Santa Maria in Aracoeli


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Cappella di San Francisco Solano
(former Cappell dell'Immacolata)
On the right wall: Antithesis between Eve and the Virgin Mary.
Adam and Eve as bringers of death, the dead or dying lie at their feet, are contrasted with Christ and the Virgin, the bringers of life. Christ stands in the center, as the Redeemer, with the Virgin on His right. Her right heel is a serpent, which snakes along behind Adam and Eve. Christ points with His left hand to the progeny of Adam and Eve, doomed to die. Opposite them in the foreground on the right stands the new race of man-kind, brought to life by the Redemption. It is possible that the bearded and fully clothed man in the front row represents the late Pope Paul III.

(Photo borrowed from internet)