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Details: The Archangel Gabriel is a popular figure in Russian Orthodox iconography[1][2][3][4][5]. He is usually depicted wearing white or blue garments and holding a spear in his right hand[2]. In some icons, he may also be holding a mirror in his left hand[2]...
Details: The central scene of this painted, gilded wooden triptych shows Christ's Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane on the eve of his Crucifixion, based on a print by the German Master A. G. Christ prays to God the Father while the apostles Peter, John the Evangelist, and...
Details: The Betremariam Monastery is located on the Zege Peninsula near Bahir Dar, Ethiopia[1][3]. It was founded in the 14th century by a saint called Betre Mariam[2], and its circular church was built in the 16th century[2]. The monastery is one of more than 20 monastic...
Details: This manuscript leaf comes from a Book of Hours illuminated by the French court painter Jean Bourdichon. It depicts the Presentation of Christ in the Temple of Jerusalem, an event celebrated in the liturgical calendar as Candlemas. Forty days after Jesus's birth, the Virgin Mary kneels before...
Details: God expelled Adam from the Garden of Eden to prevent him from accessing the Tree of Life and living forever in sin[1][2]. God also wanted to teach Adam and Eve that His holiness could not be violated[2]. By expelling Adam, God demonstrated His love and care...
Details: The province of Goa in western India was under Portuguese control from 1512–1961, forming a nexus in trading routes that circumnavigated the earth. Goan craftsman were renowned for their supple modeling of ivory (likely exported from Mozambique) into Christian icons, which feed the appetite for luxury products in...
Details: The Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile is located at Duke Street (off Oxford Street), Mayfair, London, England[1]. It is part of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London, a diocese of the Ukrainian Catholic Church with parishes throughout England, Scotland and...
Details: Saint Francis kneels before the crucified Christ at his right hand and receives the stigmata. Behind Francis is his brotherhood. The front brother holds a crucifix with both hands. People rise from the dead on the left of the print and enter the gates of heaven on the right....
Details: Devotion to the Virgin is an important element of Puerto Rican Catholicism. The Madonna is venerated in many guises, each with its own iconography. According to Spanish legend, the apostle James, patron saint of Spain, saw a vision of the Virgin Mary one night while he was praying on...
Details: El Greco's son, Jorge Manuel, who was known to work in the style of his father, probably painted this canvas. A reduced version of El Greco's original painting for the Cathedral of Toledo, it shows the dramatic moment before the Crucifixion when Christ's...
Details: The story of David and Goliath is a popular Bible story found in 1 Samuel 17[1]. Goliath was a giant Philistine warrior who challenged the Israelites to single combat[2][3]. Saul, the leader of the Israelites, chose David to fight Goliath[2]. Despite being much smaller and...
Details: The Ladder of Divine Ascent is an ascetical treatise written by John Climacus in the 6th century for monastics[1]. It explains the path to unity with God's love and how to avoid vice and practice virtue in order to obtain salvation[2]. An icon depicting the...
Details: Three tender scenes of the baby Christ, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph fill the rectangular area of this French Gothic ivory. Above them, the squiggly line separates the gable and shows that the prayerful angel is in Heaven. The hinges on each side of the ivory reveal that...
Details: The Ascension icon depicts Jesus being escorted back to His heavenly home, with Mary and the faithful disciples present[1]. It conveys both confusion and peace, as worldly reasoning clashes with divine order[2]. The Virgin Mary is often placed at the center of the scene in Eastern iconography,...
Details: The Mughal dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Turkic-Mongol origin that ruled most of northern India from the early 16th to the mid-19th century. The Mughals were a majority Muslim ruling class over a majority Hindu population. They were known for their physical activity and military prowess, with the...
Details: The Adam and Eve story is found in the Bible's Book of Genesis[1]. God created Adam and then Eve, placing them in the Garden of Eden to care for it[1]. The Devil tempted Eve with the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, which she...
Details: This small icon depicts the Virgin with her hands raised in prayer, and identified by an abbreviated inscription as the Mother of God. The size and theme of the icon suggest it was used in private devotion. For its pious owner, it would have served as a constant reminder...
Details: According to the Gospels, Jesus appeared to his disciples several times after the Resurrection, including on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. In the encounter, represented at the top of this plaque, the disciples lament the Crucifixion, while Jesus explains the redemptive nature of his sacrifice. Below, Jesus appears...
Details: The Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception is located in Cooks Creek, Manitoba[1][2]. Construction of the church began in 1930 and it is one of the largest Ukrainian Catholic churches in Western Canada[3][4]. It features a traditional English service with Ukrainian hymns[5] and...
Details: The Ascension of Jesus is the Christian belief that Jesus ascended to Heaven after his resurrection[1]. According to Acts, the ascension took place 40 days after the resurrection in the presence of his disciples[2]. The ascension marks Jesus' entry into supreme authority over creation[3] and...
Details: According to the Gospels, Joseph was the husband of the Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus. In Puerto Rico, St. Joseph is often invoked by and for the dying. He is the patron saint of several Puerto Rican communities, including the island’s western region of Lares....
Details: This small panel was once part of an altarpiece depicting the life of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, along with a Nativity scene now in the Rijksmuseum and a depiction of the Annunciation, now in the Glasgow Art Gallery. Forty days after the birth of a male...
Details: Pope Adrian III (also known as Hadrian III)[1][2][3][4][5] was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 17 May 884 to his death[1]. He served for little more than a year, during which he worked to help the people of...
Details: Pope Miltiades (Greek: Μιλτιάδης, Miltiádēs)[1][2][3], also known as Melchiades the African[1], was the bishop of Rome from 311 to his death on 10 or 11 January 314[1][4][5]. He was given the right to receive back all ecclesiastical buildings and possessions which had...
