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Categories Collections, Gallery, Scholastica
Scholastica
Scholastica
The two bronze statues of St. Scholastica and St. Benedict are located behind the altar in the crypt of Monte Cassino. A monk of the monastery sculpted them in 1959. The Latin text on the arch reads, “The saints will be exalted in glory. They will rejoice in their beds, the memory of them will be blessed, and their bones will sprout from their place.” The statues of brother and sister together are a beautiful representation of gender parity in Church leadership. They both gaze toward heaven and hold objects that represent their lives. Benedict holds the crozier of a bishop, and Scholastica holds either the Scriptures or the Rule of St. Benedict and a dove. In Pope Gregory the Great’s writings of her, her brother saw her soul depart for heaven in the form of a dove.

Title of Art: Scholastica

Subjects: Scholastica, Benedict

Subject Century: 1st

Ritual Pose/Object: book, dove, nimbus

Artist: Don Francesco Vignanelli (1888-1979)

Art Form: Sculpture

Date of Composition: 1959

Exhibit Institution: Monte Cassino Abbey, crypt

Exhibit Location: Cassino, Italy

VM Image #: 0125

Photographer: Kirstyn Wright

Date of Photograph: December 29, 2024

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