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The Old Testament tells of the shepherd boy, David, who felled a seemingly invincible adversary, Goliath, by slinging a stone that struck the giant on the forehead. The Biblical hero then used Goliath's own sword to cut off his head. Here, Cagnacci depicts David after the victory, when...
Photograph of two monks working in the blacksmith shop at Mission Santa Barbara, ca.1900. They are both wearing the traditional Franciscan habit. One, at left, holds a small item just pulled from the forge (at back) with long tongs on an anvil. He holds a hammer in his other...
A Madonna (Italian: [maˈdɔn.na]) is a representation of Mary, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word is from Italian ma donna 'my lady'. The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in Christian...
Bronzino depicts Saint John the Baptist's muscular figure in a restricted space, his torso twisted to accommodate the panel’s vertical format which creates a series of strong diagonal accents, zigzagging the length of the painting. This artificial, serpentine pose marks Bronzino’s move away from naturalism toward...
In the Roman Catholic tradition, there are many religious institutes of nuns and sisters (the female equivalent of male monks or friars), each with its own charism or special character. Traditionally, nuns are members of enclosed religious orders and take solemn religious vows, while sisters do not live in the...
The Sacred Heart linking Christ to priests is a popular symbol of the priesthood. In the rite of ordination the phrase “Alter Christus” (“another Christ”) reminds us that, although Christ himself is present to his Church, the priest acts as “another Christ” by virtue of his ordination. Free Downloads Below...
This work was the left side of a diptych that probably depicted the Crucifixion on the opposite panel. At the lower left, looking up at a looming vision of the Virgin and Child, is a small, kneeling figure in rapt devotion. Lippo Memmi (Sienese, active 1317/1347) has given us...
In the Roman Catholic tradition, there are many religious institutes of nuns and sisters (the female equivalent of male monks or friars), each with its own charism or special character. Traditionally, nuns are members of enclosed religious orders and take solemn religious vows, while sisters do not live in the...
The devotion to the Sacred Heart (also known as the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacratissimum Cor Iesu in Latin) is one of the most widely practiced and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love...
This monumental figure of St. Andrew stands on a hilltop, absorbed in reading. His left arm cradles two rough-hewn branches in the form of a saltire cross. Spread out behind him is a city, and in the far background a mountain landscape complete with a castle overlooks a lake with...
Saint Anthony Cathedral Basilica, the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont, Texas. Constructed in 1903 as the first Catholic Church of Beaumont, Texas, the building has underwent many restorations. On July 11, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI recognized its liturgical and historical significance by proclaiming it a Minor Basilica....
David is described in the Hebrew Bible as king of the United Monarchy of Israel and Judah. In the Books of Samuel, David is a young shepherd who gains fame first as a musician and later by killing the giant Goliath, champion of the Philistines. He becomes a favorite of...
This Coronation of the Virgin may be the first time the subject, which originated in the West, appears in Venetian art. Some of the earliest representations were carved above cathedral doorways in France—and certain elements in the Gallery's painting—its elaborate halos, for example—share in the...
Aerial view of Buffalo, New York, with a focus on the 1898 Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church Complex. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith Free Downloads Below Hi-Res [https://sdcason.com/content/images/2021/05/service-pnp-highsm-52600-52600v_o.jpg] 1200px [https://sdcason.com/content/images/size/w1200/2021/05/service-pnp-highsm-52600-52600v.jpg] 800px...
Every man in his own trade or profession rejoices when he sees an opportunity of exercising it; the carpenter if he sees a goodly tree desires to have it to cut down to employ his skill on, and the Priest when he sees a full Church, his heart rejoices, he...
A young woman stares sorrowfully at a palm branch in her left hand, the symbol of a martyr. Dressed in a long, flowing robe, she holds the edge of her cloak under her right arm as it has slipped from her shoulder. She is Saint Lucy, a virgin martyr from...
Statue of Jesus on the cross outside the Nativity of Mary, Blessed Virgin Catholic Church, also known as the St. Mary Catholic Church, in High Hill, a little community near Schulenburg in Fayette County, Texas. Photographer: Carol, M. Highsmith Free Downloads Below Hi-Res [https://sdcason.com/content/images/2021/05/...
According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the instruments of the Passion, employed by Jesus' captors both to cause him pain and to mock his claim of...
This small painting was probably the right-hand side of a diptych with two hinged panels. Very likely the panel opposite depicted the Virgin and Child. The man or woman who meditated on this image during private devotions would have made an intimate connection with the grief of the mourners who...
Baptismal font of the Nativity of Mary, Blessed Virgin Catholic Church, also known as the St. Mary Catholic Church, in High Hill, a little community near Schulenburg in Fayette County, Texas. Built in 1906, the church is considered the "queen" of what Texans call their "painted churches....
Angels are everywhere the intermediaries between God and man; and Christ set a seal upon the Old Testament teaching: "See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in...
The bearded, elderly Saint Paul, dressed in a toga as an ancient Roman, sits with a pen in his right hand and an ink pot in his left. Pausing from writing his book, the Epistles, he looks up to heaven for divine inspiration and lifts up one foot to rest...
Cemetery crosses at Spillville, Iowa's, Saint Wenceslaus Catholic Church, which dates to 1860, making it the oldest Czech Catholic church in the United States. Fun fact: the famous Czech composer Antonin Dvorak composed two of his works, including the String Quartet in F ("The American"), at...
