Patrick and other medieval saints …

We have all heard the story – you know the one, about Saint Patrick driving the snakes from the emerald isle with his holy stick? My father (a Dubliner) took great enjoyment in embellishing the tale for his children, with Saint Pat ‘scaring the bejesus out of the little devils, herding them across the sea to settle on English shores’. Of course there never were any snakes in Ireland and it is more likely a symbolic reference to the ‘driving out’ of ancient druid beliefs from Ireland, but it does highlight the mystical powers and often odd connections associated with patron saints.

Have you ever heard of Saint Fiacre? Born in Ireland in the 6^th century he is generally known as the patron saint of growing food and medicinal plants, but he also had a reputed aversion to women, hence the reason he is known as the patron saint of venereal disease sufferers. However, his most notable gift was his ability to heal haemorrhoids. ‘Saint Fiacre’s illness’ as it was so named during the medieval period, was very common and prayers were dedicated to Saint Fiacre who reputedly once sat upon a large rock to contemplate causing the stone to soften and melt away!

Faith brought hope to people in a period when a medicinal cure for many afflictions was unheard of or was unlikely, so it is hardly surprising that a saint could be evoked for just about any circumstance. Saint Roch, born about 1295 was venerated by many with the Black Death for he had reportedly both contracted the disease and survived and was able to cure others by marking them with the sign of the cross. Today Saint Roch is known as the patron saint of dogs as he was allegedly cured by his own pet who licked clean his open sores.

And the patron saint of writers? – Saint Francis de Sales, so named because of his books, the most famous of which was ‘Introduction to the Devout Life’. It was as unusual for the time as it was written particularly for laypeople and counselled charity over penance as a means of progressing in the spiritual life. Perhaps a lesson for us all?

Cathy A

When a delayed flight become a serendipitous delight!

Can there be anything more disheartening than arriving at the airport, only to be told that your flight has been delayed for 28 hours? The comforts of home simply cannot be matched by the Holiday Inn and though I love California, the area around Los Angeles International Airport is not particularly inspiring and lacks the razzmatazz required to hold the interest of two bored teenagers. What to do? Count the number of cars that pass through the adjoining McDonalds ‘drive-thru’ or watch re-runs of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ on FOX?

A quick visit to the tour desk revealed the close proximity of the Getty Centre, Los Angeles – crisis averted as we made a dash for the bus and headed out to Bel Air.

With no preconceived idea of what we might see, you can imagine my delight to discover that I had been provided with the opportunity to examine a number of medieval illuminations, paintings and artefacts. My personal favourites though were the panels, small enough to be carried with the owner or displayed in a private chamber or mounted on a wall.

The Madonna of Humility c. 1345 to 1350.  Artist – Guariento di Arpo (Italian)

I loved the vivid colour and composition of this piece and was surprised by its size –with original frame: 33 x 17.1 cm (13 x 6 3/4 in.)

The Annunciation c. 1348 50 1350. Artist – Paolo Veneziano (Italian)

 I was really taken with the shape of this panel and its ability to be folded for transportation. Framed, it is only 22.9 x 26 x 2.5 cm (9 x 10 1/4 x 1 in.)

Saint Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata and An Angel Crowning Saints Cecilia and Valerian c. 1330 Unnamed Italian Master.

The third example, and my personal favourite, embodies all that I imagined a medieval panel would be – ‘delicately painted and small enough to hold in one’s hand, this panel was probably crafted to complement the private devotions of a single owner, the Blessed Delphine de Signe –

 This folding altarpiece depicts Saint Francis receiving the stigmata on the left and an angel crowning Saints Cecilia and Valerian with floral wreaths on the right. Delphine de Signe, an aristocrat living at the court of Naples in the early 1300s, had sworn a vow of virginity. Despite this, a marriage was arranged between her and Elzéar de Sabran, also a member of the court. Elzéar was a deeply religious youth, and Delphine was able to convert him to chastity by recounting the legends of Cecilia and Valerian, early Christian martyrs who took a vow of celibacy for their spiritual beliefs. Although they suffered from family opposition, Delphine and her husband remained devoted to one another and honored their common vow. Since the unusual subject matter of the virgin saints would have held symbolic import and served as a model for Delphine and Elzéar’s own marriage, Delphine may have been the first owner of this diptych. The couple belonged to the lay Third Order of the Franciscans, which explains the depiction of Saint Francis at the left.

The J.Paul Getty Centre in Los Angeles is a truly remarkable museum and not one I would have considered to include in my travel itinerary, but for a delay and as serendipity is a theme often associated with Lions and Lilies, one that that I thought to include as my first blog entry.

http://www.getty.edu/index.html

Cathy A