The Lives of the Saints, Volume 02 (of 16): FebruaryBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
The Lives of the Saints, Volume 02 (of 16): February
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Christian saints
Another sacred painting of Christ by S. Luke is in the possession of
the Benedictines of Vallombrosa. This portrait is certainly of very
great antiquity, and is in tempora on a panel of cypress wood. The
features are strongly emphasized, the face long, the eyes large and
bright, with eyelids drooping, and arched brows.
Another sacred picture is that given by S. Peter to the Senator
Pudens, which is exhibited on Easter Day, in the monastery of S.
Praxedes. The story goes that it was sketched by S. Peter for the
daughters of Pudens, one evening at supper, on the napkin of Praxedes.
It will be remembered that when Christ was laid in the tomb, His body
was wrapped in fine linen, and a linen napkin was on his face. These
relics are said to be preserved at Besançon and Turin. The Turin linen
shows the bloodstained outline of the Saviour's body; that at Besançon
is marked with the ointments. The features are impressed on the
napkin, and are of the Byzantine type.
A crucifix, by Nicodemus, is exhibited in the cathedral of Lucca.
Another portrait is the Nazaræum, which is certainly of considerable
antiquity, and is probably the earliest extant copy of the famous
Edessa picture. It is in the Latin convent at Nazareth. This picture
is engraved in Abraham Norow's travels in Palestine. (S. Petersburg,
1844).
Let us now turn to the literary sketches of the portrait of our Lord
which have descended to us.
S. Jerome, (d. 420), says that in the face and eyes of Christ there
was something heavenly, so that from their glory and majesty the
hidden Godhead flashed forth. S. John of Damascus, (d. about 760), in
his letter to the Emperor Theophilus, says, "Christ was tall and
stately, had brows uniting over the nose, beautiful eyes, a large
nose, curled hair, and a black beard. His hair was a gold-brown, like
wheat, resembling that of his mother, and his head was bowed somewhat
forward."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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