San Francisco de Paula at the Prado Museum
For the first time, a monographic exhibition is dedicated to Saint Francis of Paola, undoubtedly the most significant religious figure associated with Viver. The works presented in this exhibition are full-scale reproductions of paintings held by one of the world's most prestigious art museums: the Museo Nacional del Prado.
In 1819, King Ferdinand VII inaugurated the Royal Museum of Paintings, the origin of today’s Prado Museum, in the building that his grandfather, Charles III, had commissioned at the end of the eighteenth century as a Cabinet of Natural History. Today, the museum houses more than 8,000 paintings, twelve of which are represented in this exhibition.
Saint Francis of Paola at the Prado Museum brings together all the works dedicated to the saint that are preserved in the museum’s collection. Promoted by the Department of Culture of Viver Town Council, with the collaboration of the organisers of the 2026 Saint Francis of Paola celebrations, the exhibition features reproductions of the twelve paintings, including important depictions of the Italian saint as well as scenes from different moments of his life.
The selection includes works by leading painters of the Spanish School, such as José García Hidalgo, José Jiménez Donoso, Juan de Parla and Juan Vicente de Rivera, alongside masterpieces by renowned artists including Murillo and Zurbarán.
The figure of Saint Francis of Paola and the episodes of his life, like those of other founders of mendicant religious orders, attracted considerable interest among Baroque artists and the public of the time. Most of these paintings were commissioned and financed by religious orders, which entrusted the leading painters of the period with creating works to decorate their churches and monasteries.
This exhibition invites visitors not only to discover the life of Saint Francis of Paola, but also to view him from a fresh perspective. Its aim is to offer an original yet historically rigorous interpretation of the Calabrian saint who has been venerated in Viver for centuries.
The exhibition spans almost the entire seventeenth century, the period of the Baroque.