St. Jerome
Author: Unknown
Origin: Unknown
Dating: 18th century
Material: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions (cm): 89,3 x 106,7
Inv. no.: PNA513 / PNA66694 / PD0713dep
A painting depicting Saint Jerome, who holds, in his left hand, a cross and, in his right hand, a book opened by his index finger. Between the book and the cross there is a skull.
Saint Jerome (340/347 AD – 420 AD) was born Eusebius Hieronymus Sophronius, in Stridon, Dalmatia (present-day Croatia). Descendant of a wealthy, cultured, Christian family, he enjoyed an adventurous youth before going to Rome to study the classics and rhetoric and to travel through Gaul and Germany. He was fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.
Around 365 AD, he was baptized by Pope Liberius. Later, he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, retiring to the Syrian desert, where he lived as a hermit.
In 373 AD, while on his way to Antioch (in present-day Turkey) – according to legend – he removed a thorn from a lion’s paw, an animal that is said to have become his faithful companion.
Upon his return to Rome, he became a collaborator of Pope Damasus I, receiving the task of translating the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. The final result of his translation became known as the “Vulgate”, becoming the official biblical text of the Catholic Church, approved by the Council of Trent.
Around 386 AD, Saint Jerome left Rome and went to live permanently in Bethlehem, where he remained as a penitent monk and scholar, continuing his biblical translations until his death.
Saint Jerome died, at about 80 years old, of natural causes and was buried under the Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem). Later, his relics were transferred to Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome.
Traditionally, Saint Jerome is depicted in the desert or in his study, accompanied by a lion, often wearing red cardinal robes and hat, usually writing with a quill. Sometimes, he is also represented with white beard, with a skull and a cross, with a trumpet or with a stone. He is the patron saint of all those dedicated to the study of the Bible, translators, archaeologists, archivists, librarians and students.
