San Luigi dei Francesi
The Calling of St. Matthew 1599-1600
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Martyrdom of St. Matthew 1599-1600
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Inspiration of St. Matthew 1599-1600
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Quick Facts
- Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, donated property for this church to be built. It is the French National Church in Rome
- The façade is white travertine stone. It was designed by Giacomodella Porta in 1581 and built by Domenico Fontana. We have seen works by these two at other sites in this tour.
- Statues of significant French people are in the niches. Charlemagne is holding a globe in the lower left niche. St. Louis is on the right. The upper level contains Saint Clothilde and St. Joan of Valois.
- The Caravaggio paintings located at the front chapel to the left, are what draw art lovers to this church.
The Calling of St. Matthew
The Calling of St. Matthew presents to us the moment in time when Matthew is called to follow Christ.
The Calling of St. Matthew, was Caravaggio’s first important job. He was commissioned for the job because Cavaliere d’Arpino, who was initially awarded the job, was too busy. Cardinal del Monte arranged it so Caravaggio could do the work instead.
In this dramatic painting, two figures in the right are hidden in shadow except for brilliant light on the face of Christ and on His hand. The depiction of the hand has been directly compared to the hand of God that reaches for Adam in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel fresco.
Matthew, a tax collector, sits on the left with his head bowed as he has yet to make eye contact with Christ to respond to the call from Christ.
Matthew’s profession of tax collecting was despised, and he was known for cheating his own people of the tax money he collected from them. He was a dishonest tax collector, driven by greed, hated by the Jews, and supported by the Roman soldiers when he cheated someone. Accepting the call to follow Christ was a big change for him as it meant that he would give up his lucrative government position for poverty and persecution.
The painting is typical of Caravaggio’s style with the use of intense light and darkness. What is most unusual about this painting is that the light source is from the right. Generally, light is comfortably depicted in a painting from the left, which is the direction in which the majority of people read. The light source from the right adds drama and intensity to the painting. In reality, the light source is from the right because this painting was always intended to be hung on the left side of the chapel and there is a window which provides a natural light source, above and to the right of the painting.
As you wander through Rome and study the artwork, if you see a man depicted counting money, it is likely Matthew before his conversion. After his conversion he is most always shown with an Angel, since he is evangelized. Matthew could read and write and is known to have written the first gospel of the New Testament. Matthew’s Jewish name was Levi.
The Calling of St. Matthew, was Caravaggio’s first important job. He was commissioned for the job because Cavaliere d’Arpino, who was initially awarded the job, was too busy. Cardinal del Monte arranged it so Caravaggio could do the work instead.
In this dramatic painting, two figures in the right are hidden in shadow except for brilliant light on the face of Christ and on His hand. The depiction of the hand has been directly compared to the hand of God that reaches for Adam in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel fresco.
Matthew, a tax collector, sits on the left with his head bowed as he has yet to make eye contact with Christ to respond to the call from Christ.
Matthew’s profession of tax collecting was despised, and he was known for cheating his own people of the tax money he collected from them. He was a dishonest tax collector, driven by greed, hated by the Jews, and supported by the Roman soldiers when he cheated someone. Accepting the call to follow Christ was a big change for him as it meant that he would give up his lucrative government position for poverty and persecution.
The painting is typical of Caravaggio’s style with the use of intense light and darkness. What is most unusual about this painting is that the light source is from the right. Generally, light is comfortably depicted in a painting from the left, which is the direction in which the majority of people read. The light source from the right adds drama and intensity to the painting. In reality, the light source is from the right because this painting was always intended to be hung on the left side of the chapel and there is a window which provides a natural light source, above and to the right of the painting.
As you wander through Rome and study the artwork, if you see a man depicted counting money, it is likely Matthew before his conversion. After his conversion he is most always shown with an Angel, since he is evangelized. Matthew could read and write and is known to have written the first gospel of the New Testament. Matthew’s Jewish name was Levi.
Martyrdom of St. Matthew
The moment just before Matthew was stabbed in an Ethiopian church, is depicted on the right wall of this chapel in The Martyrdom of St. Matthew.
Apparently, Matthew had inconvenienced King Hirtiacus by protesting against the King’s marriage to the King’s own niece, which seemed to be a big inconvenience for a King!
The Martyrdom is an extremely dramatic painting full of Baroque techniques. Each person is strikingly placed in a diagonal position which increases the drama of the situation by enhancing the intensity and emotion. The lighting is dramatic; full of chiaroscuro and participants leap out of the canvas from the background.
Be sure to look for the self portrait of Caravaggio in the background.
Apparently, Matthew had inconvenienced King Hirtiacus by protesting against the King’s marriage to the King’s own niece, which seemed to be a big inconvenience for a King!
The Martyrdom is an extremely dramatic painting full of Baroque techniques. Each person is strikingly placed in a diagonal position which increases the drama of the situation by enhancing the intensity and emotion. The lighting is dramatic; full of chiaroscuro and participants leap out of the canvas from the background.
Be sure to look for the self portrait of Caravaggio in the background.
Inspiration of St. Matthew
The Contarelli Chapel is also home to The Inspiration of St. Matthew painted by Caravaggio when he was 29 years old.
This was the final painting to be completed for this chapel. It was ordered for this chapel after Caravaggio had finished the paintings in Santa Maria del Popolo.
The painting we see today is Caravaggio’s second attempt at the same topic. His first painting was rejected by the church, as it looked like the angel was leading Matthew in his writing just a little bit too much, as the angel in it was directly guiding the hand of Matthew. In this painting, we see Matthew attentive to the angel’s message, but he writes the words himself. However, the angel is shown as clearly giving specific instructions to Matthew.
Caravaggio still uses deep colours for the background to offset the important players in the painting, but it is much gentler than the other two paintings.
This was the final painting to be completed for this chapel. It was ordered for this chapel after Caravaggio had finished the paintings in Santa Maria del Popolo.
The painting we see today is Caravaggio’s second attempt at the same topic. His first painting was rejected by the church, as it looked like the angel was leading Matthew in his writing just a little bit too much, as the angel in it was directly guiding the hand of Matthew. In this painting, we see Matthew attentive to the angel’s message, but he writes the words himself. However, the angel is shown as clearly giving specific instructions to Matthew.
Caravaggio still uses deep colours for the background to offset the important players in the painting, but it is much gentler than the other two paintings.
Directions: San Luigi to Piazza Navona Distance: 190 M Time: 2 Min
