The ''Sant'Eufemia Altarpiece'' is a 1526-1530 oil on panel painting by Moretto da Brescia, originally on the high altar of Sant'Afra in Brescia and now in the

Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo The Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo is a public art museum in Brescia, Lombardy. Established in 1851, the museum exhibits mainly paintings by local artists dated from the Thirteenth through the Eighteenth century. The museum's current collection in ...

in the town. The Sant'Afra Reliquary was also based on the painting. The painting's lower register shows saints

Benedict of Nursia Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Orient ...

Euphemia Euphemia ( el, Εὐφημία; "well-spoken f), known as the All-praised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a virgin, who was martyred for her faith at Chalcedon in 303 AD. According to tradition, Euphemia was arrested for refusing to offer ...

Justina Justina and Justine are anglicised versions of the Latin name ''Iustina'', feminine of ''Iustinus'', a derivative of ''Iustus'', meaning ''fair'' or ''just''. For the masculine version of the name, see Justin (name). Translations *Russian: Ус� ...

and

Paterius Paterius (died 606) was a bishop of Brescia. He is known as a compiler, in particular of works of Pope Gregory I, for whom he had worked as a notary. His sole surviving work is the ''Liber testimoniorum veteris testamenti'', an anthology of Gregory ...

. In 1805 the monastery attached to Sant'Afra was suppressed and converted into a barracks and the church was made subsidiary to Sant'Afra on via Francesco Crispi (now Sant'Angela Merici),Pier Virgilio Begni Redona, pag. 241 whose Fabbriceria decided to donate the painting to the

in 1867 in exchange for a painting by

Enea Salmeggia Enea Salmeggia (c. 1556 – 23 February 1626) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance period, active mainly in his native city of Bergamo. Biography He was also known as ''Il Talpino''. He trained with members of the Campi family, and l ...

from the same Tosio collection.

References

Bibliography (in Italian)

*Giulio Antonio Averoldi, ''Le scelte pitture di Brescia additate al forestiere'', Brescia 1700 *Paolo Brognoli, ''Nuova Guida di Brescia'', Brescia 1826 *Camillo Boselli, ''Il Moretto, 1498-1554'', in "Commentari dell'Ateneo di Brescia per l'anno 1954 - Supplemento", Brescia 1954 *Marina Braga, Roberta Simonetto (editors), ''Le quadre di Sant'Alessandro'' in ''Brescia Città Museo'', Sant'Eustacchio, Brescia 2004 *Joseph Archer Crowe, Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle, ''A history of painting in North Italy'', Londra 1871 *Bernardino Faino, ''Catalogo Delle Chiese riuerite in Brescia, et delle Pitture et Scolture memorabili, che si uedono in esse in questi tempi'', Brescia 1630 *György Gombosi, ''Moretto da Brescia'', Basel 1943 *Federico Odorici, ''Storie Bresciane dai primi tempi sino all'età nostra'', Brescia 1853 *Francesco Paglia, ''Il Giardino della Pittura'', Brescia 1660 *Ivo Panteghini, ''Reliquiario a busto detto di S. Afra'' in AA.VV., ''Nel lume del Rinascimento'', catalogo della mostra, Edizioni Museo diocesano di Brescia, Brescia 1997 *Pier Virgilio Begni Redona, ''Alessandro Bonvicino - Il Moretto da Brescia'', Editrice La Scuola, Brescia 1988 *Adolfo Venturi, ''Storia dell'arte italiana'', volume IX, ''La pittura del Cinquecento'', Milano 1929 {{Moretto da Brescia 1530 paintings Paintings in the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo Paintings by Moretto da Brescia Paintings of Benedict of Nursia Altarpieces Paintings of the Madonna and Child by Moretto da Brescia