The Consecration of the Site of a Church in Rome by a Pope ("The Miracle of Saint Mary of the Snows"?) 1590 - 1647

Giovanni Lanfranco made this drawing of the consecration of a church site in Rome with pen and brown ink with red chalk. It depicts a key moment in the institutional history of the Catholic Church. The image shows a Pope officiating a religious rite, possibly the Miracle of Saint Mary of the Snows, a founding legend of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. This major church in Rome has always been deeply connected to papal power. Lanfranco’s Rome was a city of grand ceremonies designed to express and consolidate the authority of the church. What's fascinating about this drawing is that it captures the theatricality of these rituals. It invites us to consider how the church staged its power through public spectacles. As art historians, we delve into archives, religious texts, and architectural records to understand the full scope of this artwork's historical context. Through this research, we can better understand how art both reflected and shaped the society in which it was created.