🎨 Orvieto Cathedral and the Signorelli Chapel: The Wonder That Inspired Michelangelo
A visit to the Orvieto Cathedral (Duomo), a masterpiece of Italian Gothic architecture, is an unforgettable experience in itself. But it is inside, in the Chapel of San Brizio (or Cappella Nuova), that one of the most extraordinary pages in Renaissance art history unfolds: the cycle of frescoes depicting the “Stories of the Last Days” by Luca Signorelli. This cycle is historically recognized as having a direct influence on the genius of Michelangelo.
Michelangelo’s Inspiring Stopover
Legend and historical sources suggest a deep connection between Orvieto and one of the greatest future masterpieces of the Renaissance. It is said that Michelangelo Buonarroti, during a journey between Florence and Rome, stopped in Orvieto. What was intended to be a brief two- or three-day break turned into a stay of approximately three months.
The artist, who years later would paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling and, subsequently, the monumental Last Judgment fresco on the altar wall, was deeply impressed and inspired by Signorelli’s work. The muscular and dynamic figures, the dramatic compositions, and the anatomical rendering of the bodies, especially in the Hell and Resurrection scenes, were a crucial source of inspiration for his own Last Judgment. Giorgio Vasari later wrote that Signorelli’s work was a “great and beautiful drawing” that was of great help to Michelangelo.
Luca Signorelli’s Masterpiece
The commission to decorate the Chapel of San Brizio was initially given to Fra Angelico in 1447, who only completed two sails of the vault with the Coronation of the Virgin and the Choir of the Apostles. However, the work stopped, and the chapel remained unfinished for decades.
In 1499, the Opera del Duomo (Cathedral Works Committee) signed a new contract with Luca Signorelli, a painter from Cortona, to complete the work. The contract was financially advantageous and, according to tradition, included a fee of 600 gold scudi and the supply of unlimited wine for the artist and his assistant. Despite the monumental nature of the undertaking, Signorelli completed the frescoes on the vaults and walls in just a few years, finishing the entire cycle between 1502 and 1504.
The Main Works: An Epic of Judgment
The Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist: A scene of intense relevance for the time, depicting the destruction and corruption caused by the false prophet. Signorelli even included a self-portrait and a portrait of Fra Angelico in this panel.
The Resurrection of the Flesh: Considered the climax of the cycle, it is an explosion of bodies emerging from the earth. The painter shows the bodies in various stages of reconstruction, from skeletons to fully muscled figures, revealing an anatomical mastery that anticipates Michelangelo’s art.
The Damned in Hell: This scene is a terrifying maelstrom of demons and naked bodies, entangled in physical and emotional violence. The raw depiction of punishment was what most impressed contemporaries and, subsequently, inspired Michelangelo’s later work.
The Elect in Paradise: In sharp contrast, the final scene celebrates salvation and harmony.
The Chapel of San Brizio is not just an unmissable artistic destination but a true antechamber to the High Renaissance, a place where Signorelli’s apocalyptic vision laid the foundation for the future Baroque and Michelangelesque grandeur.
Would you like to explore other Italian Renaissance masterpieces that influenced later artists?
