SAN PEDRO (ANDREA DEL SARTO)
Oil on panel. S XVI
Saint Peter, Cephas or simply Peter was one of the most prominent disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. His birth name was Simon bar-Jona and he was a fisherman by trade on the Sea of Galilee. He became the best known and most cited apostle in the New Testament. He is also cited by Paul of Tarsus in his epistles, including the Epistle to the Galatians where he refers to him as one of the three columns of the Church of Jerusalem. A figure of the first order and of firm theological value because of the ministry entrusted to him by his own Jesus Christ is also known as the prince of the apostles. Given the prestige he enjoyed in the early Church, the «apocryphal writings» centered on his figure also proliferated, such as the Gospel of Peter, the Apocalypse of Peter, the Acts of Peter, the Acts of Peter and Paul, among others.
One of the five paintings by Andrea del Sarto that can be seen in the
Pinacoteca of the Colegio de Nª Señora de la Antigua:
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Saint Margaret of Cortona, the penitent
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Saint Agnes, twelve-year-old girl, martyr in 304, with her symbolic lamb, the origin of her name.
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Saint Catherine of Alexandria, patron saint of philosophers, martyr at 18.
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Saint Peter, father of the Church, of utmost perfection.
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San Juan Bautista, of great beauty in color and shape. These last two are replicas of others existing in the Cathedral of Pisa.