oil on canvas
Delegazione Pontificia per Il Santuario della Santa Casa, Loreto
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Saints Christopher, Roch, and Sebastian, c. 1535 oil on canvas Delegazione Pontificia per Il Santuario della Santa Casa, Loreto |
The patron saint of wayfarers, Christopher was a legendary giant who ferried travelers across a river. One day, he lifted a small child and nearly collapsed, as the child was Christ bearing the weight of the world. Both Roch, who touches an open sore, and Sebastian, pierced by arrows, survived physical ordeals. Invoked for protection against the plague, they are an appropriate choice for an altarpiece painted for the basilica of Loreto, where pilgrims sought relief from suffering.