A God in Need of Help

It’s 1606 and Europe is at war over God. At the behest of the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf II, Venice’s four strongest men are charged with transporting a holy painting — Albrecht Dürer's The Brotherhood of the Rosary — across the Alps to Prague. In the small Alpine village of Pusterwald, they are set upon by Protestant zealots; their escape is attributed to a miracle.

The strongmen and their captain are summoned to an inquiry, led by the magistrate of Venice and the cardinal archbishop of Milan, to determine whether something divine did indeed occur. Each man's recounting adds a layer of colour to the canvas.

Through this vividly painted mystery, inspired by true events, Sean Dixon challenges the role of faith at the dawn of the Age of Reason.