page_title: Historia Eustachio Mariana
section_title: Illustrations
hierarchical_section_title: Historia Eustachio Mariana / Illustrations
caption_attribution_description: English: The conversion of St Eustace, illustration from Historia Eustachio Mariana
context_page_description: Historia Eustachio Mariana is a 1665 work by the Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher. It describes his chance discovery of a ruined shrine of the Virgin Mary at Mentorella, the site where tradition held that the Roman martyr Saint Eustace had experienced conversion to Christianity. The book was dedicated to Giovanni Nicola, abbot of the monastery at Vulturalla, and a member of the family of the counts of Poli. It was intended to help raise funds for the restoration of the chapel, and it was Kircher's first topographical work.
context_section_description: One of the plates in the book shows the moment of Saint Eustace's conversion. A stag of great size stands at the top of a cliff, where he had leaped after chased by Placidus, who was hunting. Between the stag's horns is a vision of Christ on the cross, which inspired Placidus to become a Christian. A beam of light shines down from the vision to Placidus below, carrying the words of the stag "Placidus, why are you hunting me?". Beneath him kneels the future saint, gazing up with the words "Lord, what would you have me do?". Under his feet is a plan of the future chapel, and his horse and hunting hounds stand nearby. The scene is probably not original, as it resembles one painted inside the chapel at Mentorella, presumably from the late medieval period, which also served as the model for the fresco by Johann Paul Schor, painted inside the chapel.
  The book also included illustrations of the wall-paintings he found in the ruined shrine, as well as some of the treasures that had formerly belonged to it, kept in safekeeping by the Duke of Polana in his library. These included a medieval silver cross, a large bronze candlestick, and an oak tablet carved with the legend of Saint Eustace. Kircher discussed the iconography of this tablet at some length, showing a degree of interest in medieval art which was unusual for his era.
caption: The conversion of St Eustace, illustration from Historia Eustachio Mariana
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