On December 21st, we introduced the Holy Helpers – a co-operative of
Saints to be invoked together against miscellaneous problems. One of
the team’s male specialists is St. Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of
France and bishop of Paris when decapitated during a Roman persecution
of Christians in 285 AD. Unimpressed by the loss of his head, St.
Denis picked it up and walked 10 kilometres along the Seine bank,
preaching a sermon all the way from Montmartre, his execution place,
to a spot suitable for his burial, the site of the Gothic abbey church
named after him and funeral church of the French kings. (Incidentally,
Saints in the habit of walking about this way are called
cephalophores).
The picture shows an altarpiece in the ‘International Gothic’ style,
commissioned in 1398 for a Holy Trinity programme in the Carthusian
monastery church of Champmol, near Dijon. The artist is Jean Malouel
(Johan Maelwael) of Nijmegen, a North Netherlandish painter working
for the French and Burgundian courts and uncle of the famous Limburg
brothers. Deeply immersed in late medieval aesthetics, Malouel’s altar
excels in profound piety. The vivid blue of the mantles of Christ and
the martyrs dominates his extensive palette, literally enriched by a
gold background. The powerful composition follows part of St. Denis’
legend. Still imprisoned on the left, he receives the last Communion
from Christ himself, assisted by angels. In the centre, a crucified
Christ watched over by God the Father and the Holy Spirit bridges to
the scene on the right, where a burly executioner lifts his axe anew
to definitely sever the blindfolded bishop’s head from his neck. A
companion already lost his tonsured head, while another waits his
turn. Turbaned spectators comment upon the event.
Obviously St. Denis’ Holy Helper expertise was to cure people from
headaches. Here is a comforting thought for those who distrust saintly
mediation: a brisk outdoor walk may also do miracles to overcome a
splitting headache.
(text: Jos Hanou)
Saints to be invoked together against miscellaneous problems. One of
the team’s male specialists is St. Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of
France and bishop of Paris when decapitated during a Roman persecution
of Christians in 285 AD. Unimpressed by the loss of his head, St.
Denis picked it up and walked 10 kilometres along the Seine bank,
preaching a sermon all the way from Montmartre, his execution place,
to a spot suitable for his burial, the site of the Gothic abbey church
named after him and funeral church of the French kings. (Incidentally,
Saints in the habit of walking about this way are called
cephalophores).
The picture shows an altarpiece in the ‘International Gothic’ style,
commissioned in 1398 for a Holy Trinity programme in the Carthusian
monastery church of Champmol, near Dijon. The artist is Jean Malouel
(Johan Maelwael) of Nijmegen, a North Netherlandish painter working
for the French and Burgundian courts and uncle of the famous Limburg
brothers. Deeply immersed in late medieval aesthetics, Malouel’s altar
excels in profound piety. The vivid blue of the mantles of Christ and
the martyrs dominates his extensive palette, literally enriched by a
gold background. The powerful composition follows part of St. Denis’
legend. Still imprisoned on the left, he receives the last Communion
from Christ himself, assisted by angels. In the centre, a crucified
Christ watched over by God the Father and the Holy Spirit bridges to
the scene on the right, where a burly executioner lifts his axe anew
to definitely sever the blindfolded bishop’s head from his neck. A
companion already lost his tonsured head, while another waits his
turn. Turbaned spectators comment upon the event.
Obviously St. Denis’ Holy Helper expertise was to cure people from
headaches. Here is a comforting thought for those who distrust saintly
mediation: a brisk outdoor walk may also do miracles to overcome a
splitting headache.
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