV and Nicholas V to appoint him as papal legate and inquisitor, roles in which he worked to address heresies and internal schisms.
The painting also reflects stylistic elements characteristic of Alonso del Arco. Known as “Pereda’s deaf mute” due to his lifelong deafness and his apprenticeship in the workshop of Antonio de Pereda, he often combined conventional artistic motifs with subtle observational detail. Here, cherub heads emerge from the clouds, devils flee below, and the medallion at the saint’s chest is rendered with particular attention, recalling the refined still-life sensibility inherited from Pereda.
The work is compositionally parallel to the artist’s Saint Rose of Viterbo, and both canvases are believed to have been commissioned together for a Franciscan convent in Madrid that was later dissolved following the ecclesiastical disentailment of 1836. Del Arco’s highly active workshop contributed to his prolific output during the late 17th century, including frescoes such as those in the hermitage of the Virgen de la Oliva in 1689.
This image is a public domain image, which means either that copyright has expired in the image or the copyright holder has waived their copyright. Franciscan Gallery charges for the access to high resolution copy of the image. Manually restoration was necessary in order to improve quality, without covering the original image.
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