Today, we are going to take a look at a rather stunning baroque confessional that is found in the Cathedral of Bergamo, Santa Maria Maggiore. The confessional was carved from walnut by Andrea Fantoni between 1704-1705,, being originally commissioned by Canon Giovan Pietro Mazza. Fantoni lived between 1659-1734 and this particular work is one of three works for which he is best known (the others being another confessional for the Duomo of Brescia and a carved pulpit found in the Basilica di San Martino in Alzano Lombardo).
What is especially striking about this particular confessional is not simply the splendid carved artistry of the piece (though that is indeed spectacular in its own right) but also the carefully selected content of those carvings; carvings that are entirely made with the penitent and confessor in mind.
How so you might ask? Found within the confessional's design are various didactic images that are pertinent to the sacrament of Confession, as well as to the disposition of the confessor and especially the penitent. We can find themes related to penitence, mercy, divine justice and forgiveness. It is no stretch to say that this entire piece a sort of 'catechism' of God's mercy, justice and forgiveness, as equally beautiful for reason of its didactic contents as much as its beautiful and noble form.
Fantoni has included in his confessional's design various allegorical images (such as figures representing faith, justice and mercy) as well as scenes taken from the scriptures that are pertinent to the sacrament of Confession.
At the very apex of the confessional for example, we find an image of God the Father and a scene of Christ giving Peter the keys -- which is of course is a reference to John 20:23 where Christ gives the power of binding and loosing: "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." The relation here to the sacrament is clear enough and needs no further explication.
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| God the Father |
Surrounding this are four fully carved figures. These are allegorical figures representing virtues such as wisdom, gentleness, mercy and silence.
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| Allegory of Wisdom |
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| Allegory of Gentleness |
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| Allegory of Mercy |
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| Allegory of Silence |
Perhaps most prominent are those panels that are aligned to where the confessor himself sits within the confessional. Here we find a large carved relief taken from the account in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 7:11-17) wherein Christ resurrecting from the dead the son of a widow in Nain --a typological reference to our own death (to sin) and resurrection (to new life) through the Sacrament of Confession.
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| Christ resurrects the son of the widow of Nain |
These are all powerful reminders that the confessor is there to exact God's justice, mercy and forgiveness.
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| Allegory of Justice |
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| Allegory of Mercy |
The two largest figures are also allegorical figures, shown holding curtains. These curtains ultimately function as an artistic way to create a practical barrier that conceals the penitent.
To the left, we see a figure is fully clothed, holding a cross; this is considered an allegory of Faith.
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| Allegory of Faith |
To the other side is a man shown stripped of all but a loincloth, his foot resting on a globe or orb. The allegorical intent of this particular image has regrettably been lost to us, but it clearly is intended to complement the figure on the opposing side. Perhaps it is was intended to represent penance itself, or perhaps a reference to being stripped of our worldliness or vanity. We are simply left to speculate.
In an around the confessional, behind the confessor and in front of the penitents, are also various carved relief scenes showing Christ's passion and death, as well as a scene of Moses bringing forth water from a rock -- a dual reference to divine mercy and perhaps also tying into the imagery of Peter and the power of binding and loosing found above.
We also are presented with images of famous penitents in the figures of St. Mary Magdalen and St. Mary of Egypt.
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| Lamentation over the Dead Christ |
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| The Flagellation of Christ |
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| Moses brings forth water from the rock |
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| Saint Mary Magdalene, penitent |
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| Saint Mary of Egypt, penitent in the desert |
As one can expect from baroque art, it is also replete with cherubs, so we cannot fail to show you at least a couple of examples to complete the picture.
All said, the entire work is a treatise on the Church's teaching around the sacrament of penance, reminding us of its divine origins and the power of the Church and the sacrament to bind and loose our sins; reminding us that God is a god of Justice and well as one of mercy.
The piece shows us the power and purpose of Christian liturgical art, which is to teach us and help to put us in a proper disposition to fruitfully receive and benefit from those sacred mysteries.
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