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A relic from the Holy Catacombs of Pancratius. Historical Museum St. Gallen in Wil, Switzerland |
Catacomb saints were the bodies of early Christians exhumed from the catacombs of Rome and sent to Catholic churches in Germany and other northern European countries. The skeletons were often lavishly decorated with gold costumes to simulate early martyrs. These figures were created to replace statues and other decorations that had been destroyed during the Beeldenstorm of the 16th and 17th century.
3 comments:
We need to better learn our history... I was unfamiliar with this era... thanks for sharing
I am a body-painter and used photos of the bejeweled "saints" as inspiration for a photo shoot.
https://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/1705976/viewall
Very appropriate for the times we are all living though now. I very much agree with what arturoquimico said about the "need to learn our history". Whether we agree or not should not be the issue, as George Santayana said 'Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.'
And it also appalls me to see all the labour, though and love that goes into a real work of art destroyed. I am not a Catholic, but will never forget the pain of learning someone had defaced the Pieta.
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