Sacred images in Catholicism

IWhat the Church teaches about images

Catholics do not worship images. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in no. 2132 that the veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment, because the honour given to an image is directed to the one the image depicts. The Catechism calls this a respectful veneration, distinct from the adoration that is due to God alone.

The Catechism also recalls that the Old Testament forbade any image of God, because God is invisible. The reason Christianity has images lies in the mystery of the Incarnation: the Son of God became man, so what people have seen can be depicted. No. 1159 says that the sacred image principally represents Christ. Images of Mary and of the saints point back to Christ, who is glorified in them. No. 1192 sums it up: images in churches and homes are meant to awaken and nourish faith. Through the image of Christ, it is Christ himself who is adored. Through images of Mary, the angels and the saints, the persons depicted are venerated.

The historical anchor is the Second Council of Nicaea in 787, the seventh ecumenical council, held after the period of image breaking in the Byzantine Empire. The council taught that images of Jesus, Mary, the angels and the saints, whether painted, in mosaic or made of any other suitable material, are to be placed in churches, on sacred vessels and vestments, on walls, in homes and along the streets. The council distinguished the veneration given to images from the adoration (latria) due to God alone.

In December 1563, the 25th session of the Council of Trent restated this teaching in the face of the Reformation. Images of Christ, the Virgin and the saints are to be kept in churches and given due honour. They are honoured not because any divinity or power is believed to be in them, nor in order to ask anything of the image itself, but because the honour is referred to those whom they represent. The council also ordered abuses to be removed and forbade any unusual image to be set up without the bishop's approval.

What images are for. The Holy See's Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy (2001) lists several things: images are a transcription of the Gospel into pictures, sacred signs that point to Christ, memorials of the saints, an aid to prayer, an invitation to imitation and a form of catechesis. The Directory also says the faithful must be helped to understand that an image is not venerated for its own sake.

The Church also sets limits. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 318, teaches that images in a church should not be multiplied, should be arranged so as not to distract the congregation, and that there should usually be only one image of any given saint. According to no. 306, only what is needed for the Mass is placed on the altar table, and the Holy See's Directory says relics should not be displayed on the altar table. The constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 125, explains that too many images, or images set out without proper order, can confuse the Christian people and foster devotion of doubtful orthodoxy. The Directory also notes that the Church has many times forbidden the display of images contrary to the faith, indecorous images or images likely to lead the faithful into error.

While the Church was still persecuted, Christians did use pictures, but according to the article on the website of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam, these were a language of symbols rather than objects of veneration. On graves in the catacombs they marked their faith with symbols: the fish, the Greek letters X and P laid over each other, the prophet Jonah, a young man carrying a lamb on his shoulders.

On wording: Vietnamese Catholics say "ảnh tượng" (holy images), "ảnh thánh" (holy pictures), "linh ảnh" (icon) and "tôn kính" (veneration). In Vietnamese this page uses the word "hình thờ" because it is the shared name of this series in the library, with no suggestion that Catholics worship images.

IIWhat is in the sanctuary

According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the altar is the centre of the thanksgiving that the Mass offers. The images in a church are arranged to lead the faithful towards the mysteries of faith celebrated there. The diagram below shows what the General Instruction mentions. The actual placement differs from church to church.

The altar and the cross

The General Instruction says the altar is where the Sacrifice of the Cross is made present under sacramental signs, and also the table of the Lord. On the altar or near it there must be a cross bearing the figure of Christ crucified, to remind the faithful of the saving Passion. The General Instruction adds that it is fitting for this cross to remain near the altar even outside liturgical celebrations. The custom of placing relics of saints under an altar about to be dedicated is retained, including relics of saints who were not martyrs.

The tabernacle and the sanctuary lamp

The Catechism explains that the tabernacle was first meant for keeping the Eucharist so it could be brought to the sick and to those absent. As faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist deepened, the Church became more aware of the meaning of silent adoration of the Lord there. The General Instruction says the tabernacle must stand in a noble, prominent place suitable for prayer, be made of solid material that is not transparent, and be locked. It also says the tabernacle should preferably not be on the altar where Mass is celebrated. The lamp burning near the tabernacle indicates and honours the presence of Christ.

The ambo and the Paschal candle

The General Instruction says the dignity of the word of God requires a suitable place for its proclamation, towards which the congregation naturally turns during the Liturgy of the Word. The Paschal candle is a large candle blessed and lit each year at the Easter Vigil. On it are a cross, the letters Alpha and Omega, the numerals of the year and five grains of incense recalling the wounds of Christ. Throughout the Easter season the candle stands in the sanctuary near the altar. Afterwards it is placed near the baptismal font and lit at baptisms and funerals.

The Stations of the Cross

Along the walls of most churches are the fourteen Stations of the Cross, each a scene on the road Jesus took to Calvary. The Holy See's Directory says this devotion gathers several devotions dating from the Middle Ages, rooted in pilgrimages to the Holy Land, was widely promoted by Saint Leonard of Port Maurice (died 1751), and has had fourteen stations since the middle of the 17th century. Wikipedia gives another date: in 1731 Pope Clement XII allowed every church to have the Stations and fixed their number at fourteen. The Holy See also accepts other forms that follow the Gospel account more closely.

IIIThe cross and the crucifix

A cross with the figure of Christ crucified is found at every Catholic altar, because liturgical law requires it. Britannica writes that in the centuries after the emperor Constantine, devotion to the cross stressed Christ's victory over evil and death. Early crucifixes show Christ alive. The Gero Cross in Cologne is the earliest known Western image of Christ dead on the cross, and from about 1240 Italian painters favoured showing the suffering Christ. The small plaque at the top of the cross usually bears the four letters INRI.

The Gero Cross

Gero-KreuzHow to recognize: Head bowed, eyes closed, body sagging

Carved in oak around 965 to 970 at the order of Archbishop Gero, and kept in Cologne Cathedral ever since. The figure of Christ is 187 cm tall. Wikipedia records it as the oldest large sculpture of Christ crucified north of the Alps and the earliest known Western depiction of Christ dead on the cross.

Source: Wikipedia, Gero Cross.

The San Damiano Cross

Crocifisso di San DamianoHow to recognize: Christ upright, eyes open, many small figures around him

A painted cross in the Romanesque style, from around 1100. Tradition tells that Saint Francis of Assisi was praying before this cross in the chapel of San Damiano when he heard the call to repair the Church. The original now hangs in the Basilica of Saint Clare in Assisi, and the cross in San Damiano is a copy.

Source: Wikipedia, San Damiano cross. Wikipedia, Francis of Assisi.

Cimabue's crucifix

How to recognize: Christ's body curved, head tilted, eyes closed

A large painting on wood that was formerly in the church of Santa Croce, Florence, and is now kept in the church's museum (Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce), an early and famous example of the suffering Christ (Christus patiens) that Italian painters favoured from about 1240. The Arno flood of 1966 cost the painting about 60 percent of its paint. On the date, Wikipedia gives about 1265, while the file page of the photo gives 1287 to 1288.

Source: Wikipedia, Crucifix (Cimabue, Santa Croce).

Velázquez's Christ Crucified

Cristo crucificadoHow to recognize: Plain dark background, the two feet side by side, one nail in each

An oil painting of 1632, 249 cm high and 170 cm wide, now in the Prado Museum. Jesus is fixed with four nails instead of three, following the view of the painter Pacheco.

Source: Wikipedia, Christ Crucified (Velázquez).

IVImages of Jesus Christ

Besides the crucifix, each major devotion to Jesus has its own image. The Holy See's Directory observes that popular piety tends to link a devotion with its image, and regards this as normal and positive.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sacro Cuore di GesùHow to recognize: A flaming heart shown on the breast or in the hand, wrapped in thorns, with a cross above it

Devotion to the Sacred Heart spread after the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque at Paray-le-Monial, France, from 1673 to 1675. The painting by Pompeo Batoni in the church of the Gesù, Rome, became the most popular model. On the date, Wikipedia gives 1767 and the file page of the photo gives 1760. The Holy See's Directory says the Sacred Heart expresses the whole mystery of Christ, and warns that some over sentimental images fail to convey that theological content. Many families place an image of the Sacred Heart in a place of honour at home, a practice started by Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey in 1907.

Source: Holy See, Congregation for Divine Worship, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 2001 (English edition). Wikipedia, Sacred Heart. Wikipedia, Sacred Heart of Jesus (Batoni).

The Divine Mercy

Jezu ufam TobieHow to recognize: Jesus in white, right hand raised in blessing, two rays, red and pale, flowing from his breast

An image based on the account of Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun. The Holy See's page records the veneration of the Divine Mercy image with the inscription "Jesus, I trust in You". The first painting was made by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski in Vilnius in 1934 and is now in a shrine in that city. The most reproduced version is by Adolf Hyła, kept at the shrine in Kraków-Łagiewniki. According to the saint's diary, the pale ray stands for Water and the red ray for Blood.

Source: Holy See, biography of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska. Wikipedia, Divine Mercy image.

The Infant Jesus of Prague

Pražské JezulátkoHow to recognize: A child wearing a crown, holding a globe topped by a cross in the left hand, blessing with the right

A wax covered wooden statue 48 cm tall, of Spanish origin, from the 16th century. In 1628 Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz gave it to the Carmelite friars in Prague. The statue is now in the Church of Our Lady of Victories and has about one hundred sets of clothes, changed according to the colour of the liturgical season.

Source: Wikipedia, Infant Jesus of Prague.

Christ Pantocrator

PantocratorHow to recognize: Half figure, looking straight ahead, right hand blessing, left hand holding the Gospel book

This type of image belongs to Byzantine art and is found in Latin churches as well. In Cefalù Cathedral, Sicily, the mosaic in the apse was begun in 1145, under the Norman kingdom. On the open book is the verse "I am the light of the world", written in Greek and Latin. UNESCO lists the cathedral as a World Heritage site that bears witness to the meeting of Western, Islamic and Byzantine cultures.

Source: Wikipedia, Cefalù Cathedral. UNESCO, Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale.

Christ the King

Christus RexHow to recognize: At Almada, a standing figure with outstretched arms on a tall pedestal

The feast of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI with the encyclical Quas Primas of 11 December 1925. The Cristo Rei monument at Almada, Portugal, was inspired by the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and inaugurated on 17 May 1959.

Source: Holy See, Pope Pius XI, Encyclical Quas Primas, 11 December 1925. Wikipedia, Christ the King (Almada).

VMary and her titles

There is only one Mary, but each place honours her through its own image and title. Some images go back to an ancient icon, some to an occasion when Mary is believed to have appeared. The Catechism says that images of Mary, like all holy images, point to Christ.

Madonna and Child

Madonna col BambinoHow to recognize: Mary in a dark blue mantle, the Child Jesus in her arms

The Catechism says that images of the Mother of God point to Christ, which is why Mary is so often shown together with her Son. The panel by Duccio di Buoninsegna (about 1300, Metropolitan Museum of Art) is only about 24 cm high. In it the Child reaches up to touch his mother's veil.

Source: Holy See, Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1159 to 1162 (English edition).

Our Lady of Sorrows

PietàHow to recognize: Mary seated, holding the dead body of Jesus on her lap

Britannica defines the Pietà as the subject of the Virgin supporting the body of the dead Christ. It appeared in Germany at the beginning of the 14th century, spread to France and was very popular in northern Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. Michelangelo's marble in Saint Peter's Basilica (1499) is the best known work.

Source: Britannica, Pietà.

Our Lady of Lourdes

Notre-Dame de LourdesHow to recognize: White dress, blue sash, hands joined, a rosary, a yellow rose on each foot

In 1858 the young Bernadette Soubirous reported seeing Mary eighteen times at the grotto of Massabielle. The statue in the rock niche was carved by Joseph-Hugues Fabisch from her description and dedicated on 4 April 1864. Wikipedia records that Bernadette herself was disappointed with the statue. Lourdes grottoes have been recreated in a great many churches, including in Vietnam.

Source: Wikipedia, Our Lady of Lourdes. Vietnamese Wikipedia, Nhà thờ chính tòa Phát Diệm (Phát Diệm Cathedral).

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Nuestra Señora de GuadalupeHow to recognize: Mary standing with joined hands on a crescent moon, a mantle full of stars, rays all around

The image of Mary on a cloak (tilma) is linked to the appearances to Saint Juan Diego in December 1531 and is now venerated in the basilica in Mexico City. The image was crowned in 1895. The origin of the image was debated early on: in 1556 the friar Francisco de Bustamante said it had been painted by an indigenous painter named Marcos. The library records this without taking sides.

Source: Wikipedia, Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Mater de Perpetuo SuccursuHow to recognize: An icon on a gold ground, the Child Jesus holding his mother's hand, a sandal slipping off his foot, two angels holding instruments of the Passion

A Byzantine style icon of the Cretan school, painted on wood. The Archangel Michael holds the lance and the reed with the sponge, the Archangel Gabriel holds the cross and nails. In 1865 Pope Pius IX entrusted the icon to the Redemptorists, and since then it has been in the church of Saint Alphonsus in Rome.

Source: Wikipedia, Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Our Lady of Częstochowa

Matka Boska CzęstochowskaHow to recognize: Dark skin, two cuts on the cheek, right hand pointing to her Son

An icon of the Hodegetria type (She who shows the way), 122 cm high and 82 cm wide, kept at the monastery of Jasna Góra, Poland. Legend says Saint Luke painted it. In 1430 the icon was badly damaged by robbers and the image was slashed. A legend says this was when the Hussites plundered the monastery, and links the two scars on the right cheek to that event. In 1656 King John II Casimir proclaimed Mary Queen of Poland. The icon is usually covered with ornamental robes and crowns.

Source: Wikipedia, Black Madonna of Częstochowa.

Our Lady of La Vang

How to recognize: Vietnamese áo dài and turban, holding the Child Jesus with both hands

The faithful believe that in 1798 Mary appeared to Catholics hiding in the forest of La Vang, Quảng Trị, holding the Child Jesus, with an angel on either side. Vietnamese Wikipedia tells this story from the documents of the Archdiocese of Huế, 1998. The Holy See has neither declared it authentic nor rejected it, but pilgrimage is accepted, and the church of La Vang was raised to a minor basilica in 1961. According to the sociologist Thien-Huong T. Ninh, until 1998 statues of Our Lady of La Vang were still modelled on the French Our Lady of Victories. For the bicentenary, the sculptor Văn Nhân made a statue of Mary in Vietnamese national dress, which Pope John Paul II blessed in Rome on 1 July 1998. On 5 January 2011 a new statue of Our Lady of La Vang was blessed at La Vang. In 2025 a statue of Our Lady of La Vang in white marble from Nghệ An, 1.6 metres high, was placed in the Vatican Gardens.

Source: Vietnamese Wikipedia, Đức Mẹ La Vang (Our Lady of La Vang). Thien-Huong T. Ninh, Our Lady of La Vang, Boom California, 2018. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam, Lễ bế mạc Năm Thánh tại La Vang: làm phép tượng Đức Mẹ La Vang mới (Closing of the Jubilee Year at La Vang: blessing of a new statue of Our Lady of La Vang), 05/01/2011. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam, Đặt tượng Đức Mẹ La Vang Việt Nam tại Vườn Vatican (A statue of Our Lady of La Vang placed in the Vatican Gardens), 2025.

Our Lady of Trà Kiệu

How to recognize: The shrine of Our Lady on Bửu Châu hill

In September 1885 the Catholic village of Trà Kiệu was besieged by Văn Thân forces. The villagers set a statue of Mary on the altar to pray. Tradition says that the commander of the other side saw a woman in white standing on the roof of the church. In 1898 the villagers built a shrine on Bửu Châu hill dedicated to Mary Help of Christians. In 1971 the bishop of Đà Nẵng chose Trà Kiệu as the Marian Centre of the diocese.

Source: Vietnamese Wikipedia, Đức Mẹ Trà Kiệu (Our Lady of Trà Kiệu).

Our Lady Queen of Peace

Regina PacisHow to recognize: Mary standing upright, holding up a globe topped by a cross

A statue in white Carrara marble in front of Sài Gòn Cathedral, carved by G. Ciocchetti, 4.6 metres high and weighing 8 tonnes. It reached Sài Gòn in February 1959 and was blessed by Cardinal Agagianian on 17 February of that year. Since then the cathedral has commonly been called Notre-Dame Cathedral (nhà thờ Đức Bà).

Source: Vietnamese Wikipedia, Vương cung thánh đường Chính tòa Đức Bà Sài Gòn (Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Sài Gòn).

VISaint Joseph and the saints

Statues of saints usually carry no name. Viewers recognize each one by what the saint holds and wears, known as the saint's attributes. The table below lists the most common ones, according to the sources the library has read.

Saint Joseph

How to recognize: A father holding the Child Jesus, a lily or a flowering staff

Older paintings often show Saint Joseph as an old man. In recent centuries he has more often been shown younger and has become a central figure in images of the Holy Family. The flowering staff comes from a non biblical account of how a husband was chosen for Mary. In 1870 Pope Pius IX declared him patron of the universal Church. St. Joseph's Cathedral in Hà Nội is dedicated to him and has a terracotta statue of Saint Joseph more than two metres tall.

Source: Wikipedia, Saint Joseph. Vietnamese Wikipedia, Nhà thờ Lớn Hà Nội (St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hà Nội).

Saint Peter

How to recognize: Keys in his hand

The National Gallery in London notes that Saint Peter is often shown holding the keys to heaven and hell. The bronze statue in Saint Peter's Basilica shows him seated on a throne, holding the keys in one hand and blessing with the other. It is traditionally attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio, but according to Wikipedia this is often doubted.

Source: National Gallery, London, glossary: Saint Peter. Wikipedia, Arnolfo di Cambio.

Saint Paul

How to recognize: A sword, a book or a letter

The sword is Saint Paul's attribute, recalling that as a Roman citizen he demanded to be tried in Rome and was beheaded there. His second symbol is a book, standing for the letters he sent to the churches he founded.

Source: National Gallery, London, glossary: Saint Paul.

The four Evangelists

How to recognize: A winged man, a lion, an ox, an eagle

The four symbols come from the four living creatures in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel and in the Book of Revelation. Saint Matthew is the winged man, Saint Mark the winged lion, Saint Luke the winged ox, Saint John the eagle. Wikipedia cites the preface of Saint Jerome's commentary on the Gospel of Matthew for this assignment. Statues of the four Evangelists also stand on the four corners of the Phương Đình bell tower at Phát Diệm.

Source: Wikipedia, Four Evangelists. Vietnamese Wikipedia, Nhà thờ chính tòa Phát Diệm (Phát Diệm Cathedral).

Saint Anthony of Padua

How to recognize: A friar in a brown habit holding the Child Jesus

A friar of the Order of Friars Minor, born in 1195, died in 1231 and canonized in 1232, less than a year after his death. He is often shown meditating over an open book on which the Child Jesus appears.

Source: Wikipedia, Anthony of Padua.

Saint Francis of Assisi

How to recognize: Brown habit, a cord belt, nail wounds in his hands and feet

Born around 1181, died in 1226. In 1224 on Mount La Verna, after a vision of a six winged seraph on a cross, he bore the stigmata in his hands and feet. At Christmas 1223 in Greccio he set up a Nativity scene with a manger and a real ox and donkey. Pope Francis's apostolic letter Admirabile signum (2019) says the tradition of the Christmas crib began there.

Source: Wikipedia, Francis of Assisi. Holy See, Pope Francis, Apostolic Letter Admirabile signum on the meaning and importance of the Nativity scene, 1 December 2019.

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus

Thérèse de LisieuxHow to recognize: A Carmelite nun holding a crucifix covered in roses

A Carmelite nun at Lisieux, France, born in 1873, died in 1897 at only 24, canonized in 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997. The roses in her arms are her attribute.

Source: Wikipedia, Thérèse of Lisieux.

The Vietnamese Martyrs

How to recognize: Usually a painting or relief with many figures

One hundred and seventeen martyrs were canonized by Pope John Paul II on 19 June 1988: 96 Vietnamese, 11 of Spanish origin and 10 of French origin. Of the 96 Vietnamese, 37 were priests and 59 lay people. Their common feast is 24 November. The relief at Cha Tam Church shows them as a large crowd.

Source: Vietnamese Wikipedia, Các thánh tử đạo Việt Nam (Vietnamese Martyrs).

VIIThe monstrance, Eucharistic adoration and relics

The monstrance and adoration

For Catholics the Eucharist is not an image. The Catechism says the Church offers the sacrament of the Eucharist the worship of adoration, during Mass and outside it: reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them for the solemn veneration of the faithful and carrying them in procession. This is the basic difference between the tabernacle or monstrance and all the images described above.

The monstrance is the vessel used to display the consecrated Host during adoration and in processions. Britannica records that monstrances were first used in France and Germany in the 14th century. The familiar form is a round glass window set in a cross or among metal rays spreading out like the sun. The Host sits in a crescent shaped holder behind the glass. The Holy See's Directory describes forms of adoration: a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, adoration of the Host exposed in a monstrance or pyx, and perpetual adoration.

Relics and reliquaries

The Second Vatican Council recalled that the Church continues to venerate the saints, together with their authentic relics and their images. According to the Holy See's Directory, relics are first of all the bodies of the saints or significant parts of them. The objects they used, their clothes, their manuscripts and objects that have touched their bodies or tombs are also regarded as relics. The Directory asks that relics be authentic, not divided into small fragments, and not displayed on the altar table.

In the Middle Ages, relics were placed in containers of gold, silver, ivory, precious stones and enamel. The Metropolitan Museum of Art lists the forms: caskets shaped like small houses, containers shaped like a part of the body such as an arm, busts and full figure statues. The statue of Saint Foy at Conques, France, was made in the second half of the 9th century, is about 85 cm tall and has a wooden core covered in gold. Its head was originally a 5th century Roman head.

VIIICatholic images country by country

The teaching on images is one, but each people makes its images with its own materials and its own faces. The Holy See's Directory says that in the West the making of sacred images is not governed by strict canons fixed for centuries, as it is in the Eastern Churches. The list below still leaves out many countries.

Italy

Italy holds many layers of images: Byzantine style mosaics in 12th century Sicily, crosses painted on wood in Assisi and Florence, Renaissance marble sculpture such as Michelangelo's Pietà, and 18th century altarpieces such as Batoni's Sacred Heart. Saint Peter's Basilica also holds the bronze statue of Saint Peter enthroned.

Source: UNESCO, Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale. Britannica, Pietà. Wikipedia, Sacred Heart of Jesus (Batoni). Wikipedia, Arnolfo di Cambio.

Spain

The distinctive feature is carved and painted wooden figures that look like living people, made to be carried in street processions. Nearly 70 brotherhoods (cofradías) take part in Holy Week in Seville, each carrying floats called pasos: floats with scenes of the Passion and floats of the sorrowing Virgin under a canopy. Each float is carried from underneath by a team of 24 to 54 bearers (costaleros). The oldest surviving figures were carved in the 16th century.

Source: Wikipedia, Holy Week in Seville.

Latin America

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the cloak in Mexico City is the best known image of Mary on the continent. In Lima, Peru, the image of Christ crucified called the Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles) was originally a 17th century mural painted by an enslaved man from Angola. The wall remained standing after the earthquakes of 1655, 1687 and 1746. Every October, hundreds of thousands of people in purple carry this image in procession.

Source: Wikipedia, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Wikipedia, Lord of Miracles.

The Philippines

The two most venerated statues both date from the Spanish period. The Santo Niño de Cebú is a dark wooden statue of the Child Jesus about 30 cm tall, said to have been a gift from Magellan in 1521 and found again in 1565. It is dressed as a king and regarded as the oldest Christian artefact in the Philippines. The statue of Jesus the Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, shows Christ kneeling on one knee and carrying the cross, carved in dark wood by an unknown Mexican sculptor in the 17th century. Its procession on 9 January each year draws millions of people. The statue today combines original parts with parts made again in the 1980s.

Source: Wikipedia, Santo Niño de Cebú. Wikipedia, Black Nazarene.

Poland and Lithuania

The icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa at Jasna Góra is the pilgrimage centre of the Polish people. Since the 20th century the region has also given the universal Church the Divine Mercy image: the first version painted in Vilnius in 1934, the most widespread one in Kraków-Łagiewniki.

Source: Wikipedia, Black Madonna of Częstochowa. Wikipedia, Divine Mercy image.

Vietnam

The Phát Diệm church complex in Ninh Bình, built from 1875 to 1899 under the direction of Father Peter Trần Lục, is made of stone and wood in the form of communal houses and pagodas: curved roofs, ironwood columns, a high altar cut from a single block of stone, and reliefs of Jesus and the saints carved in stone. The sanctuary of St. Joseph's Cathedral in Hà Nội is carved wood lacquered red and gilded in the folk style. The statue of Our Lady of La Vang in an áo dài is an image of Vietnamese Catholics' own, now found in Vietnamese communities around the world and in the Vatican Gardens.

Source: Vietnamese Wikipedia, Nhà thờ chính tòa Phát Diệm (Phát Diệm Cathedral). Vietnamese Wikipedia, Nhà thờ Lớn Hà Nội (St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hà Nội). Thien-Huong T. Ninh, Our Lady of La Vang, Boom California, 2018. Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam, Đặt tượng Đức Mẹ La Vang Việt Nam tại Vườn Vatican (A statue of Our Lady of La Vang placed in the Vatican Gardens), 2025.

Japan

Christianity was banned in Japan from the 17th century until the ban was lifted in 1873. UNESCO records that the hidden Christian communities of the Nagasaki region secretly passed on their faith for more than two centuries. They used statues of Kannon (Guanyin) holding a child, mostly white Dehua porcelain from China, to honour Mary. Such statues are called Maria Kannon. The one in the photo belongs to the Tokyo National Museum, dates from the 17th century and is classed among materials related to Christianity.

Source: UNESCO, Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region. Wikipedia, Kakure Kirishitan. ColBase, collections database of the National Museums of Japan, The Bodhisattva Kannon as the Virgin Mary, C-613.

The Eastern Catholic Churches

Within the Catholic Church there are 23 Eastern Churches in communion with the Pope. The Second Vatican Council taught that each Church should keep its tradition whole and entire and that these Churches are of equal dignity. The Holy See's Directory notes that in the East the painting of icons follows strict canons in place for centuries. The Ethiopian Catholic Church celebrates the liturgy in the Alexandrian rite in the Ge'ez language. The early 17th century Ethiopian triptych below shows the opposite direction: Ethiopian painters took an icon of Mary in Rome as their model, after Jesuit missionaries brought prints of it around 1600.

Source: Wikipedia, Eastern Catholic Churches. Second Vatican Council, Decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum. Wikipedia, Ethiopian Catholic Church. Wikimedia Commons, file page transcribing the description of the Walters Art Museum (object 36.4). Holy See, Congregation for Divine Worship, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, 2001 (English edition).

IXWhat the library is not sure of

XPhotos and licences

Every photo on this page comes from Wikimedia Commons, under Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA licences. Authors and licences are given exactly as on the original file pages, read on 07/10/2026. The photos have only been reduced in size, with no change to their content. Click the name of a photo to go to its original file page. If you are an author and see an incorrect credit, please let the library know so it can be corrected.

XISources

The pages above were read in October 2026. If a page has changed its address, please let the library know so it can be updated.

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