So as I mentioned, this fish (which clearly looks to be a Tarpon) is one of the most recognized and talked about pieces of the Chapel. The “Johan and the Tarpon” fresco is painted above the High Altar (aka in an important area of the Chapel), as Jonah is of prophetic significance in the Bible. But was it really a Tarpon? Image source: Pieter Lastman – Wikipedia But this is the image that made it up on the most famous painting in the world on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel “Jonah and the Tarpon” This is the image most of us grew up with in regards to “Jonah and the Whale” This is the kind of “Jonah and the Whale” image we were taught to believe as kids. The earlier versions of the Bible said that Johan was swallowed by a “Great Fish” or a “Large Fish”, and the term “whale” was not brought into the biblical story until the King James Version of the Bible called it a whale in 1611 (about 100 years after the Sistine Chapel was completed). What is interesting to note, is the original Bible stories never actually mentioned the word “Whale” (or Tarpon for that matter) when the Jonah story was told. While in the large fish, Jonah prayed to God, and God caused the fish to return Jonah to the dry land after spending 3 days in the fish. Then the miracle happened: Jonah did not drown in the rough ocean because God sent had sent a whale (large or great fish… perhaps a monster Tarpon) to swallow Jonah. Deep down, Jonah knew that God had caused the storm because of him, so he eventually asked the sailors to throw him into the sea to stop the storm (which they gladly did). The sailors on the ship tried everything to avoid the nasty storm, but nothing worked. But there was a terrible storm once the ship as out at sea. So he hopped aboard a ship to avoid his assignment from God. Long biblical story short, Jonah tried to hide from God as he didn’t want to go to a placed called Ninevah. If you ever went to Sunday School as a kid (or had a mother that taught religion studies like I did), you might recall the story of “Jonah and the Whale”. It is also the place where the Pope is voted on, and considered one of the most reverent and holy places in the world. And if you aren’t familiar with The Sistine Chapel, it is “where the Pope lives” in Vatican Palace, in the Vatican City (basically in Rome, Italy). The Prophet Jonah is one of just seven prophets from the Bible’s Old Testament that made an appearance on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The Prophet Jonah You can get a feel for just how important the Jonah story was to the Sistine Chapel, as it sits in a critical place right above the High Alter. Let’s first explore why the Prophet Jonah was on the Sistine Chapel in the first place. Now I don’t know about you, but I feel like this is like The Da Vinci Code for anglers… perhaps they will make a movie called “The Da Vinci Fishing Code”…īut in all seriousness, the BIG question remains, “What does it all mean”? And how has this not made National News yet?.Did the Pope approve a Tarpon on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?.How did I miss this when I had a private tour of the Sistine Chapel a handful of years ago?.Why did Michelangelo paint a tarpon instead of Jonah’s “Whale” on the Sistine Chapel?.Does everyone else know Michelangelo painted a tarpon on the Sistine Chapel?.Was Michelangelo trying to tell the world about tarpon fishing on the Sistine Chapel?.Did Michelangelo know he was painting a tarpon on the Sistine Chapel?.This must be the earliest painting or depiction of what we know as the Atlantic Tarpon, but more importantly, “How in the heck did it get on the Sistine Chapel!!!!” Here were the questions going through my mind when I saw a very clear picture of a Tarpon on the Sistine Chappel for the first time just yesterday: The “Jonah” fresco is one of the main scenes that people talk about and admire when they go to Rome and visit the Sistine Chapel! This “Tarpon” is the same fish that has been on the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City for over 500 years (the tarpon appears in the Sistine Chapels “Jonah and the Whale” story from the Bible).Īnd this is not some hidden image that is tucked away in the corner of the Sistine Chapel.
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