6. Pietà’s Chapel

This chapel especially conveys silence and quiet reflection. You are standing before the Tabernacle, where the Body of Christ is reserved after the celebration of the Eucharist. As the most sacred place in the church, it is a space for quiet prayer; you may therefore find people here praying in silence.

Let us preserve this atmosphere of serenity as we discover the stories and symbols contained within this small chapel.

As you look around, you will notice that this is the lowest chapel of the entire church. Originally, it was much taller, but in the sixteenth century it was divided into two levels to accommodate the mechanism of the organ above.

Although no written records confirm it, this small chapel was probably once used for vigils over deceased monks. That possibility helps explain the message conveyed by its decoration, where two closely related realities are intertwined: death and resurrection.

The altarpiece was commissioned at the beginning of the seventeenth century to an artist from Sant Cugat, Josep Sala Gener. He was the adopted son of the great Catalan altarpiece maker Francesc Santacruz, who married his mother and passed his craftmanship on to him. A few years earlier, Josep Sala had created the high altarpiece of Sant Cebrià de Valldoreix.

At the centre of the altarpiece is the Piety. Mary holds the lifeless body of her Son in her arms, in the moment following his descent from the Cross. Behind her stands the bare Cross.

It is an image of great human power. Mary, overcome with sorrow, receives Jesus into her arms. This image highly contrasts with the representations of Mary and the infant Jesus that you will find elsewhere in the Monastery, such as the scenes from Jesus’ childhood in the Altarpiece of the Rosary, or the Virgin and Child in the Altarpiece of Our Lady of All Saints. There, Mary holds her young Son, full of life. Here, she holds his lifeless body.

Look at Jesus’ arm, falling lifelessly, and at the diagonal line formed by his body. Although the body is lifeless, it appears light, almost weightless. The artist has carved the wounds of the Passion with great delicacy: the open wound in his side, the marks of the nails, and the crown of thorns. Mary, her face serene, looks compassionately upon her Son as she supports his head.

Now imagine the coffin of a deceased monk placed before this image. The community could look upon Mary and ask her to receive their brother in the same way that she had received Jesus. Mary also becomes an image of the Church, mourning the death of one of her children and entrusting him to God.

Now look at the lower part of the altarpiece. Here you will find Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. One angel presents him with a chalice, while another comforts him. Jesus stretches out his hand towards a Cross lying on the ground, thereby accepting the Passion. The scene recalls his words in the Gospel: “Father, if you are willing, take this chalice away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” And yet, this chapel does not end with death.

Now raise your eyes towards the upper part of the altarpiece. There you will discover the Risen Christ, carrying a sheep in his right arm. It is a beautiful representation of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, an image already found in the earliest Christian art of the catacombs. The sheep may represent the soul of the deceased monk, whom Christ carries in his arms and leads towards life.

Notice his halo, marked with the sign of the Cross. In his left hand, he also carries a slender cross from which hangs a red banner. This cross and banner frequently appear in Christian art as symbols of the Risen Christ, victorious over death.

But there is one detail that may surprise you: Jesus is wearing what appears to be a sheepskin. This is a way of reminding us that Christ is also the Lamb of God, the one who gives his life to take away the sin of the world.

The power of the resurrection seems to spread across the walls of the chapel. In the black-and-white sgraffito decoration, you can see the phoenix, the bird of ancient mythology that was said to rise again from its own ashes. From the earliest centuries of Christianity, the phoenix became a symbol of the Risen Christ, who conquers death.

Notice, too, that these birds are pecking at grapes, a symbol of life and an allusion to the wine of the Eucharist. Here, once again, we hear the promise of Jesus: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him… and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Take one final look at the whole chapel. Here, everything speaks of the same hope: death exists, suffering is real, but death does not have the final word.