The 10 Greatest Religious Masterpieces of Arts

One of the most popular subjects of most artists is based on religion and many of the most famous and greatest works of arts were all taken from the Bible.

David

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David, which is located in Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, Italy is a masterpiece sculpted by Michelangelo from 1501 to 1504. This marble statue stands 5.17 meter or 17 ft tall and portrays the Biblical King David in the nude. Michelangelo chose to represent David before the fight contemplating the battle yet to come. The completed sculpture was unveiled on 8 September, 1504.

The Last Judgment

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Another masterpiece by Michelangelo is The Last Judgment, a fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican. It took Michelangelo four years to complete it. The work is massive and spans the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel. It was executed from 1537 to 1541. The Last Judgment is a depiction of the second coming of Christ and the Apocalypse. The souls of humans rise and descend to their fates, as judged by Christ surrounded by his saints.

Pieta

La Pieta, which was completed in 1499, is another masterpiece by Michelangelo in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. This famous work of art depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion. The statue is one of the most highly finished works by Michelangelo.

Madonna with the Christ Child and Saint John the Baptist

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This beautiful work of art was created by Raphael in 1506. The Madonna with the Christ Child and Saint John the Baptist is now held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. The three figures in a calm green meadow are linked by looks and touching hands. The Virgin Mary is shown in a contraposta pose, wearing a gold-bordered blue mantle set against a red dress and with her right leg lying along a diagonal. The blue symbolizes the church and the red Christ's death, with the Madonna the uniting of Mother Church with Christ's sacrifice. With her eyes fixed on Christ, her head is turned to the left and slightly inclined, and in her hands she holds up Christ, as he leans forward unsteadily to touch the miniature cross held by John. The poppy refers to Christ's passion, death and resurrection. This painting is also known as Madonna del Prato (Madonna of the Meadow) or Madonna del Belvedere.

The Creation of Adam

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Another famous fresco painted by Michelangelo is The Creation of Adam, painted in 1511 that appears on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It depicts the Biblical story from the Book of Genesis in which God the Father breathes life into Adam, the first man.

Trinity

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The "Trinity" was painted by Andrei Rublev some time in the 15th century. It is a Holy Trinity Icon and the most famous work of Rublev and also regarded as one of the highest achievements of Russian art. Trinity depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the oak of Mamre (Genesis 18, 1-15), but the painting is full of symbolism and often interpreted as an icon of the Holy Trinity.  The painting is currently held in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia.

The Adoration of the Magi

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This unfinished painting entitled "The Adoration of the Magi" is currently displayed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. It has been there since 1670. It is an early painting by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Theotokos of Vladimir

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The Theotokos of Vladimir is one of the most venerated Orthodox icons and a typical example of Byzantine iconography. Theotokos is Greek for Virgin Mary which literally means - "God-bearer or Mother of God". It is regarded as the holy protectress of Russia. It is presently displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia. It is also known as Our Lady of Vladimir or Virgin of Vladimir.

The Entombment

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The Entombment of Christ is a painting which was painted between 1602 and 1603 by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. It was created for Santa Maria in Vallicella, a church built for the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri. A copy of the painting is now in the chapel.

The Last Supper

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The Last Supper is probably the most famous painting in the world. It's a masterpiece painted in the 15th century by Leonardo Da Vinci that measure 460 × 880 centimeters (15 feet × 29 ft) and covers the back wall of the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. It represents the scene of The Last Supper from the final days of Jesus as narrated in the Gospel of John 13:21, when Jesus announces that one of his Twelve Apostles would betray him.

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