Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePainting1630

The Miracles of St. Benedict

Peter Paul Rubens · 1630

Rubens' 1630 painting dramatizes miracles attributed to Benedict, showing a crowded scene of death and rescue before a monastery.

Rubens depicts miracles attributed to Benedict as recorded in Pope Gregory's biography of him.

Ask Saint Benedict about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Painting of a crowded scene on a stone terrace before a building. A monk in a dark robe stands on a balcony raising his hand, while figures in the foreground struggle around a body. Armored soldiers with a red banner and a white horse are on the left and right. Clouds with angels and figures appear above.
Peter Paul Rubens, The Miracles of St. Benedict, 1630. Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

About this source

What it is

This painting, made by Peter Paul Rubens in 1630, is held at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. It shows a crowded, dramatic scene before a stone building: a monk raises his hand from a balcony while figures below struggle around a body, with soldiers and a banner nearby, and angels appearing in the clouds above.

Why it matters

The scene dramatises miracles attributed to Benedict as recorded by Pope Gregory the Great in his biography. Rubens, working in the energetic Baroque style of the Catholic Counter-Reformation, used such dramatic miracle scenes to inspire faith and devotion. The painting shows how later generations retold and visualised stories about Benedict long after his death.

Why it matters

Look closer

  • What is happening in the lower part of the painting, and how does Rubens use movement and gesture to show drama?
  • Why might Rubens choose such a crowded, violent scene to show a miracle?
  • What does this painting tell you about how later Christians understood Benedict's powers, as opposed to his writings or rule?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Benedict on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Saint Benedict sources

Meet the AI Saint Benedict →
Open pages of a medieval Latin manuscript on aged parchment, with handwritten black text in columns, red initials and rubrics, and a large decorated illuminated initial on the left page. The text appears to be a copy of a monastic rule.Book

Primary source

Rule of Saint Benedict

Benedict of Nursia · c. 600

A large monastery complex with a central dome and bell tower sits on top of a wooded hill under a clear blue sky. Dense green trees cover the hillside below the long pale building.Artifact

Secondary source

Monte Cassino

founded c. 529/530

Detail of a faded fresco showing a hooded, bald monk in a cream-colored robe seated at a white-draped table, holding a small cup. To the left, a woman in a blue blouse and orange skirt pours from a jug. Behind the table, a young man in green holds a tray, and another figure stands in a dark red robe. At the right edge, an older seated man in a light robe is partly visible.Painting

Secondary source

Fresco Cycle of the Life of St Benedict at Monte Oliveto Maggiore

Luca Signorelli and Sodoma · 1497-1505 (fresco cycle); abbey founded 1313

A dim, orange-lit chamber shows a large metal reliquary chest with three decorative hinged straps and studded ornamental fittings, set on a stone plinth. A brass plaque reads 'RELIQUES DE SAINT BENOIT 480-547'.Artifact

Secondary source

Reliquary of Saint Benedict at Fleury

A large, wrinkled parchment spread out on a dark background, with faded reddish and brown ink lines forming architectural plans of buildings, rooms, and circular features. Some handwritten text is visible at the lower left edge.Artifact

Secondary source

Plan of Saint Gall

c. 820-830

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Saint Benedict now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions