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March of Attila by Raphael (see
below) |
Attila and the Huns
Attila the Hun (405–453), also sometimes
known with the nickname as Attila the flagellum
Dei (Scourge of God) or simply Attila was the most powerful king of the Huns and was
regarded as a sacker of cities. From 434 until his death, he reigned
over what was then Europe's largest empire which stretched from Germany
and the Netherlands to the Ural river and from the Danube River to
Poland and Estonia. During his rule, he invaded the Balkans twice and
besieged Constantinople in the second invasion; he marched through Gaul
(modern day France) as far as Orleans before being defeated at the
Battle of Chalons. In 452, he wiped the city of Aquileia off the map and drove its inhabitants to the small
islands which became Venice. He then headed toward Ravenna and drove the
western emperor Valentinian III from his capital, but stopped
short of entering that city after a meeting with Pope Leo I, after which he
retreated.
Photo source:
-
http://www.udel.edu/ArtHistory/CourseGallery/pages/Wnineteenc.html
- Vatican,
Stanza d'Eliodoro, by Raphael, Fresco of Attila, King of the Huns,
marching with his savage hordes towards Rome, is met by SS. Peter and
Paul, patrons of the holy city, who appear in the clouds, sword in
hand; this so terrifies Attila (on the black horse in the middle) that
he submits to the terms of Leo I. Source: Cyclopedia of Painters and
Paintings, edited by John Denison and Charles Callahan Perkins, C.
Scribner's Sons (1887)
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/x-Select/30select/30select_09.html
- The encounter between Leo the Great and Attila is the last fresco
painted in this room. It was completed after the death of Julius II
(pontiff from 1503 to 1513), during the pontificate of his successor
Leo X (pontiff from 1513 to 1521). In fact the latter appears twice in
the same scene, portrayed in the guise of Pope Leo the Great and as
cardinal. According to legend, the miraculous apparition of Saints
Peter and Paul armed with swords during the meeting between Pope Leo
the Great and Attila (452 A.D.) caused the king of the Huns to desist
from invading Italy and marching on Rome. Raphael situates the scene
at the gates of Rome, identified by the Colosseum, by an aqueduct, an
obelisk and other buildings, even if in fact the historical event took
place in the north of Italy, near Mantua.The encounter between Leo the
Great and Attila is the last fresco painted in this room. It was
completed after the death of Julius II (pontiff from 1503 to 1513),
during the pontificate of his successor Leo X (pontiff from 1513 to
1521). In fact the latter appears twice in the same scene, portrayed
in the guise of Pope Leo the Great and as cardinal. According to
legend, the miraculous apparition of Saints Peter and Paul armed with
swords during the meeting between Pope Leo the Great and Attila (452
A.D.) caused the king of the Huns to desist from invading Italy and
marching on Rome. Raphael situates the scene at the gates of Rome,
identified by the Colosseum, by an aqueduct, an obelisk and other
buildings, even if in fact the historical event took place in the
north of Italy, near Mantua.
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