Disputation of the Sacrament

Disputation of the Sacrament
Artist Raphael
Year 1509-1510
Medium Fresco
Location Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
Dimensions 200 in × 300 in
500 cm × 770 cm

In between 1509 and 1510, Italian High Renaissance Painter Raphael painted the Disputation of the Sacrament or La Disputa del Sacramento in Italian. It was the period where Raphael was commissioned to decorate the Stanze di Rafaello in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican with frescoes. The room served as a meeting place for the supreme papal tribunal and the private papal library.

The painting portrays the scene of heaven and earth. Above, the Blessed Virgin Mary, John the Baptist and some biblical figures surround the Christ while God the Father, sits above Jesus. The altar is located below and is flanked by theologians.