Chapel of San Girolamo or of the Corradi

The last chapel on the left side of the sanctuary is dedicated to St Jerome. Belonging to the Corradi family, it appears rather bare. On the walls banal touches of green allude to a drapery, and one wonders if, beneath the current plasterwork, there might not be more ancient decorations. The roof sees, at the intersection of the ribs, the painted terracotta keystone.

The altarpiece appears very valuable, although in poor condition. It has been attributed to Francesco Bonsignori, and depicts a splendid Saint Jerome, accompanied by a lion, while praying in his hermitage in Bethlehem, where he had withdrawn to make the Vulgate, i.e. the translation of the Bible into Latin. From the drawing and what remains of the pictorial film, it is clear that the painting was originally an absolute masterpiece. On the right wall, on the other hand, is the cenotaph by Bernardino Corradi, particularly refined in the carving of the decorative elements that reveal important references to classicism. The work has been attributed to the important Renaissance sculptor Gian Cristoforo Romano.

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