“San Grato Di Aosta with the head of the Baptist” oil on canvas from the first half of the 18th century. The work has been restored.
An important legend flourished on the account of San Grato, now proven to be completely anachronistic, which goes by the name of Magna legenda Sancti Grati and is attributed to canon Jacques des Cours, who lived in the 13th century. The story of the discovery of the head of St. John the Baptist, a relic often associated with San Grato in popular iconography, dates back to this tradition. Beheaded by a whim of the beautiful Salome, the head of the Forerunner by order of King Herod Antipas was buried in a well separated from his body, for fear that he might miraculously rejoin it and John might rise again. Grato had a vision from the Lord, in which he was shown the secret location of the burial. He left Aosta in the company of his companion Giocondo, received the Pope’s blessing in Rome and then embarked for the Holy Land. During the crossing, a great storm broke out, which threw terror among the sailors, but Grato, raised his arms to the sky, which instantly returned calm. When he arrived in Macheron, near the ruins of Herod’s castle, an angel guided him, taking him by the hand and leading him to the well where the head of the Baptist had been for centuries. Immediately the relic rose to the surface and settled in Grato’s outstretched palms.
Period: First half of the 18th century
Measurements: H 110.5 x W 97 x D 2 cm
