Manuscript Illumination with Saint Dominic Saving the Church of Saint John Lateran in an Initial A, from a Gradual

Manuscript Illumination with Saint Dominic Saving the Church of Saint John Lateran in an Initial A, from a Gradual

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Dominicans believe that Pope Innocent III allowed their order to be established after he dreamed that Saint Dominic saved the church of Saint John Lateran-the pope's own parish church in Rome-from collapse by throwing his own weight against its walls. Here, the artist showed cracks in the walls, emphasizing the church's shaky foundations and the heroic efforts of the saint.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Manuscript Illumination with Saint Dominic Saving the Church of Saint John Lateran in an Initial A, from a GradualManuscript Illumination with Saint Dominic Saving the Church of Saint John Lateran in an Initial A, from a GradualManuscript Illumination with Saint Dominic Saving the Church of Saint John Lateran in an Initial A, from a GradualManuscript Illumination with Saint Dominic Saving the Church of Saint John Lateran in an Initial A, from a GradualManuscript Illumination with Saint Dominic Saving the Church of Saint John Lateran in an Initial A, from a Gradual

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.