The Church Militant and Triumphant, 1365-1367 (fresco)

The Church Militant and Triumphant (La Chiesa militante e trionfante), by Andrea di Bonaiuto, 1365-1367, 14th Century, fresco Detail. Christ in glory sitting in the centre of the depiction, inside a large golden disc, holds in His hands a book and a key; He is bordered by two crowds of angels who looks at Him; at His feet there are the four evangelists' symbols, the eagle, the winged ox, the lion and the lamb; in the lower part of the image, on the left, it is possible to see the crowd of the blessed, recognizable thanks to the aureole, who look at Christ too; one can access to Heaven through a big door at whose entrance there are Saint Peter with the key in his hand and two angels who welcome the Righteous' souls, symbolized by young women, with garlands; on the right, it is possible to see fruit trees on which some children climbed; the background consists in a hill landscape in different shades of green, dotted with buildings, among which a castle stands out Andrea di Bonaiuto Church of Santa Maria Novella