This painting is considered one of the most important since, because of it, the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and of the Martyrs in Rome was built.

Even till today it reminds us of the story of a unique life of faith in the person of the pious priest of Cefalu , Sicily : Antonio Lo Duca.

Our story which has its beginnings in Palermo and its continuation at Rome , with the construction of Michelangelo's Basilica, utilizing the remains of the Baths of Diocletian, seems to intrigue all of Italy with its marian and angelic message.

That which amazes us most in Antonio Lo Duca is the tenacity with which he carried out his priestly mission in faithfulness, by basing his devotion in the seven angels, or better still, the seven Archangels.

We begin with the year 1516 when Antonio, a newly ordained priest of about twenty-five years of age had just completed his studies at Rome where he had become acquainted with Msgr. Giovanni Belloruso. Upon his return to Cefalu, he was summoned by that same Monsignor who had recently been named as Vicar General of the Diocese of Palermo, and one of whose duties it was, to teach music and choral chant to the clerics of the Archdiocese. The place where the rehearsals for chant would take place was an ancient little church, which had been closed for many years. No ceremonies took place there. It was a place, which had become a dumping ground for discarded church furniture. The little church, located behind the sanctuary of the Cathedral, in a place still called the little Piazza of the Angels, was eventually destroyed in the last war.

In the course of a lesson in liturgical chant, Msgr. Belloruso, in the presence of other Canons, became aware of some images obscured under the dust of the wall. A painting consisting of "a procession of angels in hierarchical order", was positioned at the right side of the main altar. In the first of these three groupings (as Antonio would later write in a letter to the Duchess of Parma: Margaret of Austria) there was depicted the creation of the angels, while in the second set, there were St. Michael and that angel who was posted as a guard in the earthly paradise along with the three angels who appeared to Abram. In the third there were the likenesses of seven angels, each with an explanation of who they were, written underneath.

Michael was in the middle of the group in a golden carriage holding a lance from which hung a banner with the motto: "Victorious".

Rafael was to Michael's right. He is leading Tobit with his right hand while carrying a container of aromatic medicines in his left. His motto: "Doctor".

Judiel was next to Rafael with a crown and a whip in his hand, with the motto: "Remunerator".

Sealtiel was close by to Judiel in a position of prayer, with the motto: "Prayer".

Gabriel stood to Michael's left with a torch in one hand mirror of jasper in the other with the motto: "the Messenger".

Nearby him was Barachiel with a garland of roses in his hands and the motto: "Judge".

Finally, at the end was Ariel with his flaming sword and the motto: "Strong ally".

In all probability what they were seeing was a fresco from a late medieval Sicilian school, which followed closely the Byzantine manner of configuring icons. The news of the discovery of the pictured prompted, in Palermo , a powerful devotional interest, to the point that the Confraternity Of The Seven Angels was founded. In the same title they often included the word Imperial since its first member was Charles the Fifth, the young King of Sicily who later became Emperor.

The following year, 1517, Antonio decided to return to Rome to see if, in the centre of the christian world, there might possibly be a church or chapel dedicated to these angels. He arrives there a little before the sack of Rome and fortunately finds a safe haven, as chaplain to Cardinal Dal Monte of the Pontifical Court , in Castel Sant'Angelo (an amazing coincidence). This occurred during the Papacy of Clement the Seventh.

When the attack was over, Father Antonio, still attached to Cardinal Dal Monte, heard a story about the summoning to Rome, by Pope Sixtus the Fourth (1471) to the church of St. Peter in Montorio, a pious Portuguese Friar Minor: the Blessed Amodeo da Sylva, as his confessor. Brother Amodeo had written in his book entitled " The New Apocalypse ", under the subject "the Fifth Rapture", the names of the same Angels venerated in Palermo , Sicily . He described them as offering a singular devotion to the Mother of God, and being the most important of all the other angels.

Having listened very attentively to Antonio's account of the discovery of the famous picture, the Cardinal commissioned our dear priest to compose a Mass of the Seven Angels in collaboration with a colleague Girólamo Maccabeo.

Following the unexpected death of the Cardinal, which occurred in 1533, and the election of Paul The Third (Farnese), Fr. Antonio saw his chances for getting approval of his Mass disappear. However, he accepted the setback as the Will of God. He then decided to return to Palermo and specifically to the church of the Holy Cross to join his cousin of the same name, who was its pastor. From that moment, and for more than a year, Antonio was hit with a serious illness, but immediately upon regaining his health he sought permission to return to Rome with a view to defend certain privileges he had acquired exempting him from the heavy taxes with which the parish was being overburdened.

Thus it was that we find our pious priest in Rome to work for the success of his cause. To support himself he procured a position as chaplain with the " Baker's Guild " at the church of Saint Mary of Loreto in Trajan's Forum. In one of his letters to Lucrezia della Rovere Colonna, he confided to her that "in order to bring my cause to a happy conclusion it would be necessary to gain the aid of the Saints, and in particular, that of Saint Catherine, accompanied by fasting with bread and water".

One morning, during the summer of 1541 (in the seventh year of the pontificacy of Paul The Third) Fr. Antonio had an extraordinary vision, in the early hours, while beside the altar of the Crucifix in his church. He saw a light that he described as brighter than snow which hovered over the central room of the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian. In the centre of that light were St. Saturnine with the Deacons Ciriaco, Largo , Smaragdo, Sisinio and the patrician Trasone. They, along with Pope St. Marcello are the seven prominent martyrs of the grandiose Baths of Diocletian, which were constructed beginning in 298 A.D. and completed in the year 305 A.D., by Christian slaves.

Antonio Lo Duca understood by this vision that the place was being indicated to him where his great church, dedicated to the Seven Angels, was to be built, evolving out of the ruins of the Baths of Diocletian and that it was to be, after a brief waiting period, carried out by none other than the great Michelangelo himself (yet again, a very fortuitous name).

After this extraordinary revelation, Antonio had to wait two years to see if the Pope would do something with regard to the building of his church. In 1453, Antonio was constrained, as he himself suggested, through a heavenly impulse, to go to Venice , visiting the Holy House of Loreto on the way. At Venice , in the Basilica of Saint Mark, he found an ancient mosaic over the main altar depicting the glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God surrounded by seven Angels who held, in their hands, the instruments of Christ's suffering and death. He immediately pulled out his version of this picture (the one that you see displayed over the main altar of Saint Mary of the Angels Basilica in the Baths...).

From here on we will attempt to demonstrate how our picture is connected to an interesting part of Venice 's history which to this day was not known by the caretaker of Saint Mark's Basilica or even the Superintendent of the city.

It will be our task at this point to emphasize the similarities of our two pictures; to identify their originators and to compare their composite iconographic elements.