The Temptation of St. Thomas is a painting by the Spanish Baroque painter Diego Velázquez

Diego Velázquez

Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist...

, executed in 1632 and housed in the Museum of Sacred Art of Orihuela Cathedral

Orihuela Cathedral

Orihuela Cathedral is a church of Orihuela, Valencian Community, southern Spain. It was built above a pre-existing Muslim mosque as a simple parish church, and was later converted into a main church by order of King Alfonso X of Castile in 1281...

, southern Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

.

The work, for a period, was attributed to Murcia

Region of Murcia

The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast....

n painter Nicolás de Villacis

Nicolás de Villacis

Nicolás de Villacis was a Spanish Baroque painter from Murcia, a disciple of Diego Velázquez.He met Velázquez in Madrid during his youth, and later studied in Italy, where he is documented in 1643 and where he established an atelier at Como...

, until it was recognized as Velázquez's in the 1920s. It portrays the episode of the life of St. Thomas of Aquino when, as a novice, he resisted the temptation represented by a prostitute, who is visible in the background door. The saint is hold by an angel, while another is preparing to dress him with a white ribbon, representing chastity.