The Vault of the Doctors of the Church

The first bay, containing the portrayal of the doctors of the church accompanied by a deacon or a monk, which is divided into four fields, was probably frescoed by Giotto and his workers around 1290. Giotto, a student of Cimabue, is regarded as the pioneer of Italian Trecento painting. Alongside St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great and St. Augustine, the fresco of St. Hieronymus is located on the eastern side of the vault, identifiable by the inscription “s (anctus) . Ieronimus . doctor.” The cardinal dignity is expressed by his purple robe. The studiolo architecture painted in the bottom view, which shows the Doctors of the Church accompanied by a monk who is reading, features a loggia with Telamons at the base of the architecture, which is not visible in the other portrayals of the vault. The earthquake almost completely destroyed the Hieronymus field together with four pairs of saints in the front bay arch. The decorative ribs of the side containing angels’ heads were also affected. Only the portrayal of Christ at the highest point of the field remained intact. The hole in the vault was closed and filled with plain plaster. The fragments of the fresco that have been found could not be mounted all again to date.