Saint Dominic in Soriano
[citation needed] In 1510, Dominican friars founded a priory at Soriano Calabro,[2]: 53–56 Calabria, in the arch of the foot of the boot of Italy.
[citation needed] In the early 17th century, Silvestro Frangipane, a Dominican, investigated the painting and wrote a book about it.
Fra Frangipane wrote (in an English translation): It happened that, during the night before the octave of the Nativity of the Madonna,[Note 1] in the Year of Our Lord 1530, the sacristan of Soriano had risen, as was his custom, at 3 o'clock in the morning to light the church lamps.
[citation needed] In 1644, Pope Innocent XII ordained a feast day on 15 September to commemorate its origin and properties.
E il corpo di quell'Imagine di cinque palmi, & un quarto di lunghezza, nella desto mano ha un libro, e nella sinistra un giglio, doue egli si dimostra di mediocre slatura, di bell aspetto, ma venerando, e mortificato, co'l uolio alquanto affilato; il naso aquilino; i capelli la maggior parte son canuti; e gli altri così della barba, come della testa vanno alquante al rosso; la faccia è molto bianca, & hà co'l cadere congiunta la palidezza: gli occhi sono serenissinimi, e da ogni parte, ch'essi si guardino, rimirano con un piaciuolissimo terrore: le vesti, e l'habito non passano il tallone, restando tutto il piede di scarpe nere coperto: e finalmente tutta l'Imagine altro non rassembra se non artificio celeste, e diuino.
[2]: 62–63 An English translation: And the figure in that Picture, which is five palms high and four broad,[Note 5] in his right hand holds a book, and in his left a lily, is of medium stature, of handsome aspect, but venerable, and mortified, with somewhat sharply defined features; his nose is aquiline; his hair is mostly white; and the rest, like that of his beard, reddish; his face is very white, as if he was at one with pallidity: his eyes are most serene, and follow you everywhere you go, inducing a mild feeling of terror: his garments and habit do not extend down to his heels, thus displaying his feet clad in black shoes: and, in conclusion, the whole Picture exhibits nothing but celestial, and divine, workmanship.The miraculous origin of the portrait seems to have been a significant topic for religious art in 17th-century Italy and Spain, as evidenced by the number of paintings described later in this section.
Those paintings are consistent in showing Dominic slightly less than life-size, full length, wearing his habit, with book and lily, thus generally conforming to Fra Frangipane's 1634 description;[2] but differ in detail.
Examples (with provenance, where known) include (arranged approximately by date): Ecclesiastical buildings named after, and so perhaps dedicated to,[original research?]
