Content area
Full Text
Statues, icons and holy cards Images of saints enhance Christian devotion SAINTS AND THEIR SYMBOLS: RECOGNIZING SAINTS IN ART AND IN POPULAR IMAGES By Fernando and Gioia Lanzi, translated by Matthew J. O'Connell Liturgical Press, 237 pages, $49.95
HOLY CARDS By Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPasqua Harry N. Abrams, 144 pages, $24.95
Most Catholics probably know about St. Lucy and her eyes, St. Lawrence and his grill, St. Agnes and the lamb. But did you know St. Martin de Porres is pictured with a broom? Why does St. Helen of Skövde appear next to a severed finger? And how did St. Antony of Egypt get to be patron of swineherds?
The liturgical calendar turns on the lives of the saints, who serve as bridges between the human and divine world, act as focal points for devotion and represent the vast diversity of the communion of saints. Images of saints are everywhere in the Christian world-in windows, icons, statues, mosaics and in holy cards-but many modern Christians have forgotten how to decipher the meaning of their traditional symbols.
Saints and their Symbols: Recognizing Saints...