BACICCIO
(b. 1639, Genova, d. 1709, Roma)

The Vision of St Francis Xavier

c. 1675
Oil on canvas, 65 x 46 cm
Pinacoteca, Vatican

Saint Francis Xavier, a Spaniard was the founder of the missions of the Society of Jesus in the Far East. He was canonized with the founder of the Society of Jesus, Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1622.

This small painting is the sketch for the altarpiece by Baciccio for the chapel dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier in the church of S. Andrea al Quirinale, erected for the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. The altarpiece was set in place in July 1676.

Lying outstretched on a palliasse in the right foreground, Saint Francis Xavier is depicted as clasping a crucifix to his breast and surmounted by angels and cherubim who, among the clouds, are assisting at his lonely agony.