St. John Nepomuk Bandera Natural History and Art Museum—New Spain Art Hall St. John Nepomuk (neh-poh-mook) is an intriguing saint who appears in a thought-provoking number of Colonial Spain art galleries. It is curious to wonder how this Bohemian saint showed up 200-400 years later in portraits, statues, and paintings in New Spain! A Bit of History Conflict with the King of Bohemia St. John Nepomuk was born in a town called Pomuk (now Nepomuk) in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic) in 1345. He later became a priest in Bohemia and was assigned to the cathedral in Prague. This 40-someth ..read more

Our Lady of Sorrows  by Juan Correa; circa 1680 New Spain Bandera Natural History and Art Museum This Juan Correa painting catches the eye of so many at the museum. One particularly Frequently Asked Question is:  Why is there a sword in Mary?  The answer lies in a brief ... and parenthesized! ... partial-verse in the Bible. By turning to Luke's Gospel, when Mary and Joseph were Presenting Jesus at the Temple, Holy Simeon instantly knew that the infant Jesus was the promised Messiah; he then felt ready to go the the Lord. Intriguingly, tucked in with his words of astonis ..read more

Ecce Agnus Dei  This "Ecce Agnus Dei" (ETCH-ay AHNG-nyoos DAY) banner is a classic inclusion in windows or paintings of St. John the Baptist. Ecce Agnus Dei is Latin for:  Behold the Lamb of God.  John the Baptist spoke these words twice in the first chapter of John's Gospel as Jesus was approaching (vv.19, 36). Those with John the Baptist—Andrew and another (tradition suggests John, the Gospel Writer) seemed to understand this title for Jesus. Perhaps they immediately understood that John was connecting Jesus to the unblemished lambs sacrificed in Ex ..read more

I got a persistent little nudge in my heart a month or so ago. My book cover ... it was lovely ... a beautiful salmon-colored, sky with lots of textured clouds representing the "Great Cloud of Witnesses." I took the photograph myself one evening while taking a walk on our ranch. The Hill Country sky was simply staggering! However, after seven years, a painting in my foyer started catching my attention and the prodding in my heart got stronger. And, voila! Here is my new book cover! ... Saints in Scripture The Marine Corps Guardian Angel in Our Foyer My Aunt Eileen Doyle pain ..read more

St. Francis of Assisi Receiving the Baby Jesus by Cristobal de Villalpando; New Spain, 1713 Bandera Natural History and Art Museum A Treasure and a Mystery  This brilliant piece of art—by New Spain artist Cristobal Villalpando—is both a treasure and a mystery. This story of Mary appearing to St. Francis and presenting the baby Jesus is not found in any of the original biographies of St. Francis. Yet, this theme seems to have been rather popular during the Baroque era of art (see the list below). Some assert the event was described by Irish Franciscan: Fr. Luke Wadding, O.F ..read more

  St. Stanislaus Kostka by Nicolas Enriquez New Spain, 1766 The New Spain Art Hall in Bandera, TX holds a vast array of religious art used by missionary priests to decorate churches and teach catechism lessons to the people of Colonial Spain. Many biblical and saint themes are there to admire and ponder. Some of the primary missionaries in Colonial Spain were Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans.  The Jesuit influence likely explains the inclusion of the Polish saint, St. Stanislaus Kostka, for he is a Jesuit whose story inspires multitudes. St. Stanislaus Kostka Patron o ..read more

  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque With A Jesuit-Influenced Sacred Heart Bandera Natural History and Art Museum St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was known for her visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a reminder of Jesus' deep, profound, and burning love for all humankind. Sacred Hearts With IHS Inscriptions? In the Colonial Spain art depiction of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque above, you might notice that the Sacred Heart she is holding has the classic Jesuit emblem of the IHS Christogram inscribed within. Actually, if you were to look closely at the whole painting (see below), you would fi ..read more

St. Vincent de Paul Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul; Paris, France My husband and I spent an amazing month in France last September/October. Because Chad is a St. Vincent de Paul Society member at our church, we decided to visit the Chapel of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris. We both looked forward to getting to know this great saint better through the visit ... and through the stained glass windows illustrating highlights of his life. The windows in the chapel are displayed below. They are presented in the order that they are arranged in the chapel (not in strict chronological order). So ..read more

I enjoy giving "tours" (often just walking around with people discussing things ?) at my beautiful parish, and at our stunning local art museum. One question that pops up now and then is: Why is Mary wearing a crown? The answer is fairly simple! If you scan through 1 & 2 Kings, you'll notice that it is the mothers of the Kings of Judah who are typically named within the introduction of each king (see the chart below). The Hebrew people of the Old Testament honored the mother of the king as their queen. Not the wife. So, when the early Christians accepted Jesus as their Christ, t ..read more

It's tricky for many to determine what this piece of vegetation is. It's only a small part of the full painting, but it's quite noticeable. Surely there must be some sort of significance! Pear and fig seem to be the two most popular suggestions. After a bit of processing and studying, I've decided that I'm on "Team Fig."   A fairly basic study of pears shows that they don't stand up on end very easily, and their leaves tend to have pointy tips. A fig, however can grow upwards, and their leaves tend to have rounder ends. Also, figs are mentioned MANY times in the Bible (see the lis ..read more