San Sisto

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The Madonna painted by Raphael (about 1518) for the church of St. Sixtus (San Sisto) at Piacenza; St. Sixtus is shown kneeling at the right of the Virgin. The picture was in the Royal Gallery, Dresden, but after World War II passed into Russian hands.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “San Sisto” mean?

The Madonna painted by Raphael (about 1518) for the church of St. Sixtus (San Sisto) at Piacenza; St. Sixtus is shown kneeling at the right of the Virgin. The picture was in the Royal Gallery, Dresden, but after World War II passed into Russian hands.

Is “San Sisto” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.