Study on Christian Iconography

Christian iconography is very broad, and a good model is the iconographic factory of our Orthodox brothers, for example.

Serving the iconography of remembrance, and also for prayer: it recreates biblical passages, and also of Saints, to put in front of our retinas what the author's imaginary imagined about what happened

An example is the iconic representation of the death of St. Thomas Becket in this chest of the twelfth century. Where in the frontal appear his enemies killing him by the sword. And at the top, on the lid, appear his successors blessing him as a Saint.

This casket of St. Thomas More at his crossroads could well have served as inspiration, and also as encouragement in the face of the test centuries later.

Jewels like this are collected as iconographic studies for our delight at the Complutense Spanish University:

https://www.ucm.es/bdiconografiamedieval/temas-cristianos

😀 Surely you find some work inspiring 😀

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here

2131 Basing itself on the mystery of the incarnate Word, the seventh ecumenical council at Nicaea (787) justified against the iconoclasts the veneration of icons - of Christ, but also of the Mother of God, the angels, and all the saints. By becoming incarnate, the Son of God introduced a new "economy" of images.

Piece of Art: 

POZA YAGÜE, Marta (2011): "Santo Tomás Becket", Base de datos digital de Iconografía Medieval. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. En línea: www.ucm.es/bdiconografiamedieval/santo-tomas-becket

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And he was going for something else

Alphonse was traveling

And the afternoon before his return, he had to pay a visit to a family friend and tried to excuse himself by leaving a note. But there was "something" that held him back

During the visit he began a Religious conversation with the friend of the Family who was Catholic and who told him about the Holy Virgin Mary and also gave him a medallion of "La Milagrosa" and a prayer. Alphonsus, a non-believer in the Holy Virgin Mary, took both objects to imply that this had no reason to exist. The fact is that, "something" made him take them

The next day with the trip completed and with the intention of leaving, his friend asks him to accompany him to a Church to ask for a responsory for a person he knew, and so he could appreciate the Art of the church. 

Alphonse was visiting the church... and in the little chapel of the Holy Virgin Mary..., this happens to Alphonse that he himself narrates:

"The whole building disappeared from my sight, I saw a great glow and in the midst of that glow on the altar appeared to me upright, splendid, full of majesty and sweetness the Virgin Mary as it is painted on the medal and smiled at me, she did not say anything to me, but I understood everything"

This is how our friend Alphonse became St. Marie Alphonse Ratisbonne

A beautiful story that you can read in this link:

https://www.isfcc.org/the-conversion-of-alphonse-ratisbonne/

😀 and is that when Mary is in the Middle

everything starts well, mediates well and never ends 😀

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here

644 Even when faced with the reality of the risen Jesus the disciples are still doubtful, so impossible did the thing seem: they thought they were seeing a ghost. "In their joy they were still disbelieving and still wondering."506 Thomas will also experience the test of doubt and St. Matthew relates that during the risen Lord's last appearance in Galilee "some doubted."507 Therefore the hypothesis that the Resurrection was produced by the apostles' faith (or credulity) will not hold up. On the contrary their faith in the Resurrection was born, under the action of divine grace, from their direct experience of the reality of the risen Jesus.

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Virtual Tours III: Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

And very appropriate the Extramuros and is that this man transferred everything that was put in front of him:

The Mediterranean is crossed from one place to another

Visited the Communities

He encouraged and exorted them.

I wrote letters to them

He preached and evangelized them

. . .

Well, what more could you ask for about an Apostle?

Well, let them make him a Basilica; yes 😀

Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls

Beautiful, both for its external gardens and for its interior and the figures, the ceilings, the marbles, tó!! 😀

And it is put at your disposal through a simple Virtual Tour where you will be able to contemplate all the wonder of its Art

https://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_paolo/vr_tour/index-en.html

I hope you like it! 😀😀

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here

2502 Sacred art is true and beautiful when its form corresponds to its particular vocation: evoking and glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent mystery of God - the surpassing invisible beauty of truth and love visible in Christ, who "reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature," in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily."297 This spiritual beauty of God is reflected in the most holy Virgin Mother of God, the angels, and saints. Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God, Creator and Savior, the Holy One and Sanctifier.

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Thank you

How many times will it have come to our minds what it would be like to be able to hear the first Christians speak of the Faith.

Thanks to the "Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology" we can get closer to them and contemplate where they walked, where they gathered, where they prayed, where they cried and where they smiled.

As the Commission mentions on its website, the visitor: "discover architectural and artistic wonders, find stories of families from the first Christian centuries. See figures and scenes with frescoes on the walls and vaults, often based on biblical pages intertwined with images of pagan classicism. Admire characters and intuit personal stories of the dead and the society in which they were immersed."

Below are the names of four martyrs of the Great Persecution:

Zoticos, Attalos, Kamasis, Filippos

Permanent witness of Christian presence:

The Christian boat and the elements:

and there is also a virtual tour:

http://www.catacombeditalia.va/content/archeologiasacra/es/descubre-catacumbas/tourvirtuali.html

Thanks; to our Brothers that they continue speaking from the dyeing of the last floor they stepped on.

Our today is his Holy Legacy

Amen

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here

28 In many ways, throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behaviour: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being:

From one ancestor (God) made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him - though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For "in him we live and move and have our being."2

"Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology": 

http://www.catacombeditalia.va

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Mariah's Pop a Musical Group for the Virgin Mary

In its firm commitment to the Virgin Mary, the group Musical Mariah's Pop continues to evangelize the world with its voice 😀😀

With songs full of Love for the Mother of Christ they impregnate their lyrics with ideas that are full of content.

And Color

Here is a good example of this in his song "Mayonnaise" that with the subtlety of the lyrics and the care of the image launch an accurate message to all those who already follow them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAFA_RLQ_rU&list=RDDAFA_RLQ_rU&start_radio=1

Good line this one of the songs of lyrics with content, care of the Image with Colorful Spaces, and even that touch of humor that emanates from the Creativity with Rhythm

They have Youtube channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT8HXNlvx7u1irAW7GFX_aQ

And Official Web Page with Shop https://mariahspop.com/

Needless to say and with their permission, their 2 Mothers of Heaven are very proud 😀😀😀

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here

1162 "The beauty of the images moves me to contemplation, as a meadow delights the eyes and subtly infuses the soul with the glory of God."32 Similarly, the contemplation of sacred icons, united with meditation on the Word of God and the singing of liturgical hymns, enters into the harmony of the signs of celebration so that the mystery celebrated is imprinted in the heart's memory and is then expressed in the new life of the faithful.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT8HXNlvx7u1irAW7GFX_aQ

Mariah's Pop Web: https://mariahspop.com/

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At the begining, do it with Art

What better way to come back than with Art

That Art that join Love, Passion and delicacy like @Thankful.art 

They make decorative papers and personalized illustrations with Catholic feeling. Here is an example of this delicacy:

For more information, here, you have the web-link:

https://www.instagram.com/thankful.art/

I dedicate this publication to a couple who recently just had a girl. May Our Lady of Fatima take care of her and guide her always, always, always 😀😀

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here:

2702 The need to involve the senses in interior prayer corresponds to a requirement of our human nature. We are body and spirit, and we experience the need to translate our feelings externally. We must pray with our whole being to give all power possible to our supplication.

Thankful.art https://www.instagram.com/thankful.art/

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A story between Beauty and the Vigour

Glory for the 41 Soldiers and Holy Heroes who in the 4th century before the Roman Empire gave it their all. They are:

The Forty-1 Martyrs of Sebaste

Roman soldiers first, and hosts of Christ after

With the first thing you pursue glory. With the latter, Divine Glory makes use of you

The situation was to honor to dead figures and preserve terrestrial life by losing the Soul, or to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be faithful to what they lived for years, and with martyrdom to preserve the Soul by losing earthly life

The capacity of Martyrdom is not a human capacity, but is a Divine Gift that God bestows at a given moment, and there, the Human Will and the Divine become ONE in the face of the tragic moment. And this is conditioned, not achieved by purely human effort. It is worth the example of St. Lawrence who, having suffered martyrdom lying on a grill, at full fire asks to be turned around. The Divine intervenes so that the forces/laws of Nature otherwise impact the human body

The testimony itself is that these men began to be tortured, and the last torture was in spending days and nights in an icy lake until the cold nullified the body heat

They encouraged each other with songs, from Psalms and surely also with songs by Soldiers. Apparently the younger one was encouraged to give up. And this animated by his Mother who contemplated and encouraged him persisted

The bravery of these men was of such Testimony that it touched all present

So he looked like one of the 40s gave up, and left the lake to a place reserved for those who wished not to continue

Then the guardian who was in charge of the 40s not fleeing, and who was also a Soldier, in a feeling of martial recognition, also declared himself a Christian and joined the group to preserve the whole. And probably as a newly converted soldier, knowing that that gesture would keep the Moral

But the one who gave up was because first he was, and the initial merit belongs to him and here he is not taken away, and this is the ONE that is mentioned

It's Another who gets to Judge

Therefore these are, and this is the story, of the Forty-1 Soldiers who gave Witness to Christ in Sebaste (Present Turkey)

In EWTN are all the details of this beautiful story:

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/saints/forty-martyrs-of-sebaste-419

Amen!

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here 

523 St. John the Baptist is the Lord's immediate precursor or forerunner, sent to prepare his way.196 "Prophet of the Most High", John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last.197 He inaugurates the Gospel, already from his mother's womb welcomes the coming of Christ, and rejoices in being "the friend of the bridegroom", whom he points out as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world".198 Going before Jesus "in the spirit and power of Elijah", John bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion, and through his martyrdom.199

Wikipedia Image: De anonimus - http://web.mit.edu/ocf/www/icons.html The Orthodox Weekly Bulletin, Dominio público, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1596812

EWTN: https://www.ewtn.com/es

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The Blue Lady

Listening to Radio Maria, there is a program that presents a Nun with Extraordinary Virtues

They call her "The Blue Lady", and her name is Sister Mary of Agreda

Great Marian Mystic who wrote a Book about the Virgin Mary and which is called "The Mystic City of God":

The Mystic City of God, the history or life of Our Lady, begins to deal with Mary's presence in the divine plan of creation, predestined together with Christ Jesus, her Son, Firstborn of every creature, to be her Mother. So from the first moment of his Conception in the divine mind, Pure, Immaculate, free from all sin was created. It was required by her unique dignity to be the worthy Mother of God.

A book that must be beautiful

In addition this Nun had the Gift of Bilocation:

1. prnl. One person's saying: To be in two different places at once.

Spain Royal Language Academy

And nothing less than that located in Soria was also bilocated in North America during the seventeenth century

And many more things are known about this Nun than is at the height of San Alfonso María de Ligorio, no less

To learn more about Sister Maria de Agreda there is a very interesting and complete website:

https://mariadeagreda.org/en/the-great-marian-mystic/

How many Wonders 😀😀 have in Our Catholic Church!

All together a Way that leads us to God

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here

46 When he [the person] listens to the message of creation and to the voice of conscience, man can arrive at certainty about the existence of God, the cause and the end of everything.

Sister Mary of Agreda Web: https://mariadeagreda.org/la-gran-mistica-mariana/

Spain Royal Language Academy: https://www.rae.es/

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Virtual Visits II: The Sistine Chapel

Continuing our Virtual visits, today it brings up

the "Sistine Chapel"the "Sistine Chapel"

It appears (I have not yet been able to visit it), one of the most beautiful compositions created by the hand of man with the help of God

https://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

And Michelangelo was guided by God because from the raw elements of Nature obtain such beauty requires a guided sensibility. Because the result, which represents the Divinity, is going to be contemplated by Eternity

Also in the Sistine Chapel is held the Conclave where the Cardinals elect the next Pope

Well, a Masterpiece

that thanks to New Technologies

we can enjoy from the sofa of our Home

😀😀

Happy Visit

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here

2502 Sacred art is true and beautiful when its form corresponds to its particular vocation: evoking and glorifying, in faith and adoration, the transcendent mystery of God - the surpassing invisible beauty of truth and love visible in Christ, who "reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature," in whom "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily."297 This spiritual beauty of God is reflected in the most holy Virgin Mother of God, the angels, and saints. Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God, Creator and Savior, the Holy One and Sanctifier.

The trademarks and content used herein belong to their respective owners

A Very Iconic Publication: The Meaning of Colors

In Art, and more specifically in painting, color is essential

And practically in all art, because, apart from the simulation of movement, in a work what transmits life is also color. And in Art this addition of color through painting is often referred to as "Polychrome"

An example of color application in Art is Iconography where each color is concrete. No shades are applied because each color has its own meaning

Icon about Mary and the baby Jesus

For example, the meaning of the color Blue:

"All ancient cultures made blue a color related to divinity.

[ . . . ]

Michel Quenot, in his invaluable work "The Icon" says: Blue offers a transparency that is verified in the emptying of water, air or glass. The gaze penetrates there to infinity and reaches God."

A complete relationship of the meaning of all colors appears on the web Catholic.net:

In Spanish Language Link:

http://es.catholic.net/op/articulos/57110/cat/109/los-colores-en-la-simbologia-del-icono.html

Auto-Translate by Bing Translator Courtesy:

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Where it says such interesting things as:

"The iconographers [the authors, are:], writers who do not painters of the icons since they are written and not painted"

Well, that icons are written and not painted

It will be because they transmit the Living Word, perhaps 😀😀

References:

Catechism of the Catholic Church click here

701 The dove. At the end of the flood, whose symbolism refers to Baptism, a dove released by Noah returns with a fresh olive-tree branch in its beak as a sign that the earth was again habitable.58 When Christ comes up from the water of his baptism, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes down upon him and remains with him.59 The Spirit comes down and remains in the purified hearts of the baptized. In certain churches, the Eucharist is reserved in a metal receptacle in the form of a dove (columbarium) suspended above the altar. Christian iconography traditionally uses a dove to suggest the Spirit.

Web Catholic.net: http://catholic.net/

Bing Translator: https://www.bing.com/Translator