The vision of Saint Anne, an allegory of the Immaculate Conception. The kneeling Anna sees Mary carried by angels on a cloud toward heaven, where Christ awaits her with outstretched arms. Behind Anna kneels her husband Joachim with folded hands. The work is a preliminary study for the altarpiece dat
This thick clay plaque covered a burial niche that contained the remains of the deceased in a simple communal tomb complex called a columbarium. The chi-rho monogram of Christ identifies the deceased as a Christian. The monogram was seen as representing Christ’s victory over death, while the letters
According to the Old Testament, Daniel was cast into a lion’s den as punishment for his belief in a single god, but he was miraculously delivered from harm on account of his faith. This story is related here, with Daniel flanked by lions and the angel sent by God to save him. Together with other dec
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...
Learn the purpose of The Free Catholic Gallery with this short blog.
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A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christian history); written melodies are extra, and...
Benedictine sisters are nuns who live according to the Rule of Saint Benedict : “ora et labora”, that is to say a life of prayer and work, of silence, of welcoming guests and of fraternal charity. By her monastic profession the nun devotes her life to the search for God, promising...
I saw our Lord fastened upon the cross coming down towards me and surrounding me with a marvelous light… Then there came down from the holes of his blessed wounds five bloody beams, which were directed towards the same parts of my body: to my hands, feet, and heart. This...
Saint Victor is said to have been a Roman army officer in Marseille, who publicly denounced the worship of idols. For that, he was brought before the Roman prefects, Asterius and Eutychius, who later sent him to the Emperor Maximian. He was then racked, beaten, dragged through the streets, and...
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large Catholic minor basilica and national shrine located in Washington, D.C., United States, on 400 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20017, adjacent to the Catholic University of America. The shrine is the largest Roman Catholic church in...
They and two others—one now in a museum in France, the other lost—were cut from the same altarpiece. It would have been an imposing work with triangular gables (see Reconstruction).
Queen of Heaven (Latin: Regina Caeli) is a title given to the Virgin Mary, by Christians mainly of the Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, in Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. The title is a consequence of the First Council of Ephesus in the fifth century, in which Mary...
The essential elements of the public worship of the Catholic Church, in the Sacrifice of the Eucharist and the administration of the sacraments, are the same in all Catholic rites. What is called the "Mass" in the West is called "Divine Liturgy" in the Eastern Churches....
He was born in Cremona, and lived as a boy in Pontremoli. He was sent to study in Florence, where he was a pupil of Vincenzo Meucci and Antonio Puglieschi. He moved to Rome to work under Agostino Masucci, then he returned to Cremona after 1745. In 1769, he was...
In the early stage, the Christian concept of an angel characterized the angel as a messenger of God. Later came identification of individual angelic messengers: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel. Then, in the space of little more than two centuries (from the 3rd to the 5th) the image of angels...
May Crowning is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual held during the month of May. It is a solemn procession and at the beginning (or closing) of the procession a statue of the Blessed Virgin is crowned with a garland or crown of flowers honoring Mary as “the Queen of May....
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh [away the sin of the world]. These words, inscribed in Latin on the scroll held by Saint John the Baptist, highlight the saint’s role as Christ’s forerunner, who announced his coming to the world. Standing against a gold background and enclosed...
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...
Reims is the most populous city in the Marne department, in the Grand Est region of France. Its population in 2013 was of 182,592 in the city proper (commune) and 317,611 in the metropolitan area making Reims the most populated sub-prefecture in France. The city lies 129...
Saint Luke, one of the four evangelists, is shown in the act of writing his Gospel. His halo is formed of intricately wrought punches, made by lightly tapping metal punching tools onto a background laid with gold leaf. His serene face is rendered in minute detail, with each hair of...
Guided by the Star of Bethlehem, the wise men found the baby Jesus in a house; Matthew does not say if the house was in Bethlehem. They worshiped him, and presented him with "gifts of gold and of frankincense and of myrrh." (2.11) In a dream they...
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country in South and Southeast Europe, located within the Balkans. Sarajevo is the capital and largest city. Bosnia and Herzegovina is bordered by Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the...
Observed by his symbol, the eagle, and poised to write God's words, Saint John looks up for divine inspiration, which he receives as brilliant light. Saint John, the Galilean fisherman who became one of Christ's apostles, is traditionally considered the author of the Gospel according to...
Six days before the pasch we find Jesus at Bethania on Mt. Olivet, as the guest of Simon the leper; Mary anoints His feet, and the disciples at the instigation of Judas are indignant at this seeming waste of ointment. A great multitude assembles at Bethania, not to see Jesus...
Forchheim is a town in Upper Franconia (German: Oberfranken) in northern Bavaria, and also the seat of the administrative district of Forchheim. Forchheim is a former royal city, and is sometimes called the Gateway to the Franconian Switzerland, referring to the region of outstanding natural beauty to the north east...
These panels once served as wings of a portable altarpiece used for private devotion. The left panel shows Saint Francis, who is recognized by the stigmata on his hands, feet, and side. The three knots tied in the sash around his waist symbolizing his Franciscan Order's three religious...
The Gospels point out how, from the beginning of his ministry, Jesus called to him some Jews, and by a very diligent instruction and formation made them his disciples. After some time, in the Galilean ministry, he selected twelve whom, as Mark (3:14) and Luke (vi, 13) say, "...
St. Nikolaus is the oldest Catholic church in the city of Kiel. It is a provost church. After the first Catholic congregation after the Reformation had formed in Kiel as early as 1794–1798 , the French migrant priest Abbé Dupé held the first Catholic services from 1798 onwards. After a...
While performing mass one day, Pope Gregory became aware of a disbeliever in the congregation and prayed for a sign that would leave no doubt about the real presence of Christ in the Mass. Christ materialized above the altar as the Man of Sorrows, displaying the stigmata and surrounded by...
