Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus , ca. 1610 – 1612

About the Work

The Greek title “Thaumaturgus” describes Saint Gregory as a worker of miracles. Cesari has depicted the bishop at his writing table. His expressive gesture and the turn of his head as if in an act of listening lend him a tense—indeed, startled—quality. The artist made this drawing in preparation for a fresco in the Cappella Paolina in the Roman Church of S. Maria Maggiore, which is devoted to the triumph of the Christian faith over heresy.