The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew

The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew at Sant'Andrea della Valle in Rome, painted around 1630, was part of Domenichino's major fresco commission for the church's apse and pendentives. This commission consumed years of labor and brought Domenichino into direct competition with his rival Giovanni Lanfranco, who painted the dome—a rivalry that became one of Roman Baroque's defining artistic conflicts. Characteristic of Domenichino's approach, the work displays dignified, clear compositions, restrained emotion, classical landscape integration.

The monumental fresco composition arranges the martyrdom around the X-shaped cross of Saint Andrew, with dynamic figure groupings and raking light creating dramatic intensity within the disciplined classical framework.