The descent of the Holy Spirit

In this magnificent fresco we see the depiction of the descent of the Holy Spirit narrated in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2,1-47), but from the composition - which respects the iconographic tradition - we understand that its objective is not it is “narrative”, but rather to represent its deepest meaning.
In fact there are no traces of wind, noise or commotion among the people, who are not many but 12, the minimum number to indicate everyone. The people talk to each other and are seated in a composed way, as in the "choir" of the churches, in the shape of an arch, behind which you can see an architectural structure reduced to the essentials which wants to indicate the new temple, the Church.

There are 12 seated characters, but they are not just the apostles: among them we recognize Saint Paul, sitting next to Peter in the centre, on the opposite side to the empty space left for the presence of God. Recognizable by his physiognomic features (he is always represented slightly bald, with a beard and white-grey hair) and from the book he is holding in his hand. In addition to him, with the book in his hand, there are 4 characters, who are the evangelists, therefore there are also Saint Luke and Saint Mark. These are not secondary details, but they tell us that the people depicted represent the entire Church, with all its charisms and all the various forms of belonging, which, as Saint Paul says, like different members make up the body of Christ.

In the design of the arch in front of the fresco, 12 tongues of fire descend from the Heaven of heavens (now consumed), which descend with a play of perspective, towards the heads of the disciples. To the left and right of the composition, on the side walls of the arch, the prophets Ezekiel and Joel, who more than anyone else spoke to you about the descent of the Holy Spirit (see Ez 37,1-14 and Joel 3,1-5) on the Lord's people to renew them and give them new charisms.
Last detail: the man in the lower part of the scene. He is a symbol: he has the crown, because he represents the people of the whole world, the cosmos. He is old because the sin of Adam and Eve introduced aging, his robe is red with the blood of the sacrifices made to the devil (murders, wars, injustices...) and he holds a scroll with the same in his hand phylacteries that have the apostles sitting on them, that is, the Word, the announcement of the Gospel: all the people are waiting, the universal mission of the Church is addressed to them.

With their silent language these frescoes speak to us once again of faith, of the truth and the strength of the message of Christ, who knows how to run distances and cross the centuries, and they make us long for a new descent of the Spirit, of a new rebirth of the Church in authentic faith and with the genuine strength of its origins. The nostalgia for a community Church, of people renewed and guided by the Holy Spirit, who have rediscovered the beauty of knowing Christ, an irreplaceable element for a full, happy life, capable of loving, of communion, of welcoming and to serve.

Chiara Dal Corso
NP April 2024