Stanza della Segnatura: Disputation of the Holy Sacrament Raphael (1483-1520)

Description of Raphael Santi’s "Dispute" fresco

The painter Raphael was known for his work from his youth. As an aspiring artist, he was invited to a prestigious studio located in Rome. During the Renaissance, Raphael was one of those who made a special contribution to its development. The painting "Dispute" decorated one of the great monasteries.

The action in the painting unfolds between two realms: the earthly and the heavenly. From above, a holy trinity descends to the people: God, his son and the holy spirit. Jesus Christ is seen seated on the throne, with his baptist and his mother seated on either side of him.

Then on the sides are all the Gospel prophets. These include Peter, John, the Evangelist, and others. The ungodly are in a serene state, staring down at the people cowering below. It seems as if their movements can be seen. Confident and unhurried.

At the bottom, the artist presents a kingdom of people who stand in anticipation of the deity’s descent from heaven. In the middle is an altar with various gifts on it.

The representatives of the earthly kingdom are priests of the Roman Catholic Church. Besides them near the altar are other well-known representatives of Christianity. They are impatiently waiting for the Holy Trinity to come down to earth and appreciate the earthly gifts. But in the meantime, there is a dispute among the representatives of the earthly kingdom over the gifts. This was the title for the painting.

The entire composition was placed on the semicircular part of the dome. It served perfectly for the complete unfolding of Raphael’s creation. It especially contributed to the celestial vault depicted in the painting. It turned out to be realistic. It seems as if instead of a dome at the top there really are real clouds, and from them the holy trinity descends into the monastery.

The peculiarity of this composition is the church under construction, depicted by Raphael at the side. The artist thus demonstrated the future cathedral of St. Peter, which at the time of the work on the image was in the initial stage of construction.