New Spanish School. Dated 1637. “The Apparition of Saint Francis Xavier to the Jesuit Father Marcello Mastrilli, Whom He Miraculously Heals” Oil on canvas. 197 x 134 cm. Magnificent canvas depicting the episode known as “the Miracle of Naples” involving Father Marcello Mastrilli, one of the most celebrated miraculous healings attributed to Saint Francis Xavier. The event took place in 1633 and constitutes the historical origin of the traditional Novena of Grace. Father Mastrilli, an Italian Jesuit, suffered a terrible accident in Naples when a hammer fell from a scaffold onto his head during preparations for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, leaving him near death. While in agony, he vowed to Saint Francis Xavier that he would travel as a missionary to the Indies if the saint restored his health. That same night, Saint Francis Xavier appeared to him, completely healed him, and foretold that, in addition to becoming a missionary, he would suffer martyrdom in Japan. The following morning, Mastrilli rose entirely cured and celebrated Mass. He fulfilled his vow by traveling to the East and was eventually martyred in Japan in 1637. That same year is recorded as the date of execution of the present painting, as indicated — despite losses to the inscription — in the text or letter hanging from the bedside table beneath a candlestick with a lit candle: “__P’e Y P__DIGIOSO MÁRTIR MARC__O FRAN’co MASTRILLI AQUIEN DIO MILAGROSA VIDA S. FRAN’co __AVIER PARA QUE LA USE POR LA FE___N COMO LADIO. ___OTUBRE DE A 1637.” Within an Italian interior featuring a checkered floor and a wide window opening onto a landscape, the bedridden Jesuit lies gravely ill. Above him, beneath a celestial Glory filled with angels and putti, Saint Francis Xavier emerges from a radiant golden light to restore the health of the priest who has implored him fervently in prayer. The painting was likely conceived as a devotional and commemorative work for a house of the Society of Jesus, intended to be contemplated by students, novices, philosophers, and theologians as an example of the power of deeply fervent prayer and missionary devotion. The miracle represented in this work inspired the Novena of Grace. In gratitude for the miraculous healing, Father Alejandro Filipucci formally established the devotion in 1658. It is traditionally celebrated between March 4th and March 12th, coinciding with the canonization date of Saint Francis Xavier on March 12th, 1622.