Pierre-Hubert
Subleyras
St. Basil Celebrating Mass Before the
Emperor Valens
1745
Oil on canvas
Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e Martiri
According to one source on the internet, the painting is based on a
legend in which St. Basil's devotion in celebrating this mass was so
great that it caused the emperor to faint and then to convert from
Arianism to Catholic Christianity. The emperor does seem to be
fainting in the image, but I have not yet found any other literary or
pictorial instances of the story. In fact, Valens never did
convert.
More of St. Basil
Photographed at the
site by Richard Stracke