“The Incredulity of St Thomas” Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano, 1502-4, National Gallery London.
This painting should be familiar to anyone who has visited the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing. Of course it was not painted for an art gallery, but for an altar in the side chapel of a Franciscan Church. In their writings, sermons and art, the Franciscans gave great prominence to the story of St Thomas and the Risen Christ and placed great emphasis on the wounds of Christ. This was for two reasons. First, St Francis had received the stigmata and so bore the wounds of Christ. But St Francis had not let many see his stigmata during his lifetime. Franciscans later drew parallels between the story of St Thomas and his incredulity and that of certain individuals who had doubted that St Francis had actually received the stigmata. But when laid out in death, these individuals saw and touched the wounds of St Francis and so came to believe that it was true. The second reason is because the encounter between St Thomas and the Risen Christ makes faith accessible in a very tangible tangible and bodily way. In particular, it connects the wounds of the Risen Christ with the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Here in this image, narrative elements from John’s Gospel are included. Christ stands among the apostles in a closed room and St Thomas touches his wound and so comes to faith. But it is located in the viewer’s world. The two windows open unto a credible Italianate landscape, which not only situates the event in the viewer’s world, but evokes the goodness and beauty of creation, and therefore the goodness of the one through whom all things were made. But this image is also about the grace of faith associated with St Thomas. When we think of the gospel story of St Thomas’ hesitation in belief, we sometimes see it as excusing our own doubt. If the Apostle had his doubts then surely it is okay for us to have doubts. However, this was not how the story was understood by earlier generations of Christians. The scene was understood to be about God’s generous bestowal of the gift of faith and the strengthening of the faith in those such as ourselves who have not seen and yet believe. St Thomas pray for us!
The Catholic Chaplaincy serves the students and staff of the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University.
The Catholic Chaplaincy is also a parish of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh (the Parish of St Albert the Great) and all Catholic students and staff are automatically members of this parish.
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St Albert's Catholic Chaplaincy is part of the English Province of the Order of Preachers, a charity registered in England and Wales (231192) and in Scotland (SC039062).