What’s in the fresco?

This complex fresco portrays several events surrounding the death of Monica. The image in the center is the main focus of the fresco, which shows the moment where Monica leaves this world and ascends to heaven. Each individual surrounding Monica cannot necessarily be identified, but the significant characters include Augustine, Alypius and Augustine’s son, Adeodatus. Augustine is directly to the left of Monica and he is holding a book, which contains hymns. To Augustine’s left, wearing red, is Adeodatus, who “burst out crying; he was restrained by all of us and grew quiet” (9.12.29). There is an apparent sense of grieving in those surrounding Monica’s deathbed, but Augustine does not allow “black grief [to] close over [his] heart” (4.4.9) as he did upon the death of his close friend. Because Augustine had recently matured in Catholicism, he realized that life did not end at death, but in fact changed, and was able to come to terms with his mother’s passing. When Augustine lost his friend many years before, he had not yet converted to Catholicism, which was a major reason that he did not handle his friend’s death well. There are two other very important aspects of the fresco, as well. In the upper left corner, Augustine and Monica stand looking out of a window, which is where they had their mystical vision in Ostia. Through the arches on the right side of the fresco, we see Augustine, Alypius, and Adeodatus traveling back to Africa following Monica’s death. This shows the chronological progression of events. 

What’s in Confessions?

In the fresco, Monica is wearing a halo while in the text, Augustine comes to the conclusion that she has found rest in God. Compared to the death of his friend, Augustine no longer needed to grieve to find repose; rather he sought God’s help through prayer to find peace (9.12.32). As shown in the fresco, Augustine read a hymn whereas in the text he remembers the prayer from Ambrose. In addition to telling the story of what happened during these years in Augustine’s life, his writings on the death of Monica also serve to show the changes caused by his conversion. The scene surrounding Monica’s death has an almost calm appearance, which is exactly what Augustine described in Confessions. Augustine did not explain exactly how Monica died, but briefly told the reader, “So on the ninth day of her illness, in the fifty-sixth year of her age, in my thirty-third year, that religious and godly soul was set free from her body” (9.11.28). The description here makes it seem that Monica’s death was not a big commotion, whereas he spends several pages describing how he felt following the death of his friend. By providing such examples, Augustine shows how his faith helped him to cope better with death, and brought him greater understanding.

What’s in it for us?

Because death is one of the few certainties in life, it is likely that many students can relate to this fresco, whether it is due to the loss of a close friend, family member, or pet. It is important for students to find spiritual peace of mind so that they are not burdened by the sadness from the loss. Augustine is also trying to show that having faith in God can be highly beneficial. Many college students may experience a time when they stray from God’s path, or where they don’t believe in God. By following Augustine’s example, we may find ourselves leading more fulfilling lives. Had Augustine not converted to Catholicism prior to Monica’s death, he may have reacted in the same way he responded to his friend's death. At the hour of her death, Monica came to realize that through God (who is the highest), Augustine became a devout Catholic. One quote, from Monica to Augustine, that exemplifies this idea is, “and this my God has granted to me more lavishly than I could have hoped, letting me see you even spurning earthly happiness to be his servant” (9.10.26).

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