"Assumption of the Virgin and Gift of the Sash,"
Vignola Fortress, Contrari Chapel

Vignola Stronghold, Contrari Chapel, south wall: "Assumption of the Virgin and Gift of the Sacred Cingolo”. The cycle of frescoes in the Contrari Chapel was produced at a time when the Christian religion knew different forms, traditions, symbols and customs than those that would be rigorously established about a century and a half later. The cycle has numerous references to Gioacchino da Fiore (around 1130 - 1202), a Calabrian theologian and mystic, whose theories often met a strong resistance of the Church. For example, in the cycle of frescoes, the centrality of the figure of the Virgin Mary, as in the thought of Gioacchino da Fiore, is reaffirmed. The Vignola Master depicts Mary's Assumption into heaven with her soul and body. The other theme of the wall is the delivery of the sacred cingolo to Thomas, or the gift of the band.