Connections to Borgia, nonetheless, lengthen past iconographic attributes
and biographical episodes. The design of the primary apse additionally displays a central side
of his spirituality – his profound devotion to the Eucharist because the true supply
of religious life, a Sacrament that unites Christ with the believer, granting
them energy throughout the path of religion and, in the end, Salvation. That is
visually expressed via the depiction of two deer ingesting from a spring, symbolising
the Water of Life, whereas six angels in adoration encompass the Eucharist. Two Psalms,
subsequently, are straight referenced: 78:25: “An individual ate bread of angels. He
despatched provision for them in abundance”; and 42:1: “Because the deer pants for streams
of water, so my soul pants for you, my God”. In conveying this message, the
inventive program attracts upon historic motifs, ideas, and even stylistic
components Early Christian, Romanesque, and Byzantine traditions, but
reinterpreted inside a up to date Jesuit context. The religious significance
is additional deepened via direct references to Eucharistic and salvific imagery
discovered within the Roman catacombs, similar to olive branches, peacock feathers,
anchors, and the Eucharist fish carrying baskets of loaves, subsequently
reinforcing the continuity of Christian devotion throughout centuries.
The principal architect overseeing the development
of the Curia, and subsequently the Borgia Chapel, was Giuseppe Gualandi
(1866-1944). Nevertheless, in accordance with Jesuit custom, a part of the works was
entrusted to 2 coadjutor brothers, personally summoned to Rome by Father
Wladimir Ledóchowski, to conclude the mural illumination. The first artist
was the Spanish Brother Antonio Arribas (1888-1973), a disciple of the esteemed
brother Martín Coronas (1862-1928), who had embellished the Cueva de San Ignacio, in Manresa, and the Palau Ducal dels Borja, in Gandia, amongst many different works. Though
Brother Arribas was the main determine within the inventive execution, he didn’t
full the work alone. A number of years after he started, Polish brother Théodor
Podobienski (?-1939) arrived in Rome, the place he assisted with the ultimate levels
of the mission previous the oratory’s remaining inauguration, which came about within the
summer season of 1933.
