Tabernakel van de Sint-Dominicusbasiliek te Siena met Christus en de vier evangelisten c. 1875 - 1900

Paolo Lombardi made this photograph of the Tabernacle of the Basilica of San Domenico, Siena, in the late 19th century. This image shows the tabernacle as a kind of miniature building with the statue of a saint on top. The depiction of Christ and the evangelists, as well as the architectural style, all indicate a particular moment in the history of the Catholic Church. We should remember that the basilica was founded in Siena, Italy in the 13th century. Siena was a city-state with its own distinctive cultural and political history, closely linked to the Catholic faith. This photograph was made not long after the unification of Italy, in a period when the church's authority was being challenged. Looking at church records, architectural drawings, and local histories could help us to understand the tabernacle as part of a much wider story about the relationship between the church and the city.