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| Piero della Francesca, Saint Augustine Italian, ca. 1454-1469 Lisbon, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga |
Augustine of Hippo is one of the most influential persons who has ever lived. A man of the fourth century, he still has a profound influence on the twenty-first He is one of the first persons to be designated as a Doctor of the Church for his profound works of philosophy, which laid the basis for most of the thought of Western Europe and, more specifically, for the Christian thinkers that have followed him. The great works of succeeding centuries are built on the foundation that he prepared. Both Catholic and Protestant theological arguments on the nature of grace and the effects of free will can claim to have sprung from his thought.
He is also the founding father of the autobiography, having
written the book Confessions to
explain his journey from a debauched hedonism through Manicheanism to
conversion to Christ, baptism and his first tentative steps as a Christian.
It is difficult now for us to imagine the world into which
Augustine was born, in 354 in the town of Tagaste in what is now Algeria in
North Africa.1 Constantius II, the son
of Constantine the Great, was Emperor of the West. Unlike today this North Africa was dominated
by a Roman Empire with Imperial centers at Constantinople and Milan. The province, called Numidia, was part of the
western Empire, and was under the control of Milan.
Tagaste was a mid-sized inland town. Augustine came from a relatively well-to-do family, although they were not wealthy. His father, Patricius, was a pagan, a follower of the old Roman gods, and his mother, Monica, was a devout Christian. Although infant baptism was not yet the norm, she intended for her three children to be baptized and enrolled them as catechumens, but baptism was consistently blocked by her husband. So, Constantine grew up unbaptized and with only his mother’s example of Christian life.
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| Nicolo di Pietro, Saint Augustine Taken to School by Saint Monica and Patricius Italian, 1413-1415 Vatican City State, Pinacoteca Vaticana |
He seems to have been a very bright little boy because his
parents used all their resources, and even borrowed money, to ensure that he
received a very good education, unusual at the time for someone of his class. He attended school in his home town of
Tagaste and then was sent under a form of scholarship for additional
instruction, first at the larger town of Madauros, also in Algeria, and then at
Carthage, the greatest of African cities, in what is today Tunisia.
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| Benozzo Gozzoli, School of Tagaste Italian, 1464-1465 San Gimignano, Church of Sant'Agostino |
At Carthage he completed his studies in rhetoric, once considered the pinnacle of education, which had a very different definition at this period than it does today. It included mastering the ability to persuade others through the use of language, both spoken and written, but it also included a broad knowledge of all kinds of things. Augustine was a master of the subject and, after completing his own education, he set himself up as a teacher of rhetoric, first in Tagaste and then in Carthage.
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| Benozzo Gozzoli, Saint Augustine at the University of Carthage Italian, c. 1464-1465 San Gimignano, Church of Sant'Agostino, Apsidal Chapel |
While in Carthage he lived the typical social life of a
Roman man of the educated class. He
drank, attended the games and acquired a mistress. In the description he later wrote about his
life at this time, he did not divulge her name, but did reference their son,
Adeodatus, who was born in 372, when Augustine was 18. He lived with his mistress for 15 years, only
leaving her during the turmoil of his conversion to Christianity. In that time, he found great success as a
teacher of rhetoric and sought larger fields to spread his wings. He moved his family twice, leaving Africa to
go first to Rome and then to the Imperial capital in Milan, arriving there in
383.
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| Benozzo Gozzoli, Saint Augustine Teaching in Rome Italian, c. 1464-1465 San Gimignano, Church of Sant'Agostino, Apsidal Chapel |
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| Benozzo Gozzoli, Saint Augustine Departing for Milan Italian, c. 1464-1465 San Gimignano, Church of Sant'Agostino, Apsidal chapel |
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| Benozzo Gozzoli, Saint Augustine Arriving in Milan Italian, c. 1464-1465 San Gimignano, Church of Sant'Agostino, Apsidal chapel |
This time of career building was also the period in which
Augustine became enamored of the exotic religion recently imported from the
Persian Empire, Manicheanism. He was
hardly unique in being tempted to accept this dualist belief system, which seemed
to explain a good deal about the world as people experience it. For the Manicheans there are two principles,
light and darkness. Light belongs to the
world of the spirit and to goodness. The
opposing darkness belongs to the material world and to evil. History is seen as a duel between these two
forces: between light and dark, between
good and evil, between the spirit and matter.
For the Manichean, matter is evil simply because it is matter. Since there is a good deal of similar
language in Christian thought as well, it is easy to see why people who were
seeking some kind of enlightenment could confuse them. However, Christianity never sees matter as
evil, but as a gift from God which is inherently good in itself, although it
can be manipulated by humans to serve evil purposes. Christianity also carries a moral message and
presumes personal responsibility for one’s actions. It took 9 to 10 years for Augustine to become
disillusioned with the Manichean philosophy.
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| Follower of Rogier van der Weyden, Saint Augustine Sacrificing to a Manichean Idol Flemish, c. 1480 The Hague, The Mauritshaus Museum |
It was his move to Milan, his second move after leaving Africa, that
changed Augustine’s life. In Milan he
encountered Saint Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, a talented preacher and
evangelist. Hearing Ambrose explicate
the Gospels and the Christian message, opened Augustine’s heart to truth. But he did not immediately make the
plunge. It took three years for him to
make a final decision. This came, as he
relates it, on an afternoon in a garden in Milan.
As he describes it, he was sitting in the
garden weeping over the crisis of faith he was in the midst of when: “I was
saying these things and weeping in the most bitter contrition of my heart,
when, lo, I heard the voice as of a boy or girl, I know not which, coming from
a neighboring house, chanting, and oft repeating, “Take up and read; take up
and read.” Immediately my countenance was changed, and I began most earnestly
to consider whether it was usual for children in any kind of game to sing such
words; nor could I remember ever to have heard the like. So, restraining the
torrent of my tears, I rose up, interpreting it no other way than as a command
to me from Heaven to open the book, and to read the first chapter I should
light upon. For I had heard of Antony, that, accidentally coming in while the
gospel was being read, he received the admonition as if what was read were
addressed to him, Go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you
shall have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me. (Matthew 19:2l) And by
such oracle was he immediately converted unto You. So quickly I returned to the
place where Alypius was sitting; for there had I put down the volume of the
apostles, when I rose thence. I grasped, opened, and in silence read that
paragraph on which my eyes first fell—Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in
chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but put on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans
13:13-14) No further would I read, nor did I need; for instantly, as the
sentence ended—by a light, as it were, of security infused into my heart—all
the gloom of doubt vanished away.”2
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| Guariento di Arpo, "Tolle Lege", The Conversion of Saint Augustine Italian, c. 1361-1365 Padua, Church of the Eremitani |
Immediately after this he withdrew to the country and devoted himself to the study of Christianity for several months. This is the time in which he reached his decision to devote his life entirely to God and gave up all thoughts of his career as a teacher and of marriage, also deciding to return to Africa after his baptism.
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| Guariento di Arpo, The Baptism of August and His Vesting in a Religious Habit Italian, c. 1361-1365 Padua, Church of the Eremitan |
Augustine was baptized, along with this son, Adeodatus, and
his friend, Alypius, at the Easter Vigil of the year 387 by Saint Ambrose. His mother, who had followed him to Italy,
was in the congregation.
.jpg) |
| Benozzo Gozzoli, Baptism of Saint Augustine Italian, c. 1464-1465 San Gimignano, Church of Sant'Agostino, Apsidal Chapel |
Shortly afterward the entire troupe began their
journey back to Italy, moving down the peninsula from Milan to Ostia, the port
of Rome. While waiting for a ship in
Ostia, Monica, Augustine’s mother, became ill and died. She was buried in Ostia at her own request.
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| Benozzo Gozzoli, Death of Saint Monica Italian, c. 1464-1465 San Gimignano, Church of Sant'Agostino, Apsidal chapel |
After returning to Africa Augustine and his friends formed a
small monastic type community on his ancestral property where they lived
undisturbed for several years. In 391
Augustine was ordained a priest for the church in Hippo Regius, in his native
Algeria and a few years later became bishop of Hippo (395). He remained there until his death in 430 and
died during the siege of Hippo by the invading Vandals. Consequently, his life spans the period in
which the Western Roman Empire began to crumble under the blows of the
barbarian invasions. It begins in the
solid seeming Empire under Constantius II, son of Constantine the Great, and
ends in the reign of Valentinian III, only 46 years before the events in 476 that
effectively mark the end of the Roman Empire in the west.
During his time in Hippo Augustine wrote an astonishing
number of books, which are all the more impressive because so many have
survived the centuries.3 There are books dealing with philosophy, with
apologetics in confrontation with the heresies of his day (many of which
reappear from time to time), on exegesis, on dogma. There are letters and sermons and of the writings
that have been gathered together to create the Augustinian rule, which still
governs several groups of religious men and women. And, of course, there are his two most widely
known works: The Confessions, in
which he reflects on his early life and his conversion, and The City of God,
in which he first, responds to pagan claims that it was Christianity that had
weakened the Empire and permitted the sack of Rome (410) by the Goths, and
second, describes the proper relationship of Christians to the world in which they
find themselves and their ultimate home with God. Both books have been copied and or printed
continuously since his own day.
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| Maïtre François, The City of God and the City of Man From La Cité de Dieu (Vol. I) by Augustine of Hippo (Translation from the Latin by Raoul de Presles French (Paris), c. 1475 and 1478-1480 The Hague, Meermano Museum MS MMW 10 A 11, fol. 6r |
He has left us a mighty legacy, on which numerous other
philosophers, theologians and apologists have continued to build to this day.
Art was not much in evidence in his works, however. It remained for future generations to supply
an iconography for Augustine, which they certainly did. And they developed several strands of
iconography. Below is a sampling of these various strands, presented in chronological order by the date of their creation, not in the order of occurrence in Saint Augustine's life.
Life Events
Some of these have been interspersed above, in the description of his life. Others are shown below.
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| Pietro Sano, The Death of Saint Jerome and His Apparition to Saint Augustine Italian, c. 1450 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Vergós Group, Saint Augustine Disputing with the Heretics Catalan, 1470-1475 Barcelona. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya |
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| Master of Saint Augustine, Scenes from the Life of Saint Augustine of Hippo Italian, c.1490 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters
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| Johann Zick, Saint Augustine Bestowing His Rule German, 1746 Schussenried, Premonstratensian Church of St. Magnus |
Conversion and Baptism
Some of these have been interspersed above as
well. Some images include his robing as
a cleric with the scene of his baptism.
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| Fra Angelico, Conversion of Saint Augustine Italian, 1430-1435 Cherbourg, Musée Thomas-Henry |
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| Charles Antoine Coypel, Conversion of Saint Augustine French, 1736 Versailles. Musée national des chateaux de Versailles et de Trianon |
As a Bishop
These images present Augustine in the garb of bishop, often holding a
book and carrying the crozier, the symbolic shepherd’s staff that bishops in
the Latin church carry. One interesting observation occurred to me as I examined these pictures. The majority show Augustine wearing the cope, a capelike vestment worn for liturgies other than the celebration of Mass. It is interesting to note that as techniques advanced, and especially after the introduction of oil painting, the orphreys, the decorated bands on the front edges of the cope, become more and more elaborately embroidered. This probably reflects the actual embroideries that were being worn at the time the paintings were made.
,%20c.%2011th%20-%2012th%20Century_Paris,%20Bibliotheque%20nationale%20de%20France_MS%20Latin%20790,%20fol.%201r.jpg) |
| Saint Augustine From a Book of Homilies Italian (Pistoia), c. 11th - 12th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 790, fol. 1r |
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| Saint Augustine from Picture Bible French (St. Omer, Benedictine Abbey of St. Bertin), c.1190-1200 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 76F5, fol. 38v |
,%20First%20half%20of%20the%2014th%20Century_Baltimore,%20Walters%20Art%20Museaum_MS%20W148,%20fol.%2021v%20(2).jpg) |
| Collaborator of the Willehalm Master, Saint Augustine From A Book of Homilies German (Lower Rhine), First half of the 14th Century Baltimore, Walters Art Museum MS W148, fol. 21v |
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Flemish School, Saint Augustine Flemish, 15th Century Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Venetian School, Saint Augustine Italian, c. 1450-1475 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Anonymous, Saint Augustine German, 1450-1500 Suhl, Evangelical Parish Church of Sankt Ulrich |
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| Paolo Giovanni, Saint Augustine Italian, 1470-1475_ Avignon, Musée du Petit Palais |
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| Jaime Huguet, Consecration of Saint Augustine Spanish, 1463-1475 Barcelona, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya |
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| Bartolome Bermejo, Saint Augustine Spanish, c. 1477-1485 Chicago, Art Institute |
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| Joseph Chinard, Saint Augustine French, 1781 Boston, Museum of Fine Arts |
As a Scholar and Doctor of the Church
Augustine and three other saints (Gregory the
Great, Ambrose and Jerome) were the first to be proclaimed with the title of
Doctor of the Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298. Doctors of the Church are saints whose
writings and lives have been particularly important to the entire church.
The list has been added to over the centuries and there are now 36 Doctors, including four women.
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| Saint Augustine Late Antique, 6th Century Rome, Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano |
,%20c.%201300_The%20Hague,%20KB_MS%20KB%2071%20A%201,%20fol.%208r%20(2).jpg) |
| Saint Augustine From De Civitate Dei by Augustine of Hippo Flemish (Tongeren), c. 1300 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 71 A 1, fol. 8r |
,%20Beginning%20of%20the%2015th%20Century_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Francais%20242,%20fol.%20189r.jpg) |
| Saint Augustine Receiving Inspiration From Legenda aurea by Jacobus de Voragine French (Paris), Beginning of the 15th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 242, fol. 189r |
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| Sandro Botticelli, Saint Augustine Italian, 1480 Florence, Church of Ognissanti |
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| Michael Pacher, Saint Augustine From Altarpiece of the Church Fathers German, c.1483 Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakotek |
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| Sandro Boticelli, Saint Augustus in His Cell Italian, c. 1490-1494 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi |
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Master of Claude de France, Saint Augustine and Saint Cyril of Jerusalem French, c.1500 Ecouen, Musée national de la Renaissance MS ECL11764 |
,%20c.%201503-1508_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Latin%209474,%20fol.%20181v.jpeg) |
| Jean Bourdichon, Confessor Saints From Grandes heures d'Anne de Bretagne French (Tours), c. 1503-1508 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9474, fol. 181v |
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Abraham Bloemart, Four Doctors of the Church Venerating the Eucharist Dutch, 1632 Private Collection |
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| Abraham Van Diepenbeeck. The Four Doctors of Church Flemish, 1650-1660 Bordeaux, Musée des Beaux-Arts |
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| Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Saint Augustine Italian, 1657-1666 Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica, Throne of Peter |
With Other Saints
A very common image of Augustine is as a saint among saints, frequently surrounding the Madonna and Child, in what is known as a sacra conversazione (a sacred conversation) group.
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| Carolo da Milano, Saints Benedict and Augustine Italian, 15th Century Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Francesco di Stefano, called Pesellino, Madonna and Child with Six Saints Italian, late 1440s New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Fra Filippo Lippi, Saints Augustine and Ambrose Italian, c. 1437 Turin, Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti |
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| Zanobi di Jacopo di Piero Machiavelli. Madonna and Child with Saints Sebastian, Peter, Bernardino, Paul, Lawrence and Augustine Italian, 1460s Boston, Museum of Fine Arts |
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Cosimo Rosselli, Enthroned Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist, Augustine, Dominic, Peter and the Holy Innocents Italian, c. 1475 Berlin, Gemäeldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin |
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| Luca Signorelli, Saints Eustachia, Mary Magdalene, Jerome, Augustine, Catherine of Alexandria and Anthony of Padua Italian, c. 1478-1518 Berlin, Gemäeldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin |
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| Neri di Bicci, Virgin and Child with Saints Margaret, Roch, Jerome, a Pope, Sebastian and Augustine Italian, c. 1480-1490 Avignon, Musée du Petit Palais |
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| Sandro Botticelli, Coronation of the Virgin San Marco Altarpiece Italian, c. 1490-1492 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi |
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| Carlo Crivelli, Saint Augustine and Jerome Italian, ca.1490 Venice, Galleria dell'Accademia |
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| Ambrogio Fassone, called Il Bergognone, Circumcision of Christ with Saints and Donors Italian, ca. 1494 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Giovanni Bellini, The Virgin in Glory with Saints Italian, c. 1510-1515 Venice, Galleria dell'Accademia |
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| Luca Signorelli, Madonna and Child with the Holy Trinity, Angels, Saints Augustine and Athanasius of Alexandria Italian, c 1513-1514 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi |
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| Andrea del Sarto, Disputation on the Trinity Italian, 1517 Florence, Pitti Palace |
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| Lorenzo Lotto, Santo Spirito Altarpiece, Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints Catherine, Augustine, Sebastian, Anthony Abbot and the Infant John the Baptist Italian, 1521 Bergamo, Church of Santo Spirito |
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Giovanni Lanfranco. Coronation of the Virgin with Saints Augustine and William of Acquitaine |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, The Defenders of the Eucharist: Saints Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Clare, Thomas Aquinas, Norbert and Jerome Flemish, 1625 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Giambattista Tiepolo, Saints Augustine, Louis of France and John Italian, 1740-1760 Lille. Palais des Beaux-Arts |
His Meditations on the Trinity
The story is told that Augustine had a hard time trying to work out the nature and internal relationship of the Holy Trinity. Trying to work it out while walking alone the seashore near Hippo he encountered a small child with a seashell, who was running back and forth from the sea to a hole in the sand into which he would dump the small amount of water in the shell. Augustine asked what he was doing and the child told him that he was trying to empty the sea into the hole. When Augustine told him it was impossible to do such a deed with the seashell and the hole the answer he received was that it was just as impossible for him to understand the mystery of the Trinity with his human mind. Not a bad reminder to all of us!
,%201409_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Latin%20919,%20fol.%2093r.jpg) |
| Maitre de la Mazarine & Workshop, Holy Trinity with Saint Augustine and the Child From Grandes heures de Jean de Berry French (Paris), 1409 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 919, fol. 93r |
Parable%20of%20the%20Trinity,%20S.%20Gimignano,%20S.%20Agostino,%201464-65.jpg) |
Benozzo Gozzoli, Parable of the Trinity Italian, 1464-65 San Gimignano, Church of Sant' Agostino |
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| Vergós_Group, Saint Augustine and the Trinity Spanish, 1470-1475 Barcelona, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya |
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| Bavarian Artist, Saint Augustine German, c. 1480 Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek |
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| Sandro Botticelli, Saint Augustine Meditating on the Mystery of the Trinty Italian, ca. 1483-1488 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi |
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| Rubens Workshop, Saint Augustine Meditating on the Mystery of the Trinity Flemish, 17th Century Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Guercino, Saint Augustine Meditating on the Trinity Italian, 1636 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, Saint Augustine Flemish, 1639 Prague, Narodni Galerie |
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| Gaspard Dughet, Landscape with Saint Augustine French, 1651-1653 Rome, Galleria Doria Pamphilli |
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| Gaspar de Crayer, Saint Augustine and the Trinity Flemish, 1655 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Johann Baptist Zimmerman, Saint Augustine and the Trinity German, 1729 Weyarn, Church of Saints Peter and Paul, formerly Augustinian Canons |
Miracles Attributed to Augustine
Augustine is not one of the saints well-known as a miracle worker, but there are several attributed to his intercession.
Augustine’s affectionate relationship with his mother, Saint Monica, is reflected in his iconography. See also “St.Monica – The Persistent Mother”.
Augustine is frequently see being received
into heaven or in glory within it, especially in the Baroque and Rococo
periods.
These are simply a sampling of the hundreds of images I found in each of the categories.
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| Joseph Parrocel, Saint Augustine Healing the Sick French, 1680-1700 Nantes, Musée des Beaux-Arts |
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| Miguel Jacinto Melendez. Ssiny Augustine Vanquishing a Plague of Locusts(in 1248) Spanish, 1734 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
Saint Augustine As a Visionary
Legends sprang up regarding various visions which Augustine had seen.
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| Fra Filippo Lippi, Vision of Saint Augustine Italian, c. 1438 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi |
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| Sano di Pietro, Apparition of Saint Jerome to Saint Augustine Italian, 1444 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
,%20c.%201445-1460_Paris,%20Bnf_MS%20Latin%209473,%20fol.%20164v.jpg) |
| Saint Augustine Writing About the Trinity From Hours of Louis of Savoy French (Savoy), c. 1445-1460 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9473, fol. 164v |
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| Giovanni di Paolo, Saint Jerome Appearing to Saint Augustine Italian, ca.1456 Berlin, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek |
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Caspar de Crayer, Saint Augustine in Ecstasy Flemish, 1630-1640 Valenciennes, Musée des Beaux-Arts |
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| Antonio Rodríguez, Vision of Saint Augustine Mexican, 1650-1690 Mexico City, Museo Nacional de Arte |
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| Bartolome Murillo, St Augustine Between Christ and the Virgin Spanish, 1664 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
Illustrating One of His Most Famous Quotes
Augustine is often shown holding a heart or with a heart nearby, sometimes it is pierced by an arrow, sometimes it is on fire. This image refers to one of his most famous quotes, which occurs at the very beginning of the Confessions: “You move us to delight in praising You; for You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You”. (Augustine, Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 1, 1)
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| Anonymous, Saint Augustine French, 1450-1475 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters |
,%20c.%201450-1460_The%20Hague,%20KB_MS%20KB%2076%20F%202,%20fol.%20266v.jpg) |
| Jean le Tavernier & Workshop, Saint Augustine From Hours of Philip of Burgundy Flemish (Oudenarde), c. 1450-1460 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 76 F 2, fol. 266v |
,%20c.%201470-1480+P,%20BNF_MS%20Francais%2017,%20fol.311r.jpeg) |
| Master of Margaret of York, Adoration of Christ From De Civitate Dei by Saint Augustine Flem (Bruges), c. 1470-1480 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 17, fol. 467r |
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| Saint Augustine from Book of Hours French (Paris), 1485-1495 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS H 3, fol. 180r |
,%20c.%201500-1510_The%20Hague,%20KB_%20MS%20KB%2071%20G%2053,%20fol.%2087v.jpg) |
| Saints Augustine and Jerome From a Prayer Book Flemish (Malines), c. 1500-1510 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 71 G 53, fol. 87v |
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| Anonymous, Saint Augustine and the Augustinian Canoness Dutch, 1525-1550 Chicago, Art Institute |
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| Peter Paul Rubens, Saint Augustine Flemish, 1620 Private Collection |
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| Philippe de Champaigne. Saint Augustine French, 1645-1650 Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art |
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| Giuseppe Antonio Pianca. Saint Augustine Italian, 1745 Private Collection |
llustrations of The City of God
The City of God was a well-known book in the middle ages and there are several surviving illustrated copies. Only a few scenes are reproduced here, but you can refer to the search websites of the Bibliotheque nationale de France or Pierpont Morgan Library to see more.
_French_Paris_1469-1473_BNF_Francais%2018_fol.%2023r.jpeg) |
| Master Francois, Saint Augustine and the Romans from De Civitate Dei French (Paris), 1469-1473 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 18, fol. 23 |
,%20c.%201470-1480+P,%20BNF_MS%20Francais%2017,%20fol.%20111r.jpeg) |
| Master of Margaret of York and collaborators, Saint Augustine Denouncing Crime from De Civitate Dei Belgian (Bruges), c.1470-1480 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Français 17, fol. 111r |
With His Mother
Augustine’s affectionate relationship with his mother, Saint Monica, is reflected in his iconography. See also “St.Monica – The Persistent Mother”.
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| Circle of Pieter Coecke van Aelst, Saint Augustine and Saint Monica Flemish, 1500-1550 Private Collection |
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| Sebastiano Conca, Madonna and Child with Saints Augustine and Monica Italian, c. 1750 Gaeta, Museo Diocesano |
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Ary Scheffer. Saint Augustine and Saint Monica French, 1846 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
In Triumph in Heaven
Augustine is frequently see being received
into heaven or in glory within it, especially in the Baroque and Rococo
periods.
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| Claudio Coello, Triumph of Saint Augustine Spanish, 1664 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Francisco Bayeu y Subia, Saint Augustine and the Virgin Adoring the Crucified Christ Spanish, c.1750-1760 Private Collection |
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| Johann Anwander, Apotheosis of Saint Augustine German, 1754 Münnerstadt, Cloister Church of the Augustinian Hermits |
These are simply a sampling of the hundreds of images I found in each of the categories.
© M. Duffy, 2016, updated 2022
1. For the details of
Augustine’s early life, based upon his own testimony in the Confessions see:
Portalié, Eugène. "Life of
St. Augustine of Hippo." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New
York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 28 Aug. 2016
.
2. Augustine of Hippo.
Confessions, Book 8, Chapter 12, 29.
Translated by J.G. Pilkington. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers,
First Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian
Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight
3. For a partial list of Augustine’s works see: Portalié, Eugène. "Works of St.
Augustine of Hippo." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York:
Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 28 Aug. 2016 .
See also: http://www.augnet.org/?ipageid=223
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