These flasks bear the image of Saint Menas, an early martyr of the Christian Church whose shrine was in the desert southwest of Alexandria in Egypt. These flasks were probably used by pilgrims to hold oil taken from the lamp that burned over this saint's tomb. Probably manufactured near the shrine,
This is a list of my favorite 12 orders of Catholic nuns and sisters in no particular order. This list includes their history, and images of their habits. What is a Catholic Nun or Sister? In the Roman Catholic tradition, there are many religious institutes of nuns and sisters (the...
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The Lamentation of Christ. Mary, Mary Magdalene and John, shown half-length, gather around the body of Christ. Medium: Oil on panel. Measurements: support 35.5 x 42.9 cm.
A triptych with the Lamentation. On the central panel Christ is mourned in a landscape, his body resting against the knee of Mary, surrounded by the holy women, John, Joseph and a monk. The Lamentation is a free copy after the painting by Geertgen tot Sint Jans in Vienna. On the inside of the left w
A Calvary crowded with figures and several episodes of the Passion. In the center Christ hangs on the cross while four angels catch his blood. In the foreground are Mary Magdalene, Mary, John and Saint Veronica with her veil; on the edge of her mantle is written Salve Sancta Facies Nostri Redemptori
Christ on the cross with angels on either side. Beneath the cross at left stand John, Mary, Mary Magdalene and the holy women. In the background are Longinus and the centurion who is healed of his blindness, with two horsemen at right. Medium: Oil on panel.
The Crucifixion. Christ hangs on the cross, with Mary fainting at the left together with John, Mary Magdalene and the holy women, and Pilate and soldiers at the right. The panel is part of a large altarpiece from the former Augustinian canons' monastery at Rottenbuch. Three of the other panels are i
An anonymous 16th-century painting of the legend of Saint Christopher, the giant ferryman who carried the Christ Child across a river and felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.
A color print from 1904 after the English painter William Henry Margetson (1861-1940). The angel Gabriel appears with outstretched hands before the Virgin Mary, who sits clothed in white and draws back in awe.
The Virgin Mary sits enthroned on a raised dais with the Christ Child and extends a hand of blessing over the poor and sick who come to her, painted by the Austrian artist Hermann Eichler (1842-1901).
A triptych with Mary on the central panel and the Christ Child sitting before her on a cushion. The child holds a bird in his left hand, and at right is a small vase of flowers, with a landscape in the background. On the left wing stands Saint John the Evangelist with a chalice in a landscape, and o
Christ on the cross. To the left of the cross Saint John supports Mary, and Mary Magdalene kneels at the foot of the cross. At left stand Saint Cecilia and Saint Barbara, and at right Saint Peter, Saint Francis and Saint Jerome. The panel comes from the convent of Marienwater at Koudewater near 's-H
A night scene of the vision of Saint Francis of Assisi. On the left Saint Francis holds the Christ Child in his arms, and on the right stands the Virgin Mary. Medium: Oil on canvas. Measurements: 103 x 102 cm.
A famous preacher from an aristocratic family in Genoa, Sauli (1534-1591) spearheaded important Catholic reforms, including popular missions and restructuring the church to reach a broader spectrum of worshippers. This sculpture is a model for a large statue commissioned by the Sauli family for a Ge
The distinctively Roman Catholic subject of Mary cradling her son, the crucified Christ, suggests this figure was probably made for one of the aristocratic English families forced to practice their Catholicism in secret during the mid-1700s. Because of the laws banning Catholic worship in England, g
This work has been associated with Johann Pieter Wagner, one of the leading Austrian sculptors of the second half of the 18th century. Because of its small size, it was most likely either a model for a larger altarpiece or an object designed for private devotion. Gold serves as celestial decoration
A devout Catholic, Maurice Denis sought to create what he described as “imperishable icons.” In this small painting, he used flat planes of intense colors to conjure emotion in the viewer. Here, a somber group of women, depicted as amorphous black forms, gather around an orange figure of Christ on t
Apostle figures such as this were made in large numbers in the eastern Netherlands during the early 1500s. This figure of Saint Andrew, identified by his X-shaped cross, was undoubtedly a single figure from an apostle series. It may have been used above a choir stall in a church, or else part of an
This ivory plaque represents a full-length figure of Christ flanked by bust-length portraits of the twelve apostles, six in a vertical column on each side. With his large eyes fixed on the beholder and his mouth slightly open, Christ seems about to speak to the apostles, charging them with the missi
Once used as decorations for a reliquary shrine, each enamel plaque represents a biblical prophet: Isaiah, Obadiah, Elisha, and Hosea. Fine gold dots punctuate dark blue backgrounds. Typical of Hildesheim enamels, this detailing creates the illusion that the prophets sit against star-studded twiligh
The painted scenes on this plate depicting the Passion of Christ include the betrayal of Jesus by his disciple Judas (right); the arrest and condemnation by the Jews (left); the bearing of the cross (top); the Crucifixion (middle); and the resurrection (bottom). At least one of the scenes (the conde
This diptych, or two-panel painting, is hinged at the center so that it could be opened and closed and easily transported. It was clearly designed as an object for private devotion. The owner would have been able to contemplate the Passion of Christ and pray before these scenes. The top two images d
Taken at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A crucifix hangs against a round, cross-shaped window of blue stained glass decorated with stars and waves. Below it, the tabernacle with its sanctuary lamp stands on a wooden pedestal beside the altar with its cruets.
Taken at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A painted statue of the Virgin Mary in a blue mantle stands on a cloud and crushes the serpent beneath her feet. She wears a crown of purple and blue flowers and is flanked by two gold lanterns holding candles, with sunflowers beside
Taken at the Church of the Ascension in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A bronze statue of Christ with outstretched arms rises above the church's walls at night, and the floodlights throw a dramatic shadow of his arms across the white wall behind him.
Taken at the Church of the Ascension in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A white statue of the Virgin Mary with open hands stands lit at dusk in the church's prayer garden, surrounded by fresh and silk flowers, with benches and a stone path around her.
