Trinity and Saints – Chapel of San Severo – Perugia

The work was commissioned in 1505 by the Camaldolese monks, living in the monastery and church of San Severo built at the highest point of the district of Porta Sole in Perugia.

Raphael, starting from the upper part of the chapel, with a great capacity of three-dimensional rendering in the perspective construction, painted a Trinity, expressed through the figures of God the Father (today very fragmented and only partially visible), with the dove of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Blessing just below him. Jesus is surrounded by angels and the six most important saints for the Order of Camaldoli: on the right the founder of the Order Saint Romuald, Saint John the Martyr and Saint Benedict the Martyr; on the left, San Benedict from Norcia, Saint Placido and Saint Mauro. The composition shows an incredible three-dimensional rendering and a skilful perspective construction, which the painter will propose a few years later in the Vatican Rooms.

Raphael did not finish the work: in 1508 he was engaged in Rome, initially on behalf of Pope Julius II, and he never returned to Perugia to finish the Camaldolese commission, also because of his premature death in 1520.

After Raphael’s death, the now old Perugino is called to complete the fresco, remained unfinished for almost fifteen years in the lower part, where into the niche a sculpture of a Madonna and Child in terracotta, attributed to the Tuscan sculptor Leonardo del Tasso, was already present.

Vannucci, probably not following the hemispherical setting originally thought by Raffello, depicts six saints, important for the Benedictine order: Santa Scolastica, San Girolamo, San Giovanni Evangelista, San Gregorio Magno, San Bonifacio and Santa Marta.

He used only two preparatory drawings to realize the figures, which, quite similar to each other, do not show a particular three-dimensional rendering and reflect the style of the last pictorial phase of the artist, characterized by clear colors and transparent brushstrokes.

The work is at the Chapel of San Severo in Perugia.