The Church of Sant’Agostino

Epiphany

The next episode after the Nativity is the Epiphany, the “revelation” of the divine nature of Christ to the peoples of all the earth, represented by the Three Kings. Guided by a star, they came from the East to see Jesus and offer him gifts. Melchior brought incense, the emblem of divinity; Casper brought gold, the sign of royalty; and Balthazar offered myrrh, symbolizing Christ’s humanity. This event is narrated by the Lombard artist Giovanni Antonio Bazzi in an altarpiece painted in 1530 and placed over the Arduini family altar in the Piccolomini Chapel.