Ancient painting of the Italian school of the seventeenth ce

COD. d 192 Ancient painting of the Italian school of 1600 Dimensions: Canvas: 72 x 56 cm Framed: 87 X 71 cm Mystical marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria The mystical marriage is a recurring motif of literature, theology. Saint Catherine of Siena tells of her "mystical marriage" with Jesus. "During a vision, which will always remain present in the mind and heart of St. Catherine, the Blessed Virgin presents her to Jesus, who gives her a splendid ring, saying «I, your Creator and Savior, will marry you; confident that you will keep yourself pure as long as you celebrate your eternal wedding with me, in Paradise ». The ring is visible to her alone. In this extraordinary episode we can see the heart of Catherine's religious sense, and of all authentic spirituality: Christocentrism. For her, Christ is like the bridegroom, with whom there is a relationship of intimacy, communion and fidelity; He is the favorite, whom she loves above all else. This profound union with the Lord is illustrated by another episode in the life of this extraordinary mysticism: the exchange of hearts. According to what is confirmed by Raimondo di Capua, who sent us the revelations of Catherine, the Lord Jesus appears to her "holding in his holy hands a human heart, of a bright, shining red". He opens her side and puts her heart inside, saying "Dearest daughter, after taking your heart away the other day, now, see, I'm giving you mine, so that you can continue to live with this forever. ». Catherine truly lived the words of St. Paul: "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me"