''The Battle of the Milvian Bridge'', or ''The Battle at Pons Milvius'', is a fresco in one of the rooms that are now known as the Stanze di Raffaello, in the

Apostolic Palace The Apostolic Palace ( la, Palatium Apostolicum; it, Palazzo Apostolico) is the official residence of the pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and t ...

in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

depicting the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.

Description

''The Battle of Milvian Bridge'', located in the ''Sala di Costantino'' ("Hall of Constantine"), is by

Giulio Romano Giulio Romano (, ; – 1 November 1546), is the acquired name of Giulio Pippi, who was an Italian painter and architect. He was a pupil of Raphael, and his stylistic deviations from High Renaissance classicism help define the sixteenth-cent ...

and other assistants of the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

artist

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...

, who died in 1520. It was most likely painted to Raphael's design between 1520 and 1524. After the master's death, Giulio Romano worked together with other members of Raphael's workshop to finish the commission to decorate with frescoes the rooms that are now known as the Stanze di Raffaello, in the

in the

. ''The Battle of the Milvian Bridge'' shows the battle that took place on 28 October 312 between the Roman Emperors

Constantine I Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

and Maxentius. Legend says that Constantine had a dream where a cross appeared in the heavens; a voice told him he would win the battle of Ponte Milvio if he used the cross as his standard. The cross became his standard and he won the battle, and attributed his victory to the god of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. The

Ponte Milvio The Milvian (or Mulvian) Bridge ( it, Ponte Milvio or ; la, Pons Milvius or ) is a bridge over the Tiber in northern Rome, Italy. It was an economically and strategically important bridge in the era of the Roman Empire and was the site of the f ...

still stands in Rome in pristine condition; until only a few years ago cars were permitted to use it to cross over the Tiber. It can now be used only by pedestrians.G. Becatti, ''Raffaello e l'Antico'', (in ''Raffaello. L'Opera, le Fonti, la Forma'', Ist. Agostini, Novara, 1968) (Italian)

References

Raphael rooms 1524 paintings War paintings Religious paintings Paintings by Giulio Romano {{16C-painting-stub