Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE TOUR BEGINS
The Church as a Hospital
Some 500 years ago, the nave of this former church was lined with
beds filled with the sick and dying. Nuns served as nurses. At the
far end was the high altar, which once displayed Memling's
St.
John Altarpiece
(which we'll see). Bedridden patients could gaze on
this peaceful, colorful vision and gain a moment's comfort from
their agonies.
As the museum displays make clear, medicine of the day was
well-intentioned but very crude. In many ways, this was less a hos-
pital than a hospice, helping
the down-and-out make the
transition from this world
to the next. Religious art
(displayed further along in
the museum) was therapeu-
tic, addressing the patients'
mental and spiritual health.
The numerous Crucifixions
reminded the sufferers that
Christ could feel their pain, having lived it himself.
• Continue through the displays of religious art—past paintings that
make you thankful for modern medicine. Head through the wooden
archway to the black-and-white tiled room where Memling's paintings
are displayed. A large triptych (three-paneled altarpiece) dominates the
space.
St. John Altarpiece
(a.k.a.
The Mystical
Marriage of St. Catherine,
1474)
Sick and dying patients lay in their beds in the hospital and looked
at this colorful, three-part work, which sat atop the hospital/
church's high altar. The piece was dedicated to the hospital's patron
saints, John the Baptist and John the Evangelist (see the inscrip-
tion along the bottom frame), but Memling broadened the focus to
take in a vision of heaven and the end of the world.
Central Panel:
Mary, with baby Jesus on her lap, sits in a
canopied chair, crowned by
hovering blue angels. It 's
an imaginary gathering of
conversing saints
(sacra con-
versazione),
though nobody
in this meditative group
is saying a word or even
exchanging meaningful eye
contact.
