Janua Coeli. Where earth and heaven meet

The Museum of Orsini Palace in Pitigliano, will host, from September 16 to November 12, an unprecedented exhibition dedicated to the figure of the Baptist interpreted by two outstanding authors: Lorenzo Costa (1460-1535) and Michelangelo Merisi known as Caravaggio (1571-1610).

In a striking room of the Orsini Palace, called the Zodiac, with frescoes from the 15th century, two paintings with the same subject - St. John the Baptist -  one by Lorenzo Costa and one by Caravaggio, will be on display.

The title of the exhibition - "Janua Coeli, where earth and heaven meet" - preludes to the figure of the Baptist as a pointer to the horizon of salvation and the Agnus Dei, the true and only janua-door to the sublime divine reality: “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved." (John 10:7-9).

The emphasis is especially on the hand of the Baptist, which if in Costa indicates the celestial horizon, in Caravaggio indicates the earth, "materials" of which the Messiah is made and from which man is drawn and participates as his own nature. Thus, a Christological but also an anthropological vision that the two paintings, read together, convey, beyond the reality and attribution of the admired work of art.

Museum of Orsini Palace, Pitigliano
September 16 - November 12
closed on Mondays and October 7

For people with severe motor problems, access is conditional. It is advisable to call reception in advance (at least the day before) for elevator access.