Jesus with the Heavenly Host by Louis Cazottes

Title	Jesus with the Heavenly Host
Artist	Louis Cazottes (French, Montricoux, 1846–1934)
Date	1880
Medium	Oil painting on wood panel, framed
Dimensions	10 x 15 in. (25.4 x 38.1 cm)
Classification	Paintings
Credit Line	Archdiocese of Miami Collection
Marking	Painter’s Signature lower right.

“Jesus in the Heavenly Host” by artist Louis Cazottes is an oil painting on a wood panel from 1880. The figure of Jesus Christ is depicted as the Sacred Heart of Jesus wearing a red tunic, which signifies humanity, fire, life, and his ultimate sacrifice of love for all people. The light blue mantle symbolizes the infinite color of the heavens and Christ’s divinity and kingship.

Artist Louis Cazottes perfectly understood the symbolism of the image of the Sacred Heart. The artist painted a flaming heart with a cross above it, pierced by a lance on Jesus’s chest. The heart is shining with rays from within Christ’s chest, with his right hand pointing at his heart. The ardent rays represent the love of God for humankind.

In this magnificent painting, the Sacred Heart is surrounded by a brilliant illuminating yellow halo, and his body is shining with a divine yellow background that is more resplendent than the sun. The monumental barefoot Christ stands on top of a cloud surrounded by angels in the heavens over the landscape of a city. There are full-bodied kneeling angels and, on the top, the faces of other angels. The city or town represents humankind; it could be the artist’s chosen French town.

The painting is part of the Archdiocese of Miami Art Collection at St. Thomas University.

About the Artist: Some excerpts from “About the Artist” were written by the French writer André Lacombe (1949-2021), a Montricounais historian passionate about Louis Cazottes’ life. André Lacombe published a book in 2019 entitled “Louis Cazottes, cet artiste Montricounais Méconnu!.”

References

• Sur Louis Cazottes. France, July 2, 2021, http://viedelabrochure.canalblog.com/archives/2021/07/02/39040535.html

Louis Cazottes was born in Montricoux, France, on October 12, 1846. He came from a family of weaver workers. Cazottes was interested in art from an early age. When he was thirteen, he became an apprentice painter-decorator at the Church of Rocamadour.

A self-taught artist, he managed to improve his art skills in Paris. At 24, he became a drawing teacher at the Sarlat College.

In 1876, the Sacred Heart of Jesus appeared to him, turning his life around. Cazzottes decided to devote himself solely to religious painting and founded a “Christian art school” in Paray-le-Monial (age 71). Intended to train young artists.

Many of Cazottes’ works of art can be found in several churches in Tarn-et-Garonne: Castelferrus, Caussade, Lafrançaise, Piquecos, Saint-Cirq or even the cathedral of Montauban and in other cities such as Ariège, Lot, Dordogne, Saône-et-Loire, etc.

His work was praised by major national Catholic newspapers (La Croix, L’Express du Midi), and orders poured in until the eve of the First World War.

Louis Cazottes was close to his native village of Montricoux, a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France, where he was buried in 1934; the municipality restored his tomb eighty-seven years later.

African Praying Hands

Vintage African Praying Hands Sculpture
(Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy Collection/Archdiocese of Miami

Title	Praying Hands
Artist	Unknown
Culture	African
Date	1900 – 1950
Medium	Carved Ebonized Wood
Dimensions	3 inches x 1.75 inches x 8 inches
Classification	Woodwork
Credit Line	Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy Collection (A gift by the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy)
Collection	Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy
Location	Favalora Museum / Permanent Collection

An unknown African artist made the praying hands exhibiting at the Favalora Museum. The praying hand’s posture is a symbol of surrender to God and submission to his will. It also symbolizes worship to God, practiced by Christians for centuries as a sign of respect and adoration.

The sculpture is finely hand-carved on Ebony wood and shows a solid natural dark polish color. The wood comes from Ebony trees (Diospyros Crassiflora) found in the watercourses of Nigeria and Cameron.

The unique figurative sculpture shows not only the spiritual and religious representation but one can also appreciate the details of the human form in the portrayal of the hands.

The sculpture was a gift to Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy by The Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy (DMMM). The sisters, otherwise known as “Mercy Sisters,” is an indigenous women’s religious congregation founded in 1961 by the late Bishop Anthony Gogo Nwedo C.S.Sp. Its headquarters are in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria, West Africa.

It is an Institute of Apostolic religious life with a Pontifical Right. Mercy Sisters take the three evangelical vows of Obedience, Poverty, and Chastity. Although it is an indigenous Congregation, DMMM has spread its missionary arms to all parts of the world, including Africa, Europe, Canada, and the United States of America.

http://www.dmmmsisters-usa.org/about.htm#whow

https://www.miamiarch.org/CatholicDiocese.php?op=H_McCarthy

Papal Bull: Establishing Diocese of Miami, 1958

Papal Bull or Decree, Establishing the Diocese of Miami, 1958, declared by the Holy Father Pope Pius XII

Title:	Papal Bull Diocese of Miami, 1958
Credit:	Pope Pius XII, Holy See, Vatican City
Date:	1958
Medium:	Parchment Paper and metal seal
Dimensions:	25 inches x 16 inches
Classification:	Papal Document
Collection:	Archdiocese of Miami
Location:	Favalora Archive & Museum Permanent Collection

Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Miami on August 13, 1958, with territory taken from the Diocese of St. Augustine.  The rapid growth of Catholics, new parishes, and schools during the early 1950s in South Florida called for a new diocese in Miami.  

The Papal Bull in the Favalora Museum is the original document released by Pope Pius XII. The decree made of parchment paper written in Latin has a lead seal appended to the end of the document. It has engraved the images of Saints Peter and Paul and on the other side the Pope’s name. This seal is known as the bull, which is the official signature of the Holy Father. The yellow thread is silk twine holding the lead seal to the document.

The Papal Bull starts by saying  in Latin, “Pius Episcopus Servus Servorum Dej,” which means “Bishop Pius, Servant of the Servants of God.” The document declares the new territories of the Diocese of Miami and the Diocese of St. Augustine.

For more information visit:

https://www.miamiarch.org/CatholicDiocese.php?op=Article_archdioceses-history-60-years-of-grace

https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en.html

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03052b.htm

Ordination Maniturgium

Ordination Maniturgia (Maniturgium) Courtesy of Archdiocese of Miami (photo 1)

Title:	Ordination Maniturgia (Maniturgium)
Credit:	Unknown
Date:	19th Century
Medium:	Silk embroidered on linen
Dimensions:	41 inches long x 2 ½ inches width
Classification:	Textiles-Embroidered
Collection:	Archdiocese of Miami
Location:	Favalora Archive & Museum Permanent Collection

The Ordination Miniturgium was a fine linen cloth used during the Mass of Ordination to the Priesthood. The bishop presiding over the Sacrament of Holy Orders would anoint the new priest’s hands with Chrism oils. The priest’s hands were wrapped with the miniturgium to clean the excess of sacred oils (photo 1).   “After the priest’s first mass, he would present the linen to his mother. She saved the linen in a safe place until death. Then when her body was anointed with sacred Chrism oils in preparation for the funeral, the maniturgium was placed within the mother’s hands (Kosloski, 2017).”  The tradition was to reward the mother of a priest for her many sacrificies. Today, the maniturgium is no longer use as part of the Rite of Ordination. Instead, a purificator is used to wipe the excess oils, and the cloth is not used to wrap the hands around. Many ordained priest continue the tradition of rewarding their mothers by presenting the purificator to them.  

The manitergium comes from the Latin words manus (hand) and tergium (towel), hand towel).

The Ordination Maniturgium in our permanent collection is made of fine linen cloth, embroidered with colorful silk. The center of the linen has patterns of a Chalice with the host; wheat and grapes as emblems of the Eucharist. On the left side, it has the Latin words “Tibi Sacrificabo” and “Hostiam Laudis” on the right side, meaning “The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving.”

To learn more about the Ceremony of Ordination of Priests click here: https://youtu.be/bC5k4Dw9UvY

To read more about Ordination Maniturgium click here: https://aleteia.org/2017/08/25/this-pious-tradition-rewards-mothers-of-priests-for-their-many-sacrifices/

Reference

Kosloski, P. (2017, This pious tradition rewards mothers of priests for their many sacrifices. Aleteia, Retrieved from https://aleteia.org/2017/08/25/this-pious-tradition-rewards-mothers-of-priests-for-their-many-sacrifices/

American astronaut James B. Irwin, Apollo 15 lunar landing

Title:	American astronaut James B. Irwin, Apollo 15 lunar landing
Credit:	NASA
Date:	1971
Medium:	Gelatin color print
Dimensions:	9″ x 7″
Classification:	Photograph
Credit Line:	Gift of Jim Irwin, 1971
Collection:	Archdiocese of Miami
Location:	Favalora Archive and Museum

American astronaut James (Jim) B. Irwin signed the framed photograph for Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll, the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, in 1971. The dedication reads, “To Archbishop Coleman Carroll with my very best wishes – Jim Irwin, Apollo 15, 1971.”

On the left, the photograph shows Jim Irwin saluting the United States of America flag on the Moon on August 1, 1971. Irwin was the fourth human landing on the moon and the first mission to land in the Moon’s Hadley-Apennine region known for its mountains and rilles.

In the center shows the Apollo Lunar Module, which had carried Jim Irwin and his co-pilot David Scott to land on the moon from the Saturn V SA-510 rocket. To the right is a Lunar Roving Vehicle used in the Apollo 15 mission.

“James Irwin was a NASA astronaut who walked on the moon during the mission of Apollo 15. His arrival on the lunar surface capped a lifetime of longing to visit Earth’s largest neighbor” (Elizabeth Howel, SPACE). https://www.space.com/20567-james-irwin-apollo-15-astronaut.html

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/irwin_james.pdf

The photograph will be on display at St. Thomas University Library on August 23, 2021 in the Smithsonian’s Destion Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission Exhibition.

References:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo-15

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo15.html

https://www.miamiarch.org/CatholicDiocese.php?op=H_Carroll

Sacred Doors by artist Rev. Jorge A. Sardiñas

Title:                          Sacred Doors (two of a set)

Artist:                        Rev. Jorge Angel Sardiñas (Cuban, Havana 1950–2004 Miami)

Date:                          ca. 2000

Medium:                   Oil paint on oak wooden door panels

Dimensions:            80 inches × 36 inches

Classification:         Woodwork-Furniture, Paintings

Credit Line:             Gift of Dr. James Conley, 2016

Collection:                St. Thomas University

Location:                  Favalora Museum / Permanent Collection

Two painted wooden doors by artist Reverend Father Jorge A. Sardiñas were painted during the year 2000.  In addition, he painted an unnumbered set of doors in the years before his passing. Fr.  Sardiñas was a prolific, very talented contemporary artist. He was also a beloved priest and faculty member of St. Thomas University.  A significant number of his works of art are part of the St. Thomas University Art Collection.

One of the monumental doors was inspired by the biblical story of God’s Seventh-day creation.  The Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 5 reads, “God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Evening came, and morning followed—the first day.” (Bible, USCCB). Father Sardiñas represented the creation of night and day by painting a half-moon on the left and full sun shining on the sky.

The second door is an inspiration of the devotion for the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Sacratissimum Cor Iesu in Latin). The painting represents God’s love revealed in the pierced heart of His Son. The painted shows a sworn across a bleeding heart. It is the symbol of a love that conquers sin and transcends death, the symbol of the One who loved us to the end (Today’s Catholic, 2012).

Father Jorge Angel Sardinas was born October 2, 1950, in Havana, Cuba, and arrived in South Florida at ten years old. During the ninth grade, he entered St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Arts in 1973. Follow by a Master’s in Divinity from St. Vincent de Paul Major Seminary in Boynton Beach; and a Master’s in Theology from St. Vincent de Paul Seminary.

He became an ordained priest for the Archdiocese of Miami on May 14, 1977, and later in 1992, obtained a Fine Arts degree from the University of Florida. While as professor of St. Thomas University he designed all the artwork currently in the Chapel of St. Anthony at St. Thomas University.

Fr. Sardiñas was recognized by St. Thomas University by naming its university gallery the Rev. Jorge A. Sardiñas Gallery. A gallery that holds art exhibitions three times a year of local and international artists.

To read more about Fr. Sardiñas click here:   https://www.miamiarch.org/CatholicDiocese.php?op=BCG_151149938736

References:

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/1

Black Madonna of Częstochowa Quilt

Black Madonna of Częstochowa Sparkling Blue, Turquoise Blue, and Gold Beaded Quilt With Sequins & Beads / Archdiocese of Miami / Artist: Georges Valris from Haiti

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Black Madonna of Częstochowa Quilt

Georges Valris (Haiti, b. 1953)

ca. 2000s

Haitian

Satin with sequins and beads embroidery

W. 34 in., L.34 in.

Textiles – Embroidered

Archdiocese of Miami

Archdiocese of Miami, Inc.

Favalora Museum / Permanent Collection Display

The Black Madonna of Czestochowa‘s pictorial quilt was designed and hand-sewn by the Haitian-American artist Georges Valris. The quilt is entirely made by hand, stringing hundreds of multicolored glass beads and sequins on satin fabric to create traditional Haitian motifs and designs.

The Black Madonna Czestochowa, also known as Our Lady of Czestochowa, is originally a painting of the Blessed Virgin holding the Child Jesus. “She is the symbol of Polish national unity and has been venerated for six centuries (New York Times, July 23, 1990)”. The original was painted on a wood panel as early as the 14^th century.  

“Little is known about the beginnings of the Miraculous Image and its history until 1382. There is no specific and strictly historical information – only tradition and various pious legends according to which St. Luke The Evangelist painted Our Lady of Czestochowa still during the life of the Blessed Mother (Shrine of Jasna Gora, Poland).” The painting of Our Lady is in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Jasna Góra Monastery, Pauline Monastery.  https://jasnagora.pl/en/about-sanctuary/miracolous-icon-of-our-lady/

In many countries such as Haiti, Our Lady of Czestochowa is venerated.

By, D. M. (1990, Jul 22). Poland’s black madonna: In Czestochowa, an ancient icon has been venerated by pilgrims for six centuries. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/polands-black-madonna/docview/108510265/se-2?accountid=14129

Last Supper. Russian Icon.

Replica Image Print on wood “Last Supper” Russian Icon / Archdiocese of Miami

Title:                              Replica of  The Last Supper from 1497 Russian Icon

Date:                             ca. 1950s

Medium:                      Chromogenic prints

Dimensions:                14 1/2 inches x 10 1/2 inches x 3/4 inch

Classification:             Print -Icons

Provenance:                Archdiocese of Miami, Inc.

Collection:                   Archdiocese of Miami Inc.

Location:                      Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive & Museum

The print on wood is a replica of the Last Supper iconic painting by an unknown Russian artist from the 15th Century. The image on the surface of a wood panel has a round label in the back that reads “Abbazia Di. S. Bernardo Alle Terme” with a seal. It indicates that the replica is from San Bernando alle Terme, a Baroque style, Roman Catholic Abbatial church in Rome, Italy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardo_alle_Terme

The original Last Supper was painted with tempera on a panel in 1497, and it is part of the State Russian Museum Collection in St. Petersburg. The painting measures 32 inches x 24 inches.

Original Painting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Icon_last_supper.jpg

The replica at the Favalora Museum is a striking reproduction. All the figures look similar and are in the same position as the original. The replica’s background differs from the original; there are two buildings on the right with a cloth serving as an owning. The original has one building on the right without an owning.

The painting is from the Byzantine period in Russia. At the time, Russian artists’ influence came from Christian art in Rome.

It depicts a scene of Jesus Christ standing on the far left during the Last Supper with the twelve disciples. Jesus Christ has a halo, and all the disciples are seating around an oval table.  The Last Supper is in four books in the New Testament (Matthew 26:17–29; Mark 14:12–25; Luke 22:7–38; and I Corinthians 11:23–25).

The replica of the iconic Last Supper from Byzantine Russia is currently in the Archives of the Favalora Museum.

Nicene Creed Stained Glass Windows

Stained Glass Windows Photographs Depicting Nicene Creed / Courtesy of Stained Glass Ministry, Saint Boniface Church, Pembroke Pines

Title:                              Replica of  Nicene Creed Stained Glass Windows

Date:                              ca. 2000s

Medium:                       Chromogenic prints

Dimensions:                 13 1/2 inches x 6 1/2 inches per panel

Classification:               Photographs

Provenance:                 Saint Boniface Catholic Church, Pembroke Pines, Florida

Collection:                    Archdiocese of Miami Inc.

Location:                      Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive & Museum

Nicene Creed Stained Glass windows’ miniature photographic replica is eight panels formed of three color photographs each. The small black plastic panels are a three-opening frame. Each holds three pictures of the original stained-glass windows located at St. Boniface Church, 8330 Johnson St, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024. The replica set has twenty-four-color photographs.

https://www.miamiarch.org/CatholicDiocese.php?op=Article_1332512610194

Each stained glass window depicts The Nicene Creed of the Catholic Church https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe

The Nicene Creed is one of the texts of the profession of faith affirm by Catholics on Sunday Mass and solemnities.

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Our Lady of Aparecida

Frontal View: Replica of Our Lady of Aparecida / Archdiocese of Miami Collection / Photographer: Michaelle Vilmont / STU Class of 2021

Frontal View: Replica of Our Lady of Aparecida / Archdiocese of Miami Collection / Photographer: Michaelle Vilmont / STU Class of 2021

Title:                              Replica of  Our Lady of Aparecida

         

Date:                              ca. 1900s

Geography                   Made in Brazil

Culture:                         Brazil

Medium:                       Sandstone painted with color brown

Dimensions:                 10 inches long (statue)

Classification:              Sculpture-Stone

Acquisition:                  Archdiocese of Miami, Inc.

Collection:                    Archdiocese of Miami Inc.

Location:                      Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive & Museum

The replica of Our Lady of Aparecida, patroness of Brazil, is part of the Archdiocese of Miami’s collection. The sandstone image is currently house in the Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive & Museum at Saint Thomas University Library.

The image is made of sandstone and painted brown and carefully crafted to resemble the Blessed Mother Mary’s original image found in the River Paraiba by three Brazilian fishermen on October 1717.

A golden crown adorns the sacred image of Our Lady of Aparecida. It is a symbol of the Virgin’s divine queenship. Arches top the wreath, and on top, it has a cross-bearing orb. The cross is a symbol of Christ, the savior of the world. Diamonds and pearls adorned the crown.

Our Lady of Aparecida is wearing a navy blue velvet cape. The garment is hand-embroidered with golden threads of flowers and pearls. The cape has gold fringes sown around the bottom, radiating the Virgin’s divinity. A brooch is a pin in the cape’s front;  the gold metallic pin has a square diamond rock in the center.

The original image is in the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida. The Holy Father John Paul II consecrated the Basilica in 1980, while it was still under construction. The shrine was completed in 1884 and declared the largest Marian Temple in the world.

Our Lady of Aparecida, the principal Patroness of Brazil, celebrated throughout the world on October 12, and since 1980 is a public holiday in Brazil.

For more information about the history of Our Lady of Aparecida, click here:

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/10/12/our-lady-of-aparecida.html

Photographer: Michaelle Vilmont / Saint Thomas University Class of 2021

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Frontal lower detail of Our Lady of Aparecida / Archdiocese of Miami Collection / Photographer: Michaelle Vilmont, STU Class of 2021

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Cape of Our Lady of Aparecida / Archdiocese of Miami Collection / Photographer: Michaelle Vilmont, STU Class of 2021

Brooch pin view of Our Lady of Aparecida / Archdiocese of Miami Collection / Photographer: Michaelle Vilmont, STU Class of 2021

Crown of Our Lady of Aparecida / Archdiocese of Miami Collection / Photographer: Michaelle Vilmont, STU Class of 2021