Orchestrated by the Congregazione de Propaganda Fide and carried out by the religious orders, the activity of the missionaries created a dense network of relations that connected Rome to the entire globe. The Salus Populi Romani, disseminated through engraved and painted copies, was reproduced in various cultures and in different media, as attested by aContinue reading “Global catholicism”
Monthly Archives: May 2025
Barocco Globale. Il mondo a Roma nel secolo di BerninI
The journey to Rome of Antonio Manuel Ne Vunda (1571-1608), the young ambassador of King Álvaro Il of Congo (1587-1614), was beset by many vicissitudes. Ne Vunda set out from the Kingdom of Congo in 1604, and during his journey was robbed by Dutch pirates before reaching Lisbon wounded and almost naked. The Spanish crown,Continue reading “Barocco Globale. Il mondo a Roma nel secolo di BerninI”
Two Peters
As Pope Leo XIV is today publicly installed into the Petrine Ministry, receiving the Pallium and The Fisherman’s Ring at the beginning of his Pontificate, the sense of responsibility must be truly terrifying. I thought I would therefore share this image by my beloved Zurbarán of Saint Peter appearing to the Mercedarian Saint Peter Nolasco.Continue reading “Two Peters”
Flaming Hearts
One of the symbols that Pope Leo has chosen for his coat of arms is a flaming heart on a book. This is an emblem of the Order of St. Augustine, of which Pope Leo served as Prior General. The figure symbolically evokes Saint Augustine’s words in the Confessions: ‘Sagittaveras tu cor meum charitate tua’Continue reading “Flaming Hearts”
Viva San Isidro
The 15th May is the Feast of San Isidro, the patron saint of Madrid. In this image by Bartolomé González we see the farmer -saint kneeling in prayer while angels have been sent to help him manage both his work and his prayer life. González was born in Valladolid, and studied under Patricio Caxés andContinue reading “Viva San Isidro”
Pereda’s Immaculate Conception
Pope Leo XIV has already spoken of his love for Mary, following in the footsteps of the great Pope Leo XIII who wrote no less than 11 encyclicals devoted to our Lady and her Rosary. So I thought I might celebrate the papal election with a few more Marian images, this one by Antonio deContinue reading “Pereda’s Immaculate Conception”
Nuestra Señora de Belén
Nuestra Señora de Belén is one ot the patron saints of the Peruvian city of Cuzco. This painted representation is based on a famous sculpture that is paraded through the streets of Cuzco on the feast of Corpus Christi. After celebrations, the statue is returned to its niche above the altar at the Convent ofContinue reading “Nuestra Señora de Belén”
A Venezuelan ‘Nuestra Señora de Guía’
Beginning around 1668, Spanish colonizers in Venezuela wrote stories about a sculpture of the Virgin Mary found floating in the ocean. Some said that she protected sailors from pirates, others described how she led a lost ship safely to shore. Venerated for miraculous acts of guidance, the sculpture was placed in a church in Caracas,Continue reading “A Venezuelan ‘Nuestra Señora de Guía’ “
Can you see hope?
Artists and philosophers have long struggled with questions of what art is for and how it shapes our experience as viewers. When it comes to sacred art the answers to these questions may seem more obvious, for here an artwork is usually required to illuminate some aspect of our faith and spark in us aContinue reading “Can you see hope?”
The Bedrock of the Holy Family
May is a month traditionally devoted to Mary, so how fitting that it should begin with the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, the silent witness of her purity and the bedrock of the Holy Family. This 18th century image of Saint Joseph’s Dream and Repentance, made from shell and oil paint, comes from aContinue reading “The Bedrock of the Holy Family”
The Arts of Golden Age Spain and the Hispanic World 