167. 6th Century Church: Orange or Pomegranate?

Not Only Words, but Images Can be a Cause for Misunderstanding

The Architect Remo Serafin explains some of the symbols 
used on the murals-
 in the background the “disputed” Madonna

You would think that murals in churches were painted to give enlightenment and instructions to those who cast their eyes upon them, this normally is the case and each era had its own code of meanings and symbpls which the people of that epoch were capable of understanding. Authorities, obviously, took it for granted that the images depicted would be translated in the manner they were expected to be.

Alas, at times things may get twisted around. The Holy Trinity Church, dating back to the 6^th Century had a “patron” who around the 1500s commissions a mural of Our Lady with what everyone believes is a pomegranate and therefore became known by all and sundries as the Madonna of the Pomegranate.

But it wasn’t a pomegranate! Remo Serafin, the Architect who restored the church claims. It was an orange. As in those days people were not familiar with oranges they interpreted the fruit as a pomegranate. It was the natural choice, the architect explained since not only was the pomegranate well known as far back as the bronze age but it was often used as the symbol of the fullness of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection in Christianity. Furthermore, Sandro Botticelli painted the renown “Madonna of the Pomegranate” round about 1487 and of course, any artist would have known that.

Photo: Close-up of the fruit of discord

So why didn’t the artist make it clear it was a pomegranate instead of a dubious orange- I asked. The architect said there was no doubt at all it was an orange, not with the wide crenulated leaves as opposed to the narrow smooth edge of those of a pomegranate- beside that fruit had no crown. Obviously, artists had their own streak of eccentricity and maybe this one was no exception- taking people for a ride by painting an orange and passing it off for a pomegranate, I said.

Not necessarily so, the architect chimed into my thoughts, the artist deliberately painted an orange because oranges were precious and gave more value to the personage it decorated. Besides, this artist probably had it in for the Turks who continued to plunder the area and the pomegranate is after all an Islamic symbol per excellence. It is the ignorance of the yokels, who just because they didn’t recognize the shape of an orange insisted to call it a badly shape pomegranate! The architect said with a wry smile indicating he was not one to suffer fools easily. 
And furthermore, the Architect Remo Serafin, continued, the patron who commissioned this “Madonna” wanted his name spelt out in big bold letters on the bottom and the yokels seeing the name thought it to be the name of the church. That is why everyone calls it the “Mattarella” church instead of its proper name which is the church of The Holy Trinity!

The inauguration Mass celebrated 13th December 2008- Feast of Saint Lucy

More "mysteries" solved next blog

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