Alfonso V of Aragon, known as the Magnanimous (1396-1458), built the first university in Catania and the first public hospital in Palermo. In that hospital, in the Palazzo Sclafani, there was originally a fresco for the "Ospedale Grande", conceived as a collection of artworks for the courtyard, with sculptures, paintings and frescoes, which might in some way ease and spiritually console the patients in their earthly sufferings. "The Triumph of Death" - we know the origin of this great fresco (600 × 642 cm), made roughly between 1440 and 1450, while the identity of its author is unknown.

These were also socially dramatic years, in which the spread of epidemics, famine and the Black Death changed the way people experienced death. It is certain that, alongside the fresco of "The Triumph of Death", there was a cycle on the theme of the four so-called Novissima, which, according to Christian teaching, are the four last things that every person encounters: Death, Judgement, Hell and Heaven.

But what exactly does "The Triumph of Death" depict? It is a depiction of a moral warning addressed to everyone, and it manages to express something very precise: the transience of existence, the fragility of life, the passing nature of man, and it reminds us that the fact of death concerns everyone, regardless of the social position and class to which they belong.
The great fresco is dominated by the depiction of Death: a skeleton on horseback, its sinews and bones visible, intent on killing with bow and arrows those it encounters in its unstoppable gallop.
The scene unfolds in a lavish garden in which Death cuts through nature and people - as in a typical hunting scene - loosing yet another deadly arrow that relentlessly finds its mark.

Death, like a black lady, dominates the centre of the picture, riding as a skeleton on a surreal horse, as if out of a vision. On one side, a depiction of the real, happy, pleasant, cultivated and refined world, and on the other its opposite, the metaphysical world of drama and death. Exactly as happens in real life - some live out the drama of death while others live as though it were not happening around them.

The reference text is surely John's Apocalypse:
"And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth." Rev 6, 2.8

Below are the corpses of people who are already victims struck by arrows - the powerful and the rich: kings, emperors, popes, bishops, friars, and so on. In this picture, those who set aside their practical responsibility for the events around them are shown as dying portraits. It seems there is no salvation or possibility for them to escape the embrace of death.

On the left, standing opposite, are the poor, the marginalised, who either seem to call on death as a relief from their suffering, or are partly spared it, in an attitude of prayer. Among them, two particular figures stand out, two young men, whose gaze turns away from the scene and towards us: these are the unknown author of the painting and his assistant, holding a painter's pen and a pot of paint. Now the portraits of the two artists appear disguised as a surgeon and his assistant, while the pot of paint, the armrest and the brush turn into a vessel of vinegar and a scalpel. It could also be a vessel of perfume - to dispel the stench of death. Our two young men are probably witnesses to both the death and the salvation taking place before their eyes.

The figure holding two dogs with a human gaze on a leash directs its steps away from the source of eternal life, which is on the right. The figure of the dog is a symbol of greed, desire, wrath and sensuality; in short, of the senses and the various passions that escape the control of the spirit and reason. The one leading them seems barely able to hold them on the leash.

However, there are figures who show that this does not hold true for everyone. Moving the gaze to the right, the atmosphere seems to change. On the right, the setting changes and is inhabited by aristocratic youths, ladies and knights, but also musicians and poets who - clearly uninterested in what is happening - persist in enjoying life and beauty. They represent the highest social classes, gathered in an enchanted garden surrounded by a tall hedge.
We see two young people, a man and a woman, also struck by arrows, but life still shows in their faces. First, the young man on the ground is supported by a friendly figure, then turns and reaches the fountain. The woman, too, is comforted by a hand: she is supported by the hands of women, one dressed in white and the other in green, symbols of love and hope. Friendship and closeness make us active and responsible members of society, and lessen for us the horror of the cruelty of dying, for dying is part of life. Death appears to be a kind of angel super partes - the same fate awaits both rich and poor. The figure behind the rescued girl is the girl herself, but now, having received help, she stands with hands raised in prayer. This is both an act of thanksgiving and an appeal for the salvation of others. The colour red is the sign of the love she has received and which, through prayer and intercession for others, she spreads further. The lute player, a symbol of harmony, brings us back to the reason for the liberation and purification that has taken place, to the change that occurs in some people who, hearing certain music (specifically sacred music) and moved by powerful emotions, are purified and renewed.

Above them is a fountain from which flows water symbolising health and rebirth, the renewal of life. At it, the young man who has been healed will also drink. "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses" (Ez 36, 25).

And here is the key scene of this picture - a young man leaning against the fountain, holding an eagle on his arm - this is St John the Apostle. The eagle signifies the "victory" of life over death. He is positioned directly above the horse's head and right next to the fountain, the source of life. He symbolises the One who has power over death, who can put an end to and halt this frenzied gallop. Scripture tells us that by his death Jesus destroyed death and gave us life. Jesus says: "I am the source of living water, welling up to eternal life. Whoever drinks of this water will never thirst again." The eagle comes to us from heaven. It signifies the Word of God, which has the power to renew everything and take flesh in each of us, to halt death within us and let us taste life even in the midst of death. To John's left is something resembling steps, that is, a bridge or path by which we can climb towards the New Jerusalem. St John fixes his gaze towards heaven, where a city can be glimpsed - the new Jerusalem, in which "there shall be no more mourning or crying". It is as if he invites all who look upon this scene to fix their gaze on the heavenly Jerusalem, where "the Father has prepared many rooms" for us.

Father Cosimo Scordato - rector of the church of St Francis Xavier in Palermo

I don't like the expression "The Triumph of Death". I think it would be more correct to speak of "The Knight of Death". For me it is a quotation from the Book of Revelation, chapter six.

Four horsemen are released, each of them with a single task. One of them is Death, portrayed as a Knight with a drawn bow, ready to kill. He gives us an interpretation of death that makes us all equal, regardless of rank, age or sex - from emperors to popes, from women to men, from children to the poorest of the poor. However, the knight of death also dies himself. He dies together with his horse. This is the death of death. In reality, it affects everyone, including death itself. And this applies even to that death which brings death to others. But in order to bring death to another, it too must die. The fresco was located in the hospital alongside other very important frescoes dealing with themes connected to the final things of human life: dying, purgatory, hell and heaven. It was intended for the sick and the dying. Can you imagine how those people arriving at the hospital would have felt if they had been overwhelmed only by this thought of death and dying. The frescoes were meant to convey light and hope in a situation of sickness and dying.

So it is not death that matters most, it is not death that wins. What matters most is life, whose power man must taste here and now. For what we must strive for is the New Jerusalem, the new City. This fresco presents us with the theme of death, but in fact awakens in us love and longing for life.