Iconografía y devoción. Los santos protectores del obispo de Mondoñedo fray Juan Muñoz y Salcedo

ABSTRACT: Fray Juan Muñoz y Salcedo was Bishop of Mondoñedo between 1705 and 1728. During his term of office he promoted various reforms of the town’s planning, architecture and the liturgical furniture of the Episcopal Capital. In all of them he left proof of his intervention through his coat of arms. And in a good number of them he included the presence of the saints he worshiped the most: Saint Lawrence and Saint Jerome. His veneration is explained by his having been prior of the monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial before becoming Bishop of Mondoñedo. The aim of this article is to investigate the promotion of the worship of these saints and the iconography through which they were represented in the city that they had under their protection. KEYWORDS: Sculpture; Iconography; Fray Juan Muñoz y Salcedo; 18th century; Mondoñedo. RESUMEN: Fray Juan Muñoz y Salcedo fue obispo de Mondoñedo entre 1705 y 1728. Durante su mandato patrocinó distintas reformas en el urbanismo, la arquitectura y el mobiliario litúrgico de la capital episcopal. En todas ellas dejó constancia de su actuación por medio de su escudo de armas. Y en buena parte de las mismas incluyó la presencia de los santos a los que rendía mayor devoción: san Lorenzo y san Jerónimo. Su veneración se justificaba por haber sido prior en el monasterio de San Lorenzo del Escorial antes que obispo mindoniense. Nuestro objetivo en el presente trabajo es analizar la promoción del culto a estos santos y la iconografía con la que fueron representados en la ciudad que tenían bajo su amparo. PALABRAS CLAVES: Escultura; iconografía; fray Juan Muñoz y Salcedo; siglo XVIII; Mondoñedo.

Vitae as a Subject Source in the West European Pictorial Art of the 14–17th Centuries (On the Example of the Image of Saint Jerome of Stridon)

For many centuries, Western European art drew its subjects from ancient history, mythology and the Bible. The artists paid great attention to the depiction of saints, for each of whom, over time, a pictorial canon with its own attributes and certain subjects was formed. As a result, the viewer not only easily recognized a particular saint, but he could also get acquainted with the facts of his biography and the role he played in the history of the church. Saint Jerome of Stridon was one of the most popular among artists, of all the Fathers of the Church he was portrayed more often than others. The article discusses the formation of this canon on the example of Jerome’s life and work. It is based on a literature review of this topic and it contains the main studies of the biography and literary activity of Jerome, from which the artists drew subjects for their works. The article describes chronologically the vitae of St. Jerome, his hagiography from Jacobus de Voragine’s “The Golden Legend”, biography and posthumous legends, miracles and appearances of the saint from “Hieronymianus” by Giovanni d’Andrea. Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote a historical biography of Saint Jerome. Since the 19th century a large number of scientific studies of Jerome’s life and work has appeared. The article analyzes specific works of Jerome, which were also sources for pictorial images. Special attention is paid to a review of art history literature, as well as medieval bestiaries, since the paintings with St. Jerome are filled with numerous symbolic animals. A review of literature and sources on the stated topic will help stimulate researchers to further study the relationship between the lives of saints and their iconography in art, identify gaps in research on this topic and specify aspects that researchers have not yet paid attention to.

Agustín y la Biblia griega en las 'Enarrationes in Psalmos'

The article presents a summary of the ideas of different scholars concerning the real knowledge that Saint Augustine had of the Greek Language, to point out that the competence of Saint Augustine was increasing over the years. It also addresses the relationship between Saint Augustine and Saint Jerome regarding the translations of the Bible, and the value that Saint Augustine attributed to the LXX text. Subsequently, some examples taken from the 'enarrationes in Psalmos' help to stress the work of the augustinian emendatio of the Latin text, taking as point of departure the Greek text, as well as the use the Greek text in Augustine’s own textual interpretation of the psalms.

HISTORIATED INITIALS IN THE SAINT JEROME PROLOGUES IN 12TH – 13TH CENTURIE ILLUMINATED BIBLES

The article discusses the images of St. Jerome in the historiated initials in Latin Bibles. The iconographic variability of illustrations to the Jerome Prologues to the books of Holy Scripture, in 12th – 13th century manuscripts, demonstrates the lack of unified iconographic schemes for their themes during the period discussed. At the same time these illustrative sources show the processes of change in the formation of iconography: the traditional iconographic schemes used in medieval illuminated manuscripts (portraits of the author, dedication scenes) and their further transformation in new contexts, reveal such major themes as the connection of images with text and the functions of the image and the initial in the book.

The Eschatological Aspects of the Monastic Life in St. Jerome’s Letters

In the year 1953, a New Testament scholar named Charles Harold Dodd published a book titled The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel which revolutionized the way of thinking about Christian eschatology. In his opus vitae, Charles Dodd argued based on the Gospel of John that apocalyptic realities are in fact already realised through Jesus and His Apostles’ ministry. On this premise, he coined the term “realized eschatology”, in which all announcements concerning the Kingdom of God had already been realized according to Dodd. This “realized eschatology” can be seen through various realities of everyday life of the community of believers. In the case of Saint Jerome of Stridon, he saw the eschatological reality in the monastic lifestyle. This article aims to show what eschatological signs are present in the description of the monastic community found in the letters of Saint Jerome. For in his letters many times he refers to eschatological realities already present in monastic life, which is for him a kind of paradise on earth and the fulfilment of Christ’s eschatological prophecies.