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ARTEFACTS Paintings

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The Collegiate church possesses a number of paintings, some of which are remarkable, even exceptional.

A marvellous painting on wood from the early 16th century showing the Passion of Christ and the Resurrection.

Claude Vignon - Saint Domenico receiving the Rosary from Saint Ann together with St Catherine (around 1630 - 35) The dog that can be seen in the bottom left corner -as in many other paintings representing St Domenico - illustrates a play on words: Dominican monks are called 'Dominicani' in Latin. Spelt in two words (Domini cani) this can mean 'the dog of the Lord'. This pun was further reinforced by Pope Honorius III who is said to have jokingly remarked that St Domenico and his monks could therefore be called 'the watch dog of the Lord', hence the usual presence of a dog in many paintings of the saint. The torch that the dog is holding in its mouth symbolises the flame of truth.

This painting is influenced by Italian art, with its arrangement in two tiers, St Ann and the Virgin standing higher than the other two figures. Claude Vignon saw a similar painting in Rome and drew his inspiration from it. It seems that this canvas was painted especially for this church, which it never left in almost four centuries. More information about this painter, the most famous one in his time

Although the photographs are quite mediocre, it is impossible not to mention this Resurrection by Annibale Carracci, which is one of the most important paintings in the church. It exhibits a beautiful upward movement, the expressiveness of which, together with the reminiscence of Carravagio's realism , outweighs the calm classicism of the work.

The painting belongs to the last part of Carracci's life. More information about this painter