The Seven Last Words of Jesus, and the Painting That Shows What He Saw
Jesus spoke seven times from the cross. No single Gospel records all seven: Matthew and Mark keep one cry, Luke…
10 Last Judgment Paintings Before Michelangelo
Last Judgment paintings did not begin with Michelangelo. When he started work on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel…
Christian Symbols and Their Meanings: 40 Signs in Great Art
In the early third century, somewhere near the Vatican hill, a family in Rome buried a woman named Licinia Amias….
Bible Verses for Baptism and What to Write in a Baptism Card
At a Catholic baptism, the godparents promise, the priest pours the water three times, and a few minutes later everyone…
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz: El Greco’s Hidden Signature
The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is the most famous painting by El Greco, the Cretan-born master who made…
The Prodigal Son in Art: 12 Paintings From the Departure to the Fatted Calf
Around 1635, Rembrandt painted himself in a tavern. He wears a plumed hat and a sword, he laughs over his…
Prayer Before a Crucifix: The Full Text, Its History and Eight Paintings
In a dark painting in the Prado, an old man with a palette in his hand kneels at the foot…
Regina Caeli Prayer: The Queen of Heaven in Latin, English and Seven Paintings
For fifty days every year, the Church stops saying the Angelus. From Easter Sunday to Pentecost, at morning, noon and…
St. Patrick’s Breastplate: The Full Prayer, the Hymn and Eight Paintings
On Easter morning, so the story goes, a king’s men lay in ambush on the road to Tara, waiting for…
Magnificat Prayer: The Song of Mary in English, Latin and Seven Paintings
In a round painting in the Uffizi, the Virgin Mary is writing. Two kneeling angels hold the book and the…